Driving styles across UK motorways

[Offandonagain]

I drove from Cumbria to Canterbury today. I live in Cumbria and use the M6 often to visit family in the NW.

I am a happy confident driver and happy to drive until and down the M6 knowing how to read the road and judge other driver’s manoevres.

The M1 and M25 on the other hand!!! I just could ‘t figure out what drivers were supposed to be doing or not!… It’s like there’s completely different rules down there!

M1 lorries constantly overtaking each other and holding up the other lanes.

M25 very regular undertaking and weaving that I had to keep and eye on all 4 lanes at all times, not knowing where cars were going to appear from!… Right up people’s backsides. Going way too fast for the conditions. It was 4pm and pretty busy!

I actually thought my family were going to die today…. The traffic slowed to 40 and I saw a car in my rear view flying towards me, swerved so not to go in to the back of me but miss judged a car in the outside lane, so swerved again behind me and dodged me by under taking… toppling and sliding about. He then gained control and off he went weaving through the traffic in front like nothing had happened. Where as I was in shock and spent the next 20 miles or so shaking!

I’ve got to drive 6 hours through France tomorrow and I’m now dreading it!
Then there’s the bloody return journey through the UK south again! 😫

Because I could bloody get over! I indicate to move back over. It wasn’t just me they were undertaking, soo many were weaving in and out all over the place.

I hate middle lane hoggers too.

Thank you! That soo reassuring x

I live by the M25 and it's a bit kamikaze at times. I think undertaking has become near accepted, partly due to the volume of traffic and partly as there's always an oblivious driver going at 55 in the third lane.

But I raise you driving through Slough. It's like Bangkok, I'm amazed when I come out unscathed. I also find the M25 end of the M2 full of up-your-backside boy racers.

I've just been up and down the M3 and it's serenity by comparison. Normal people obeying the rules of the road. The M40 is also a pleasure, at least the M25 to Oxford part. Birmingham rather less so.

I spend a fair bit of time on the M40, usually late at night, and there's an exact point about 12 miles outside London, heading in, when the driving suddenly goes totally Wild West - cars flying down the outside lane at about 100mph.

Whereas at the opposite end of the scale, after J36 on the M6 the Lake District suddenly opens out around you, the traffic thins, and with the right music on you can almost pretend you're on old school Top Gear. (Disclaimer: expat Cumbrian)

* I* was even undertaken by a car driving ON THE PAVEMENT once (they soon realised that the reason I wasn't moving was because it was gridlocked in front of me - so they ended up stranded on the pavement.

That's classic. And reminiscent of the bus stop wankers scene in The Inbetweeners.

Undertaking is standard on the m25 and any A route near London. The roads are frequently so busy that locals have got used to lanes moving at independent speeds, and weaving in and out, so it carries on even when traffic isn’t heavy.

Having spent 6.5 hours on the M6 last week for what should have been a 4 hr journey to the lake district I sympathise OP. Friend told me there are often wagon fires, whatever they are!

It’s now my least favourite motorway! My list is now this, from least favourite:

M6 from Birmingham to lakes
M42 around Birmingham with it’s bloody variable limits and cameras
M4 esp between Bath and Bristol
M25, obviously
M1 especially around Luton / 11a

agree with PP about London driving, I do it and it needs a completely different and more aggressive and opportunistic mindset!

the M6 toll on the way back was lovely though, very empty. I’d pay £7.50 any day to always travel like that

Having driven on the German autobahns, you know where you stand there. If a car is up your arse, you move.
Here in the Uk they dawdle, no one moves over when they’re supposed to. M1 it’s a free for all like the M25. Cars weaving in and out, vehicles in the wrong lane, honestly, it’s the worst motorway.

Totally agree, is it as it starts to be the A40? My sensors kerp beeping because people are so close

the M40 is generally a civilised motorway though, I like it

The M25 is crazy, drove down there last week and wow.

I'm not understanding the beef with the M42, that's generally OK if you know how to drive on managed motorways.

