To be petrified driving on motorways

And neither should nervous drivers. I get stuck behind them all the time, hesitating, braking whenever another car comes towards them, in the wrong lanes. Get more lessons or don’t drive.

How on earth does fear of motorways make you an incompetent driver?

I find those that drive on motor ways with zero fear or awareness of why there might be fear terrifying.

I find dual carriageways much more difficult to join especially when the slip road is very short and there is loads of traffic, nose to nose lorries on the main carriageway.
At least with motorways the slip roads are usually really long with good visibility.

Feeling for you living with that fear. I had a friend who was the same but they needed to just get on and do it for an emergency with a family member and it was the quickest way to get to them and haven’t looked back. As others have said just go for little practise runs and you’ll soon get your confidence

Yes, i used to be very scared driving on motorways. I would drive totally rigid, gripping the wheel like a vice. It seems to be brought on by personal stress i was having.
I had to do it for work and gradually it got easier. The more you do something, the less it frightens you. Try building up with short journeys.

@ViaRia01 don't suppose youre in North London are you? I need yout instructor !

Isn't it.

Driving at 70mph and knowing that a minor error in judgment could cause a crash is a perfectly logical reaction. It seems that people have different responses to the situation depending on their situation, age, or other factors

When I was younger I was a lot more comfortable driving on the motorway. However, now even with more caution and experience, I'm more reluctant to do so.

YANBU, believing in your intuition and using breathing exercises is the best way to handle it.

Im not even saying impatient drivers taking a risk, but eventually that will happen when stuck behind drivers who dont take the space and speed afforded them

Over here in NI we are governed for a year of passing a test to 45 MPH - all roads, thats it, even motorways. And that year allows you learn how to drive safely . You have the P plate up, other drivers give you space, and you soon find out what you can and cant do

Stuck behind a 40mph driver on a 70mph road, someone is going to take a risk, under cutting is the norm. Have confidence when driving, read the road

If motorway driving was compulsory for a driving test how would that work for those of us who live hundreds of miles from one?

I'm nervous about driving on motorways but fine otherwise. That doesn't mean I shouldn't be driving at all.

On the A9 (Scotland's deadliets road) there are notices at regular intervals asking slow drivers to pull in to allow faster drivers to overtake. I think they say something like "Frustration kills, slow drivers please allow other drivers to overtake"

I agree it’s incredibly annoying, but if someone decides to overtake when they’re not sure it’s safe to do so and causes an accident then that’s on them. The previous owners of the house I grew up in lost their lives because someone chanced overtaking when they shouldn’t have. The impatient driver who takes the risk is the much bigger danger.

I dint say I wouldn't overtake

I live in a very tourist area, caravans and campers for miles, as well as tractors and other assorted slow moving vehicles , and you get a nervous driver behind one and thats it, you could be stuck many miles before you get clearance to take both. Today, I saw cars and vans taking risks because a slow/elderly/nervous driver wouldn't take the camper in front

Completely agree

@suki1964
Sorry but you are mistaking a person who finds that driving gives them anxiety to mean that they drive unsafely or like an old lady.
I admit to not enjoying driving and I find it stressful. This is made worse by dangerous drivers around.
Of course I make mistakes and I can acknowledge that.
I don't unduly hesitate at roundabouts! I drive to the speed limit and in fact I'm infuriated by instructors taking learners onto 30mph roads and they are doing 15mph!! I was told to keep to the limit. But obviously not speed.
I find idiots on mobiles, those who think indicating is an option unbelievable.
I live by a mini roundabout, and at least once a week when I'm walking ,someone comes flying round it without indicating. I always tell my dc to presume they are turning and not step out into the road

I’d say those examples are more annoying than they are hazardous. If someone rear ends a car that hesitates at a roundabout that’s their own fault. And 70mph limits are for either dual carriageways or motorways so I’m not sure why you wouldn’t be able to overtake the caravan or the driver going at 40.

Ah ok.

I can understand the anxiety around slip roads and I used to feel anxious about it myself when I first passed my test. The whole concept is pretty daunting. But in 15 years of driving I’ve only had an issue joining once, and that was because of the car in front of me was approaching too slowly and I didn’t plan for it effectively (I should have dropped well back from them to give me more time to build up speed - lesson learnt). Most people will move out the way or adjust their speed to provide a gap for merging traffic, because they don’t want to be hit any more than you do. And remember you can ease off or speed up if necessary to help you merge into a gap. Personally I stay in 4th gear until I’ve merged as it gives me more control, especially as my car is a bit underpowered.

Sorry but personally I think you are wrong

Now dont get me wrong, I dont sanction driving and using mobiles, but a nervous driver is more of a hazard

Roundabouts,
Im second in queue, I see theres enough space for the car in front and me, the car in front moves, and then brakes because a car on his right has reached the roundabout .

Clear road, both sides, caravan or trailer reduced to 50 in a 70, and the car behind refuses to over take

A 30/40 MPH driver on clear empty 70mph roads

If you can not drive to the road conditions then please, dont be driving

Dont get me wrong, I dont speed, I was crawling along 2 weeks back during a snow storm. But if the road is clear, visibility is perfect, I drive to its conditions and its when you come up behind a driver that cant, or refuses, its when the accidents happen

I live rural and theres many a driver over 80 driving along at 20mph on 60 roads

I honestly think that if someone fails to pass their test, say, 8 times they should have to take a more intensive test. If a surgeon had taken 8 goes at becoming qualified I wouldn't want them working on me!

Norfolk maybe? Apparently the dual carriageways here are used a lot when teaching learners so they end up having driven on roads that are very similar to motorways.

That really isn't true.

In fact motorway driving should be easier than an A road, there are no roundabouts, fewer junctions, traffic lights etc.
When we used to do long drives between NW England and Germany we would split the driving so that OH would do a lot of the boring motorway/autobahn stuff and I would do the round/through cities as I found motorways hypnotically boring, it worked very well.

Once you join the motorway it's the safest road you can travel on! I find roundabouts much worse as you have people failing to give way and sometimes the layouts are not well thought out.