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.

Exactly @Unithorn the bus wasn't speeding. He was driving at speed, as he should be when joining. Of course that doesn't excuse him just pulling out.

I didn't say that isn't what you do, merge is used by plenty of people, including official agencies, as it means to join traffic travelling the same direction as you are. And yes I know all of that, how exceedingly dull you and your semantics are, nothing in my posts suggests anything of the sort- I've only been driving for over 20 years though including thousands of journeys on the motorway, what do I know.

Merge is only used when 2 or more lanes on a carriageway are merged into one.

How on earth can she know what he is thinking? If they had both subsequently slowed down they would have been in the same position, hence why the Highway Code clearly sets out the priorities.

Finally, someone who understands why rules exist.

So you think that the OP was not able to safely slow down to allow the bus driver (who most have already agreed was in the wrong) to come in to her lane? She was able to slam her brakes on without causing an accident? Therefore its large possibility, that she could have slowed down in a safe manner?

Like others have said (including myself) the bus driver was in the wrong for forcing an entry on the motorway where it was not clear, however, would you prefer to be right, or would you prefer not to be in hospital or worse?

Maybe tell those that write the UK theory test writers then as they call it merging onto the motorway. I'm sure the majority of people who use it or hear it in relation to this don't assume someone means merging in turn which is a separate phrase. How dull some of you are 😂

The bus has Limited acceleration and probably about 10 seconds to get on motorway
why an earth would you just let the bus onto the carriage way

I join the m6 shortly after the m61 has merged on it traffic is more or less constant there no massive gaps a buses/hgv’s would struggle to go for a standing start To join if we were all arsehole and didn’t take action to let them join where that’s moving across or slowing down

tbh especially with kids in the car the driver should be paying more attention to what’s going on around them

In her first post OP asked to offload because she had had a real fright. She didn’t ask for a lecture about her driving or to apportion blame.

But thats the beauty in a forum, chats dont always go the way you expect.

The people being "mean" to the OP are the people who don't end up in car vs bus situations on the motorway. The people "blaming" the OP are the people who have enough awareness about the reality of driving that they would not ignore the hazards around them just because "the highway code says I'm in the right". And actually, it isn't blaming someone to tell them there was a better way to handle the situation.

You are not going to win against a bus or a lorry. It doesn't matter how right you are, you will be the one to suffer. Do you really think going forward the OP will continue to ignore the presence of slips roads? Or is she now likely to consider her options before she reaches that point? Which is something we "bad drivers" already do.

absolute nonsense.

Many drivers tend to go on the middle lane when there's traffic coming from the slip road, WHEN THEY CAN.

Sometimes, you just can't.

Having to slam on the breaks because a bus decides to ignore all rules and common sense and barge on the motorway is not something you should have to ever do.

Blaming the driver of the car is ridiculous and shows appalling bad driving sense.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/chat/4927338-nearly-in-a-serious-car-accident-hand-hold-please?reply=130203695&utm_campaign=reply&utm_medium=share&utm_source=copylink second paragraph explains that slowing down wouldn't necessarily have helped because the OP has no idea what the bus driver plans to do. If she had slowed and the bus had also slowed, she'd have been in the same position without a safety gap behind her to avoid a pile-up when she emergency stops.

Highway Code puts onus on the bus to slow and fit into the gap behind her. Bus driver didn't do that.

HC rules exist because drivers can't mindread. Better all around if people follow HC rules.

Having to slam on the breaks because a bus decides to ignore all rules and common sense and barge on the motorway is not something you should have to ever do.

What is nonsense? the fact the OP could have slowed safely to let the (bad) bus driver in?

In all the posts here already, you have missed the BUS DRIVER WAS IN THE WRONG, BUT THE OP COULD HAVE MITIGATED THE ISSUE BY BEING AWARE OF THE SLIP ROAD AND THE GIANT BUS THAT WAS APPROACHING AND ITS BETTER TO BE ALIVE AND INTACT THAN RIGHT posts?

I suppose that’s the same common sense as when you see a bus needing to join the motorway with literally nowhere to go you slow down and let them in

Many drivers when they know there is a slip road ahead ease off the gas so they can create a big space ahead of them for a vehicle to slip into. Obviously the bus was ahead of the OP to have been able to pull out in front of her, but instead of easing off (which isn't the same as breaking FYI) she kept her speed and then had to take action when the bus didn't do what she assumed it would do - make an emergency stop on a slip road.

You really think she couldn't have predicted that a bus travelling at high speed ahead of her wasn't going to come to a sudden stop on the slip road? Be honest, if you saw a bus flying down a slip road ahead of you, what would you have done? Would you not have noticed it either?

Shouting doesn't help argue your case.

Things happen quickly on motorways. OP may well have reasonably believed until very late on that the bus was going to slot in close behind her or would be travelling fast enough to slot in in front without her needing to brake.

@BlueEyedPeanut this answers your questions too.

we are back running in circles.

Idiots pretending that you can "just slow right down" on the motorway, when you have a lorry up your arse for example.

So many posters have no experience of driving it's frightening

She could have slowed BEFORE the slip road. That's what people are getting at. Slip roads don't just appear out of nowhere. She knew it was coming up, she could have taken action well ahead of time to make sure there was space in front of her like other people do.

Be honest, if you saw a bus flying down a slip road ahead of you, what would you have done?

slam on the brakes to avoid smashing into it?
if there's no space to jump on the other lane, what else? 😂

and slowing down BEFORE the slip road just in case is a stupid thing to do.

Being too slow on the motorway IS dangerous and creates accidents.

Why do that when HC doesn't tell you to and when there's a gap behind her that bus can use? I was taught not to speed up or slow down near slip roads unless I absolutely have to because it makes it harder for the drivers on the slip road to judge how fast I am going.

Things happen quickly on motorways. OP may well have reasonably believed until very late on that the bus was going to slot in close behind her or would be travelling fast enough to slot in in front without her needing to brake.

She didn't believe any of that. She believed it would stop because other vehicles have stopped before. What she didn't expect was for it to join the motorway, which is something most other people would/should have considered a possibility. You should never assume anything about other drivers.

I'm not arguing, I'm just repeating what a lot of people have already stated

She believed it would stop

That's not what she actually said.