M6 is much improved from Birmingham to Manchester now most of the roadworks are done. The best bit of the M6 is proper North where there's no one on it.

The M40 is nice unless there's a jam.

The M5 is fine apart from that bit round Exeter.

The M5 is fine apart from that bit round Exeter.

I like the M5 but the elevated section just after the M4 scares me, particularly going southbound. It's precipitous.

I find the M25 almost fun now, after a few years of practice. It’s like Frogger!
What I hate are the smart motorways with no hard shoulders… recently the car in front of me stopped on a part of the M4 with no hard shoulder, thankfully i could pull across into next lane but I kept thinking about that car and hoping they were safe, and how awful it would be to be in that position with 2 small kids and a dog in the car (as we had that day)

The left hand lane really operates as an on and off lane for much of the M25. This explains some of the undertaking and lane confusion I think. It works quite well but only if you know it works like this otherwise when it is busy I am sure people end up being forced to take a junction they weren't planning just because they got stuck in the left hand lane!

I had a pretty nasty crash on the M25 once - got stuck in the middle lane in a situation as described by PPs with traffic either side, then the lorry on the inside lane (left hand drive so big blind spot) started to pull out into me. I had nowhere to go but forwards and got clipped. The car rolled a few times but amazingly didn't hit any other traffic and I was pretty much unscathed. I wasn't aware of the road's reputation before but have heard about it a few times since!

I really dislike the Smart motorways - they feel unsafe and you can't relax into automatic pilot driving.

French motorways are a dream- I'd happily pay to have that system. French drivers overtake then move straight back into the right lane and are not middle lane hoggers like here. Rarely are there any road works either and, where there are,they go on for a few 100 metres. It was embarrassing to return from a long motoring trip to France recently and immediately hit 13 miles of roadworks due to operation Brock on the M20.

I live south and I hate the M1 the most because of the lorries, (I find you just have to drive in the fast lane), closely followed by the m40. Don't mind the m25 but you do have to focus. I've moved near the M3 which is far more civilised .

Interesting

www.shortlist.com/news/best-uk-motorways-driving-cars

Marvellous article.

I confess that we sometimes visit Beaconsfield services for dinner, even though it's a 15 minute drive not on the motorway.

Ahh the m25!

I was thrust onto it for daily rush hour drives as a Brand New Driver as passing my test coincided with My First Proper Job.

I was in a tiny old banger that I'd bought before my first paycheck and god the m25 commute was terrifying.

I had some very close near misses in those early days, which make my blood run cold to recall now, because of the aggressiveness of other drivers and how confusing the m25 could be at times.

Now, I'm confident on both motorways but that's because I learned the hard way! I had some lovely colleagues back then though, who used to warn me about traffic or give me advice for weather conditions 😊

I was queuing to get off a slip road onto the M25 last week and a car came down the outside of me driving virtually on the verge/gap between lane and barriers and forced me over except there was nowhere for me to go because the traffic was stationary, they were so close my parking sensors were going like crazy and I honestly thought they were going to ram my car. When they got past me and another two cars they forced their way out onto rye carriageway then gave everyone the finger out the drivers window. Could not believe it, utterly bizarre behaviour, I was so scared. Then I went past them further on where they were grinding along at 45mph whilst the traffic whizzed round them, so obviously not in a hurry either.

We stopped at several services, OMG I HATE MOTO! And Roadchef.

The French do what the British do not, namely pull in to the inside lane after overtaking rather than blocking the overtaking lanes. For that is what they are, overtaking lanes. The reason for so much fuckwittery on the M25 is often because people sit in the middle lanes doing 68mph when they could pull in but can't be arsed because they will probably have to pull out again. That and cruising along whilst also cruising the internet or their emails. Saw some shocking driving today.

I would happily go to Tebay services for dinner if I was local

Anyone remember the awfulness that was Happy Eater?

I think holiday traffic is making everything worse just now. Drove from Cornwall to London last week and felt like there were many people towing caravans who forgot they were towing a caravan because they don't do it v often. So much braking on the motorway! Never seen the like!