Motorway

Original post by Jay1991

I always find myself panicking because I don’t know what to do.

The lane you are in as you seek to join a motorway is called the acceleration lane. It is called that because it is designed to allow you a clear run at increasing your car's speed to approximately the same as that of the traffic in the left hand lane of the motorway. If your speed is roughly the same as that of the traffic it is a relatively simple matter to adjust it up or down slightly to enable you to enter a space between the cars in that lane and so join the motorway.

Is the person in that lane expected to slow down and let me in?

Absolutely not.! Motorway traffic holds right of way. Most sensible drivers will move over if they can and allow you more space, but you cannot assume that (a) they are sensible or (b) they have even seen you or (c) they are able to move over (as you can't see what is behind them in the outside lane).

Am I expected to slow down potentially to a stop?

Yes. If you can't move out of the acceleration lane without incommoding the traffic there that is exactly what you should do.

Reply 3

Jay1991

OP

Original post by Good bloke

The lane you are in as you seek to join a motorway is called the acceleration lane. It is called that because it is designed to allow you a clear run at increasing your car's speed to approximately the same as that of the traffic in the left hand lane of the motorway. If your speed is roughly the same as that of the traffic it is a relatively simple matter to adjust it up or down slightly to enable you to enter a space between the cars in that lane and so join the motorway.

Absolutely not.! Motorway traffic holds right of way. Most sensible drivers will move over if they can and allow you more space, but you cannot assume that (a) they are sensible or (b) they have even seen you or (c) they are able to move over (as you can't see what is behind them in the outside lane).

Yes. If you can't move out of the acceleration lane without incommoding the traffic there that is exactly what you should do.

Thanks for the reply.

"Try to avoid at all costs stopping at the end of the slip road as it can be highly dangerous trying to enter the motorway from a stationary position."

From http://www.drivingtesttips.biz/motorway-slip-road.html Granted that's not exactly a DVLA site.

I understand I'd have to stop but that raises the question as to how I join the motorway if I've had to stop? How do I go from stationary to joining a fully moving motorway?

I did always feel that they had the priority but that's my only issue. I've never not been able to find a gap, I guess I'm just worried about what to do if the time ever comes when I can't find a gap. No other acceleration lane has ever given me this feeling but this one comes after a bend and usually when I come onto the motorway there are 3 lanes but this is two.

This is also a really fast motorway. The last time I was on it I was doing 72 mph in the left lane and someone was right up behind me.

Reply 4

Original post by Jay1991

How do I go from stationary to joining a fully moving motorway?

Well, if that happened (and it would be a rare occurence) you'd be at the beginning of the hard shoulder and you'd be in the same position as anyone starting off again after an emergency: accelerate and join in a gap once your speed matches the cars in the inside lane. Isn't that familiar?

Reply 5

Jay1991

OP

Original post by Good bloke

Well, if that happened (and it would be a rare occurence) you'd be at the beginning of the hard shoulder and you'd be in the same position as anyone starting off again after an emergency: accelerate and join in a gap once your speed matches the cars in the inside lane. Isn't that familiar?

Will there always be a hard shoulder at the end of an accelerating lane?

Is it legal to use the hard shoulder for that reason?

Is what familiar? Using the hard shoulder? No I've never had to. If you mean matching my speed and joining then yes. I join the motorway a lot and like I've said this is the only particular place that I have this issue with.

Reply 6

Entertainment Forum Helper

Original post by Jay1991

Will there always be a hard shoulder at the end of an accelerating lane?

There are probably places without one, but it must be fairly unusual.

Is it legal to use the hard shoulder for that reason?

Think about it. The hard shoulder is for emergencies. If you have had to stop to avoid an accident it is an emergency, by definition. Once the emergency has passed you have to move off again, and accelerating along the hard shoulder is the only way to do it.

If you mean matching my speed and joining

I did.

Reply 7

Advisor

8

Original post by Jay1991

The road joining the motorway has a bend and therefore you’re going fairly slowly by motorway standards. You then come to a lane next to the motorway and this lane quickly turns into the hard shoulder.

