If you are someone who drives down a slip road towards a busy dual carriageway with no intention of stopping ….

[EvangelicalAboutButteredToast]

Where do you think the cars are going to go if they is no space to go into the outside lane?

There is a really bad junction I’m currently dealing with every day. He cars come down the slip road in convoy. No ability for me to slot inbetween and they show absolutely no sign of slowing down to wait to join the trunk road. If I have a car on my right, where do these people think I’m going to avoid a collision?

Yes, but only because you know some fucking idiot is likely to be tearing along the slip road without regard for what's actually happening on the main road. 🤷‍♂️

You should use the space available to you. There’s nothing wrong with the end of the slip road.

You will match the speed of the traffic when you get in to your gap, you will usually have travelled a bit slower or faster than the traffic to arrive at that point. You may need to adjust your speed to maintain the flow- though I see people driving diagonally across lane 1 to get to lane two or three when they want to go faster than the flow. (Not in accordance with the Highway Code, but hey ho. )
What you shouldn’t do is expect the existing traffic to speed up or slow down to accommodate you. They may be able to take steps to make space. Depending what else is going on- which you won’t be aware of because you haven’t done the last 100yards of road with them. They may be totally focused on a blue light approaching in the rear view or wing mirror. They may be focusing on a fishtailing caravan just ahead or on the opposite carraigeway. You don’t know, so you can’t assume they’re in a position to accommodate you.

What you shouldn’t do is expect the existing traffic to speed up or slow down to accommodate you.

No one is saying that though? Moving into a gap isn't forcing people off the road or expecting them to slow down or speed up? I'm not sure why people keep insisting that is what happens? The whole point is if you are matching the speed of the cars on the main road they won't have to do anything apart from perhaps adjust their stopping distances to accommodate extra incoming traffic.. which they should always be doing anyway if they are paying attention to traffic conditions ahead.

Even in the OP they weren't expecting her to move, they just came up on the slip road matching the speed of the road.. on shorter slip roads or one where you can't see cars approaching they may seem to have come out of nowhere, but if you are driving on the inside lane past a slip road you need to be prepared for cars aiming to join the main road at that point and shouldn't be scared when cars appear there.. it doesn't mean they are going to run you off the road.

OP was intimidated by 4 cars close together, but they managed to join the road behind her without causing a pile up so one assumes they didn't just plough straight out into the traffic. The fact it made her nervous enough to suddenly speed ahead, says more about her being a nervous driver than it does about people doing what they are supposed to do at slip roads.

@sandyhappypeople no! She didn’t post because there were four cars on the slip road. Deciding she’s nervous is just your interpretation.

Like OP, I have been in a situation where the slip road cars weren’t aimed at a space. It was weird. Whether car 1 failed to see me and was focussed on a space behind me I don’t know. In my case I couldn’t speed up as there was a bloody great lorry in the way. I had to brake sharply to avoid coexisting briefly in the same place as him. He continued on apparently unmoved. It was like his car was driven by a crash test dummy. I was glancing left wondering what he was doing- there was plenty of room behind me- he was gathering speed and on track to enter the highway at exactly to spot I was in.

If they’d been aimed at a space OP wouldn’t have been posting here.

Notho g nervous about taking preventative action by moving ahead of the traffic coming down the slip road - I’ve done it myself when I’ve felt it necessary and I’m very far from being a nervous driver.

People on here are very much saying that drivers on the trunk road should slow down and create a gap to accommodate them - they’ve also said that those drivers should move into the outer lane.

In your case, they either didn't check their blind spot, which is the most likely reason, or they did and are one of the ones who expected you to move.. it's a risky move as they would be 100% at fault for a collision, so chances are they didn't see you.. but that is their fault for not looking properly.

It sounds like you were playing a bit of a game of chicken with this person though, you seemingly knew well in advance that they were aiming to come out on to the road where you were going to be, as you were glancing at him wondering what they were doing, chances are they hadn't noticed you, but you still proceeded at speed, instead of easing off to allow them to join safely ahead of you.. they were 100% in the wrong, but there's being 'right' and choosing to maintain your course regardless, or there's driving safely by pre-empting hazards on the road ahead.. you said there was plenty of room behind you to adjust your speed earlier, so I'm not sure why wouldn't.. braking sharply is extremely dangerous and should be an extreme last resort when you have no other option.

There's no way of OP of knowing where they were aimed for as they hadn't started to move over or anything, the problem arose because she assumed they would all four come out together at the same time.. that's why she posted, It doesn't sound like she had much reaction time because of the angle of the slip road so she panicked.. doesn't mean they did or were going to do anything wrong though.

