Motorway Driving Question

AdrianC

OP, you say you were in the correct lane, and the lanes would be separating "shortly" - how far away from the split were you? Had the markers between the lanes "tightened up" at the point this all happened?

If there's nothing in front of you, then 50mph is too slow for a clear motorway, although it's not that much below the speed an HGV will be doing. It really doesn't take very long to slow down from 70 in the event that you do see traffic ahead. I think your cautiousness was probably the cause of the problem here - and that'll quickly start to benefit from more experience. Don't view a motorway as some big scary very different thing - it's not. It's actually a safer road, and really very similar to the dual carriageways you'd undoubtedly have used with your instructor.

GabbaGabbaHey

Noble_Viking wrote: »

I am afraid I disagree. Having come from a 40mph road (East Lancs) in which I was doing approx. 35mph because of the traffic build up, as I approached the M61 I was beginning to increase my speed before the three idiots behind me clearly coming from the same road decided to act the way they did.

While the legal speed limit on motorways is 70mph, the de facto limit (as accepted by a number of police forces) is actually around 85mph, and a lot of motorway traffic will be travelling at that speed. If you were doing an indicated 50mph, it's quite possible that you were in reality doing somewhere in the region of 45mph. That's a huge (and potentially very dangerous) speed differential.

Given your very limited experience of driving, especially on motorways, I'd suggest that you stop referring to other, more experienced, drivers as "idiots", and try to understand why they drove the way that they did - including your contribution to their actions.

I'll probably get some flack for this, but if I had encountered you driving at 50mph in the circumstances described, I would almost certainly have done the same thing that the 3 female drivers you described did.

esuhl

Why the rush? Why get road rage over someone travelling slower than you? It's a motorway. It won't be long until you have a chance to overtake.

Money_saving_maniac

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

While the legal speed limit on motorways is 70mph, the de facto limit (as accepted by a number of police forces) is actually around 85mph, and a lot of motorway traffic will be travelling at that speed. If you were doing an indicated 50mph, it's quite possible that you were in reality doing somewhere in the region of 45mph. That's a huge (and potentially very dangerous) speed differential.

Given your very limited experience of driving, especially on motorways, I'd suggest that you stop referring to other, more experienced, drivers as "idiots", and try to understand why they drove the way that they did - including your contribution to their actions.

I'll probably get some flack for this, but if I had encountered you driving at 50mph in the circumstances described, I would almost certainly have done the same thing that the 3 female drivers you described did.

You deserve flack for it, you impatient, ill mannered and rude poor driver!

bigjl

Noble_Viking wrote: »

It was an observation whilst on the road and since it was factual, relevant to the thread I believe. Why do you have an issue with me mentioning the three impatient female drivers who clearly abused the use of their horns and lights on a motorway by trying to intimidate me?

Taken from The Highway Code

Rule 112

The horn. Use only while your vehicle is moving and you need to warn other road users of your presence. Never sound your horn aggressively. You MUST NOT use your horn

• while stationary on the road
• when driving in a built-up area between the hours of 11.30 pm and 7.00 am

except when another road user poses a danger.

Rule 110

Flashing headlights. Only flash your headlights to let other road users know that you are there. Do not flash your headlights to convey any other message or intimidate other road users.

These three female drivers did the above as a way of intimation, not just to warn me of their presence. I have mirrors so I can clearly see them behind me. If they had given me a chance to gain speed having just got on to the M61, I would have done so, but they didn't, they seemed to think 70mph + was a better idea. I also forgot to mention one of them had a mobile phone to her ear!

Whether they had been male or female I still would have mentioned it.

So you are able to quote the Highway Code at length but thought doing 50mph in a 70 limit was perfectly safe?

And you are trying to infer you were struggling with your first solo motorway journey but you know that all these other drivers were female and one had a mobile phone.

And how do you know hey we're doing 70mph + as a car driving at even 60mph is going significantly faster than somebody doing 50mph.

Or are you able to assess other vehicles speed just like an experienced Traffic Copper?0

bigjl

Noble_Viking wrote: »

I am afraid I disagree. Having come from a 40mph road (East Lancs) in which I was doing approx. 35mph because of the traffic build up, as I approached the M61 I was beginning to increase my speed before the three idiots behind me clearly coming from the same road decided to act the way they did. There was zero traffic behind me as I entered the M61!

