Nearly in a serious car accident - hand hold please

[Usedandhurt]

Im literally shaking. Just had a driver nearly kill me and my dc on the motorway. He/she must have not checked before they pulled onto the motorway from a slip road, I literally had to slam on the breaks to avoid crashing into them and thankfully the driver behind me and the one behind them etc etc were able to stop also. My dc would have been very badly hurt - it was a huge bus and I can only imagine the driver got distracted.

Im a nervous driver at the best of times and Im literally sick with nerves.

This thread has far too many posters who shouldn’t actually be driving on public roads. Do they not teach the Highway Code anymore?

I see that if someone suddenly changes lane you can't anticipate it. What I don't understand is why you didn't anticipate it when they were in the slip road. People on slip roads joining motorways are obviously aiming to move onto the motorway, they don't have any other alternative except stopping, which isn't advised because you won't be able to get up to speed quickly and will get in everyone's way. Normally you can see them in the slip road quite a long time before the road meets the motorway.

So I don't understand why you didn't see the bus coming down the slip road, anticipate that it would be coming into your lane and and therefore slowed down?

It does explain why there's so many crappy drivers on the road though.

Hi OP, I don't think you are being dramatic to be shaken up after a near miss on a motorway, I remember a good 5 years ago I was on a motorway at night and had gone into the right hand lane to overtake middle lane, I'd checked and it was clear but someone came hurtling up behind me as I was overtaking (must have been doing 100mph as I was overtaking at speed) and clearly took.umbridge to me existing in that lane and started violently flashing their lights at me, unfortunately this meant I had absolutely no visibility in my mirrors because of their lights and so was absolutely terrified as I couldn't see what was in the middle lane to move back in. I had baby DC in the back and was completely panicked but managed to make it safely over to the middle but years later I still think about it and feel quite panicked about how scared I was!

With regards to this thread I think it's worth taking into consideration some of the advice around awareness of other cars as you approach motorways, I always check the middle lane as I'm approaching a slip road and move over if I have space or make a mental note of car placement in case I need to make a quick decision, I also start checking for approaching cars as soon as I have visibility and adjust my speed slightly to make space, I'm an anxious driver as well but find that keeping a very close eye on what everyone else is doing is the safest way to.drive

WHERE did I say it wasn't a possible hazard? 😂

I just don't start slowing down every time I see a sign for one. Despite the "it's a limit not a target", driving too slowly on the motorway for no reason is flipping dangerous for a start.

There's a reason why you are told not to spend any time on the hard shoulder if you were forced to stop your car on it.

My motorbike instructor was always very clear that there was 'no point in being right if you are also dead'. Without having been there it is hard to know the rights and wrongs but he would have been visible coming down the slip road and had to go somewhere.

Some real prize specimens on here - could none of the earliest posters be at all kind to the OP, who was clearly shaken and upset?

This thread has far too many posters who shouldn’t actually be driving on public roads. Do they not teach the Highway Code anymore?

Its pretty scary that so many clearly haven’t got a clue.

@Teddleshon but most drivers do follow the Highway Code and anticipate junctions and that traffic will be joining and take action because they know if a vehicle has to stop on a slip road they have literally no chance of joining. The same as why your advised to get up to speed before rejoining from the hard shoulder. It's dangerous. The OP sounds like she is a very nervous driver which is a fault in itself.

@Passepartoute stopping on the slip road is literally exactly what is advised if you can't join! That's what giving way means. It is the least dangerous of the two options as per the Highway Code.

The ignorance and dangerous advice here is truly shocking.

It really does. I’ve tended to give these drivers the benefit of the doubt but from this thread it’s quite obvious there are many drivers who haven’t got a clue what the rules of the road are. Either that or they’re just enjoying the typical MN pile on.

If she did this, and then the bus slowed a bit as there wasn’t a gap and they were planning to pull out behind the op then they would have been in the same situation but both going a bit slower.
That’s why the rules say op carries on and the slip road driver adapts.

ive had a few of these so i just move over early now-cant be arsed with trying to judge when theyre all going to merge

surprised the police are doing anything without dashcam-unless i missed that bit

they dont even bother with an actual crash sometimes

It does explain why there's so many crappy drivers on the road though.

Yep, I wonder if it’s why there’s so much middle lane hogging as everyone thinks they need to be out of the way for joining traffic

@supersonicginandtonic That's not what the Highway Code says.

More nonsense from your keyboard. Why don’t you do a bit more reading on the rules surrounding merging before you carry on making a fool of yourself?

OP referred to the slip road as a junction that people often come to a complete stop at, perhaps it is an unusual one with very poor visibility and where its accepted its a common occurance to have to stop? In which case I imagine it's a fairly different scenario to the one some are imagining.

The Highway Code is quite clear that it's up to joining traffic to find a gap and they should use the hard shoulder as an extension of the slip road if absolutely need be.

Not all motorways have hard shoulders - especially smart motorways.

The Highway Code is quite clear that it's up to joining traffic to find a gap and they should use the hard shoulder as an extension of the slip road if absolutely need be.

Is it?

You don’t use the hard shoulder - you carry on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane

It’s no fucking wonder the driving in this country is absolutely shocking with the responses on here. I think you all need to go re-do your theory and driving tests because WOW.

The thing is, any experienced driver knows that "having priority" isn't the be-all and end-all. If you see a vehicle joining your lane, you can ploughs straight on and hope to goodness the vehicle sees you in time and bows to your prior rights, or you can be sensible and take avoiding action by slowing down. The fact that you were in the right won't make you any less dead.

Haven’t read the whole thread as only just seen it, but assuming lots of others have said similar. So, the bus should have slowed down on the slip road to join after the OP? Is that what you mean, sorry if I have misunderstood.

However, my DD2 failed her first driving test for exactly this reason. She was joining an A road (two lane, usually fast busy road) from the slip road. The slip road is at such an angle that you can’t see what is on the A road until at least half way down, she was approaching at reasonable speed and then saw in her wing mirror that there was a very large, long (lorry with extra trailer) lorry in the inside lane. It could have moved over to the other lane, but didn’t, I’ve never driven a lorry maybe it’s not that easy, who knows. So she had two options, either speed up or slow down. She calculated she would have to floor it to get ahead of the lorry at that stage (seemed a stupid idea) or slow down just a touch (not dramatically at all) to get in behind. So she did. The examiner failed her immediately for a major as you must never slow down on a slip road to join the traffic (she was two minutes away from the test centre and the end of the test). She was so upset and said she genuinely didn’t know what the hell she was supposed to have done in that situation. She thought her choice was by far the safest one, and therefore, the only one.

Its also fine if you're in an audi or whatever that can accelerate quickly. A heavy lorry or bus that takes time to accelerate? If you have to stop and wait you'll never find a safe gap!

Even if you see someone on the slip road, you’d expect that are matching their speed and are aiming for a safe gap in the traffic. Not that that are going to barge straight on and nearly crash into you.