Is it weird to stay off the motorways?

[chessica]

I will preface this and say I’m a relatively experienced driver and often use the car to pop to the supermarket, local shopping centre, train station etc

I don’t like motorways, haven’t used them as a driver in about 12 months possibly longer. We do live 5 minutes from several, but I can also take A/B roads to get to where I need to be usually only takes 10 minutes or so longer.

I am put off them as we have a lot of smart motorways nearby, and as a passenger when DH is driving I have noticed some awful driving around us. People on their mobiles doing 60, people texting in motorway traffic, people merging and then failing to accelerate and those who change their minds at the last minute and cut across two lanes of traffic at speed so they don’t miss their exit junction. Seems like fewer and fewer drivers leave the correct gap, you see them all up ahead following so closely & worse when there’s spray and rainy conditions. I know statistically they are safer, but surely not when everyone’s doing 60-80mph and many people not paying attention or leaving themselves enough space

Does anyone else avoid motorways altogether?

@MrsTerryPratchett I drive 60-65 miles an hour
That okay with you?

@UsingChangeofName

how is it 'limiting' which route she uses to get from a to b??

No, as it’s pretty impossible for me to get anywhere that’s not extremely local without going on a motorway. We’re in the middle of 3 big motorways.

I do agree that there are lots of people that don’t seem to have grasped how to drive properly on a motorway but as long as you have your wits about you and don’t drive with blinkers on you can usually keep well clear of them.

I never understood friends that were terrified of the motorway after passing their driving test. It’s exactly the same rules as a dual carriageway but with one extra lane to use.

@kitsuneghost

try actually reading what people are writing!!

your post is really patronising in light of the comments.

No, I’m a very experienced driver and I use motorways whenever I need to. I commuted via the M1 every day for 25 years, so it’s completely routine for me. The more I drive on them, the more confident I become and the better at avoiding the idiots.
I drove back from Manchester down the M6 yesterday evening in a massive downpour. It wasn’t fun, obviously, but if you slow down, keep your distance and maintain your concentration, it’s fine.
As with anything else, practice makes perfect.

I much prefer motorway driving to driving in a town/city centre or on narrow country lanes where people don't slow down around corners etc.

I avoid. Like you say, so many idiot drivers about it’s not worth it most of the time

Not if you can't drive at the rate of HGVs no. They should be doing 60, many would have speed limiters. So you're probably hovering around 60 +/- a couple of MPH. When you hover below, you are being overtaken. Changing lane, particularly a large, slow vehicle doing it, increases the risk for everyone. Relative speeds and lane-changing are risk factors. It will also cause the middle lane to become slower, bunching traffic and meaning more overtaking into the other lanes. Making everyone less safe and bunching cars, delaying everyone.

If you could stay at the same speed as other drivers in your lane, great. Otherwise you are causing issues.

No. I drive on whichever road will get me to where I need to go in the fastest, safest, easiest and least environmentally damaging way.

@Cattlepillar

in what way? Where does a motorway go that she can't drive on A /B roads?

Your speedo is probably inaccurate if lorries regularly overtake.
As another poster says, that's making the roads more dangerous for everyone.

I avoid motorways as I have a phobia abt merging. So this is also a problem with some dual carriageways. I went on holiday recently and had to use both to get there but left abt 5am so it was very quiet. While i was away on days out I avoided merging on the dual carriageway and went on other A and B roads to get where I wanted to go.

@ReeseWitherfork

oh so you're lucky enough not to use the M25 ?!

Motorways are easy compared with some city driving. I think they are full of much more competent drivers, probably because they're more confident.

I live in Milton Keynes and the quality of driving on the dual carriageways around here is shocking, and frightening at times. I'd take the motorway over the city driving any time!!

I avoid motorways as I have a fear of getting stuck on them, but I have no fear of actually driving on them.
The idea of being stuck in traffic and not able to move/wee is the thing of nightmares to me.

I’m ok with slow anxious drivers staying off the motorway. These are the dangerous drivers imo.

They really get on my tits on the A/B roads though. Would be good if they could get off these too. 😂

I much prefer motorways, where, if other drivers aren’t happy with you doing 70 (ish!) they can just overtake, to being on a fast A road with some idiot driving up your arse even if you’re doing 60.

No, I don’t mind them but I notice if I haven’t happened to drive on them for a while I am a bit nervous.

I suspect this is what’s going on for you.

I would try not to avoid them if I were you, because eventually you will start avoiding that busy A road, and that roundabout, and the place with the funny junction.. and your world will shrink

it’s a slippery slope

Because it’s much slower so longer journeys become impractical. That’s why motorways exist.

You've clearly missed the point completely! 🙄
What about if you were in a different part of the country?

Yes slow and nervous drivers are often the ones that cause accidents as they make other drivers have to overtake and cause irritation.

@Cattlepillar is the sarcasm really necessary?

Thetes not that much time difference between most routes. Half the fecking motorways (here anyway) have 'roadworks for years on end!

Randomly closed half the time, no work being done.

I would think that’s akin to saying, what if you’d gone abroad and needed to go to hospital

We don’t really go away in the UK that much so it’s not something I’d choose to worry about, plus, ambulances exist for those kinds of circumstances.

had to drive motorways every single day to work before covid. love them drive on to them and then stick the car on cruise control. far nicer to drive plus service stations easy to get in and out of with coffee and toilets. if you are nervous driving on motorways then sorry you shouldn't be driving at all. what's next nervous at round abouts? traffic lights ? busy junctions then stall or freeze and cause an accident. driving is about practice and confidence. plan your route give yourself plenty of time. drive onto the motorway stick to the speed limits as someone said if artic Lorrys etc are overtaking you then your going too slow. go off peak times to start to build up

I have noticed with my older female relatives, (age fifty and over) none of them drive on motorways as it's the Husbands job 🙄and as a result they are brain washed into thinking it's too challenging and scary for them