So the question I ask is what mph where they doing on the East Lancs? My guess is they were not sticking to the speed limit restrictions. I guess driving with a mobile phone in one hand is a good idea as well when driving at speed on a motorway.

For everyone who replied, I plan to get some more experience on this route and do a few more practice runs on my own when it is a little bit quieter. I was also raise the issue with my IAM instructor when I meet them later this month.

Have you ever been told about driving without due care and attention for other road users?

How do we even know you were doing 50mph? You could easily have been doing 40mph.

And your attitude makes me think you believe your driving ability is at a higher level than it really is.

Sounds like you were poor long along at 40/50mph and pulled into the right lane without any regard for the cars driving at 70mph, hence they flashed their lights at you.

Having an indicator on and wanting to change lanes is not the same as being able to change lanes.

If these other cars where in the right hand lane you should have slowed hem to pass before merging.

With experience comes ability.

Norman_Castle

esuhl wrote: »

Why the rush? Why get road rage over someone travelling slower than you? It's a motorway. It won't be long until you have a chance to overtake.

I think driving at 50mph on a motorway in the only available lane for no apparent reason is a bit too slow. Forcing following drivers to slow when they are not expecting to could be classed as a hazard and is clearly irritating to others.
I consider myself an average speed driver based on the fact most other drivers are driving at the same speed. I don't enjoy being slowed by the occasional slower driver but I accept they are more comfortable at that speed but on a motorway its important for safety to fit in with the other traffic.

esuhl

I don't think 50mph is too slow, if you're travelling in the left-most or otherwise appropriate lane.

The speed limit for many vehicles is 60mph on a motorway, and, as speed limits are ABSOLUTE MAXIMUMS, travelling at a mere 10mph slower than the maximum speed of many vehicles seems perfectly reasonable.

Let the criminal speeders flash their lights and toot their horns. They'll just have to patient.

Many motorists are used to using their vehicle as a weapon to intimidate other road users. So let them. Ignore their bullying tactics and drive as you see fit. It's more important to arrive relaxed and alive than it is to worry whether a screaming lunatic feels inconvenienced by your presence.

It just shows that we need a lot more CCTV and police patrols to catch people committing crime on the roads.

takman

esuhl wrote: »

I don't think 50mph is too slow, if you're travelling in the left-most or otherwise appropriate lane.

The speed limit for many vehicles is 60mph on a motorway, and, as speed limits are ABSOLUTE MAXIMUMS, travelling at a mere 10mph slower than the maximum speed of many vehicles seems perfectly reasonable.

Let the criminal speeders flash their lights and toot their horns. They'll just have to patient.

Many motorists are used to using their vehicle as a weapon to intimidate other road users. So let them. Ignore their bullying tactics and drive as you see fit. It's more important to arrive relaxed and alive than it is to worry whether a screaming lunatic feels inconvenienced by your presence.

It just shows that we need a lot more CCTV and police patrols to catch people committing crime on the roads.

But they were in the right hand lane and which was also the only lane going in that particular direction. So that is dangerously slow on a motorway!. Considering that the OP was going 50 then you definetly can't call the people who want to go 70 "criminal speeders"!.

Travelling at 50mph even in the left hand lane is too slow for a clear motorway and causes congestion. If your doing 50 then all the HGV's who can only do 56 and all the vehicles that are towing that can only do 60 will be forced to move into the middle lane to overtake. This means that two lanes of the motorway are stuck at a maximum of 56mph.
All the cars going along legally at 70 will soon approach from behind and have to move into the third lane. This means the third lane will get very busy and cause everyone to slow down which builds up even more traffic.

Someone who thinks that 70 is "too fast" or isn't confident enough to drive at 70 shouldn't be on the motorway at all. They are a danger to other road users!.

Plus in the situation of the OP the cars flashing their lights and sounding their horns were correct to do so because someone travelling at 50 holding everyone up appears to not be aware of the presence of other motorists.

Manxman_in_exile

I agree with takman about the build of congestion and that 50 mph is just too slow on a clear motorway.


I have been driven by a work colleague on a motorway at 50 mph and was never so scared in my life. We weren't flashed or anything by other drivers (who all successfully avoided us) but I was acutely aware that we were a mobile hazard and the speed differential was 30 mph plus. My colleague was blissfully oblivious that their driving was potentially dangerous. I got a lift home with someone else.


(PS - I probably should have raised my concerns there and then, but as I myself couldn't drive at the time, I wasn't too sure if my observations would be welcome.)