Motorway Driving Question

neilmcl

AdrianC wrote: »

BOTH are every reason to stop. Both merely allow you to get the car to somewhere safe to do so.

Both are intended to allow you to continue driving to your destination albeit in a controlled manner. Remember, the speed limit is the maximum, not a target and if there are reasons where you need to drive slower then so be it.

Anyway, this is off the subject, as this thread was about motorway driving.

Strider590

neilmcl wrote: »

Both are intended to allow you to continue driving to your destination albeit in a controlled manner. Remember, the speed limit is the maximum, not a target and if there are reasons where you need to drive slower then so be it.

Anyway, this is off the subject, as this thread was about motorway driving.

This and "it's not a race", are just "one line" excuses, people use these because they're difficult to respond to with the same ease in which they are said.

In truth they're used to cover up incompetence whilst leaving the person saying them feeling superior because the other person didn't feel they could respond without standing there for half an hour explaining their point to someone who has no intention of listening.

Sometimes when somebody says something so profoundly stupid, you realise there is no point trying to explain yourself.

Despite this, they are still not a valid argument.

martinsurrey

neilmcl wrote: »

Both are intended to allow you to continue driving to your destination albeit in a controlled manner. Remember, the speed limit is the maximum, not a target and if there are reasons where you need to drive slower then so be it.

Anyway, this is off the subject, as this thread was about motorway driving.

Highway code

Rule 169
Do not hold up a long queue of traffic, especially if you are driving a large or slow-moving vehicle. Check your mirrors frequently, and if necessary, pull in where it is safe and let traffic pass.

slow MUST be taken in context of the speed limit of the road you are on.

AdrianC

And let's not forget...

Careless driving

CD20 - Driving without reasonable consideration for other road users - 3 to 9 points

Mercdriver

Everyone so happy to judge that they fail to read what is in the OP. Read it properly before you get on your high horses. The OP clearly states that the lane to the left is 'going to a different destination'. That means it is divided for a junction and so therefore they were in the correct lane as they weren't taking the junction.

To the OP: be a little more confident. You should be aware that there might be traffic ahead, but drive for the conditions that do exist but with a mind and an eye on what might happen in the near future. The drivers overtaking you on the left were in the wrong, but you should drive for the current conditions, not for expected conditions.

I jumped into driving with both feet. Passed just under 3 years ago, bought a car, my first drive was from Bridgend, South Wales to Lincolnshire, then 3 dys later Lincolnshire to Salisbury and then Salisbury to Lake District via an overnight stop at a Days Inn on the M5. I did all this in an E class diesel on one tank of fuel. In my lessons I did mainly single carriageway driving on NSL roads. After driving on these, motorway driving is relatively easy. Most important thing is mirrors mirrors mirrors. Know what is happening around you and drive accordingly.

AdrianC

Mercdriver wrote: »

Everyone so happy to judge that they fail to read what is in the OP. Read it properly before you get on your high horses. The OP clearly states that the lane to the left is 'going to a different destination'. That means it is divided for a junction and so therefore they were in the correct lane as they weren't taking the junction.

While we're talking about people not reading what the OP's said...

Noble_Viking wrote: »

At a guess I was about 800 metres away from the split off

Half a mile away. Doing an indicated 50mph - so probably nearer 45mph - on an otherwise clear M'way.

Mercdriver

AdrianC wrote: »

While we're talking about people not reading what the OP's said...



Half a mile away. Doing an indicated 50mph - so probably nearer 45mph - on an otherwise clear M'way.

So? You should not drive in the divided slipway unless you intend to take the junction. So the OP was in the correct lane. He/she wasn't in an overtaking lane. I've said above that I suspect he/she was being overcautious and needs to drive with more confidence, but the OP wasn't in the incorrect lane. But then you are too preoccupied with jumping down people's throats to read my full post.

fred246

According to my calculations Noble Viking you may have added up to 15 seconds to the journey times of those 3 cars. It's totally unacceptable.

Mercdriver

AdrianC wrote: »

While we're talking about people not reading what the OP's said...



Half a mile away. Doing an indicated 50mph - so probably nearer 45mph - on an otherwise clear M'way.

To illustrate my point here is the googlemaps for the approach to J32 on the M4. Which lane should the OP be driving in?

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.524202,-3.2641652,3a,75y,49.61h,80.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1szbEFDKg4xZEZePqbu11NKA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656



The two left most lanes are for A470, the two on the right are to stay on M4. Do you think the OP should be in the left two lanes, and move across at the last minute? I don't think so. There is only one overtaking lane on the M4 at this point, half a mile before the junction. Other junctions may have more overtaking lanes but the OP should be in the leftmost of the carriageway next to the hatched lines. Not the other side of them.

martinsurrey

Mercdriver wrote: »

So? You should not drive in the divided slipway unless you intend to take the junction. So the OP was in the correct lane. He/she wasn't in an overtaking lane. I've said above that I suspect he/she was being overcautious and needs to drive with more confidence, but the OP wasn't in the incorrect lane. But then you are too preoccupied with jumping down people's throats to read my full post.

if the OP was in the correct lane, the other cars were in the right to pass on the left, you cant have it both ways, claim that the OP was in the right lane as it was a "slipway" (which it wasn't for a long time after the OP pulled out) and that the other cars were in the wrong for undertaking on the motorway.

either its a motorway and the OP was in the wrong lane, or it was a slipway and the other cars were fine undertaking.

and btw its the former, the slipway starts about 30 seconds after the OP pulled out.

(OP, if you are reading these, they are not directed at you, you seem to have taken the advice, its more to continue the discussion with others on a more theoretical point.)