While you have to drive at a sensible speed for the bend, every motorway acceleration lane is designed to be long enough to build up a reasonable speed. Some may be longer than others, but it seems you're just not putting your foot down hard enough. If that junction is as tricky as you say it is, then a right indicator signal will be essential if you want other drivers to help you out. Are you signalling when you approach?

If you've never had official motorway training, consider having a one-off lesson with a good driving instructor, dealing with that junction in particular.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 8

Emma:-)

It might be worth having a couple of motorway lessons or going along that route with someone or something if that will make you feel better.

Reply 9

Sgt.Incontro

20

Hmm the road you describe is pretty much EXACTLY as the same as a road near where I live. Do you live in Surrey by any chance?

I also don't really like the type of road you describe.

What you have to do is basically troddle along at a maximum of 30MPH, and once you see a gap, to accelerate hard. If you go much faster than 30MPH, you risk not being able to stop in time if you reach the end of the acceleration lane lol.

Reply 10

Runninground

A bit more confidence to move over then you should be fine.

If you have to carry on in the hard shoulder then do it (so long as no one is stopped in it) but move over asap.. I think it's against the highway code but between driving in the hard shoulder and stopping at the end of the slip road.. I know which one i'd do.

Reply 11

Original post by Sgt.Incontro

What you have to do is basically troddle along at a maximum of 30MPH, and once you see a gap, to accelerate hard.

This is a very dangerous way to do it; you are asking for trouble one day. You need to be at the approximate same speed as the traffic in the inside lane.

Reply 12

Sgt.Incontro

20

Original post by Good bloke

This is a very dangerous way to do it; you are asking for trouble one day. You need to be at the approximate same speed as the traffic in the inside lane.

Almost always yes, but in this particular instance I disagree.

This slip-road is way too short, so if you are going at the same speed as traffic in the left-lane (50-60MPH), that is leaving you very little delay margin in terms of merging. If there happens to be two cars coming down the left lane (with inadequate merging distances between them), by the time they have finished passing you, you will have crashed into the side barrier as you will have run out of slip road.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 13

cole-slaw

5

You need to slam your foot down and get up to speed, then you can slot into a gap.
DO NOT attempt to join a motorway crawling along at 40mph, you'll kill yourself and probably someone else as well.

Reply 14

crazylittlething

I always find motorway driving quite daunting too. I think the key is to just do as much of it as you can,

Reply 15

2710

Original post by Advisor

While you have to drive at a sensible speed for the bend, every motorway acceleration lane is designed to be long enough to build up a reasonable speed. Some may be longer than others, but it seems you're just not putting your foot down hard enough. If that junction is as tricky as you say it is, then a right indicator signal will be essential if you want other drivers to help you out. Are you signalling when you approach?

If you've never had official motorway training, consider having a one-off lesson with a good driving instructor, dealing with that junction in particular.

You do get some that curve round and are way too short. There is a slip road into a dual carriageway near where i live and it is far too short imo. And to make it worse it is a sharp bend. If i were to drive at 65-70 it would not leave enough time for me to break to avoid collision if traffic does not permit.

Thus for that bend i tend to go at 50ish, not too slow as to endanger those already on the DC, but not too fast as to have to break harshly.

Of course though OP, your judgement will become better with practice.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 16

Runninground

You don't need much slip road to merge on. Just take a look and if there is a car there, brake and get in after it.

Reply 17

JC.

Put your foot down and merge!

Reply 18

live_a_life

10

Everything that can be said about JOINING the motorway has been said; confidence and acceleration are key.

Now here's my biggest tip for when you're ON the motorway: for the love of god, stay in the left lane unless you're overtaking. This time every year has the biggest boom in Sunday drivers. Those absolutely inconsiderate and incompetent fools that stay in the middle lane at 65-70mph despite the left being completely empty. And then when you give them a quick flash from a reasonable distance to alert them of your presence/their incompetence, they just don't move. This is how the right lane gets clogged up.

Rant over. It annoys me more than it should but I'm working on that haha

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 19

dhr90