You keep using words like panicked and nervous @sandyhappypeople but actually, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with moving ahead of the cars coming down the slip road to create a space behind you - it can be a perfectly appropriate manoeuvre.

It didn’t occur to me he was not intending to sort himself out. I was watching my right wing, my own blind spots, and the lorry ahead. Checking my braking distance. Doing all the road watching stuff you do when you’re on busy motorways. I drive on one where there are one changes for exits and so on. Plenty to be watching.

He would have been way off to my left, and nothing to do with me at that point. It was only as he neared me that I realised we were in trouble. Obviously I had to quickly suss the space ahead, to my left AND then BEHIND (as braking) and decide what to do- sharp brake was was the winning option. That is not playing chicken. And it happened fast- I wasn’t particularly aware of him, as I had my own lane and the lane to my right to focus on.

I love the way you -who were not even there- know she panicked, was wrong in her assessment of the situation, and didn’t know what they were going to do, and also you- not even there- did know what they were going to do. You have decided, on no evidence at all, that she didn’t know what to do and they did.

I'm in the US where slip roads are called on-ramps.

Merging is done zipper style. You do not stop at the end of the ramp waiting for a break in the traffic unless you have a death wish. In fact, you need to be belting along at the speed of the rest of the traffic by the time you're at the end of the ramp.

Existing traffic on the motorway is supposed to slow to allow sufficient space for ramp traffic to integrate into it one vehicle at a time but it sometimes happens that a few vehicles can merge into the motorway at a time.

Often in urban areas an on-ramp will have a green/ red light system to space the on-ramp traffic.

To make driving even more interesting, there is frequently an off ramp directly after the on-ramp, so you will find the merging lane has traffic entering and leaving the motorway, zipper style, or like a high school marching band doing fancy moves.

If you know the slip road is there, why haven't you pulled over sooner to leave the inside lane clear?

A quick read of the thread and it will all become clear…

Please, just try having a little read of the thread.

This shows complete lack of awareness while driving. A slip road is there to allow drivers to speed up to carriageway speed, it's not a giveaway or layby which would require you to join a possible 70mph motorway from a standing start.

There are signs, road markings and changes in middle line length indicating a junction/slip road is coming up - you therefore adjust your driving to accommodate.

Your example is one of many which show people really do live in a bubble when they're driving - you are not the only person on the road. There is a highway code and rules to driving. Even bonus points for thinking ahead to allow a continuous flow of traffic.

Drivers like you drive me round the bend - the entitlement is ridiculous.

Read the thread 😴
Andcrhen when you’ve read the thread click on the Piston Heads thread and read that one too.

Your example is one of many which show people really do live in a bubble when they're driving - you are not the only person on the road. There is a highway code and rules to driving. Even bonus points for thinking ahead to allow a continuous flow of traffic.

That definitely applies to the description of the drivers on the slip road!

TexaSun · Today 08:49

Drivers like you drive me round the bend - the entitlement is ridiculous.

Sorry, but it's you who is being ridiculous, pretending that the Highway Code says the opposite to what it says. The onus is on drivers joining to do so safely and certainly not for drivers on the main carriageway to do an emergency stop, or smash a car in the outside lane out of the way, in order to allow an arrogant idiot on from the slip road.

"There are signs, road markings and changes in middle line length indicating a junction/slip road is coming up"

No there aren't. Would you care to point out where these things are in the image below (you can see a white van coming down the slip road)?

"There is a highway code and rules to driving."

Agreed, and as (most) people here have said, if you get to the end of the slip road, and there is absolutely no gap in the traffic for you to merge into, you MUST stop on the slip road.

As usual both the 80-20 principal and polarisation is evident on this thread.

The fact is that 80% of drivers are considerate and observant and if they're on a slip road will merge properly, or if on the carriageway will move over or decellerate slightly to provide a gap. You don't notice the majority because they're doing nothing stupid.

Then the remaining 20% is where there's the polarisation. 10% are idiotic lane joiners who just barge in whether there's a safe gap or not. 10% are the self righteous "I know my rights brigade" who doggedly continue with their cruise control set and won't decellerate, move over, nor help a joiner in any way at all - "because they're in the right". Some of the latter probably also fall into the former camp when they first join the motorway, expecting others to accommodate them, but then they won't accommodate anyone else.

Like I say, the vast majority engage their brains and use common sense and consideration.

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast , the lane on the left is the inside or nearside lane in the UK, the outside lane is the one on the right, the 'fast' lane, for overtaking. Confusion over this could cause accidents?

@taxguru 1 in 10 drivers joining the trunk road in a completely inappropriate manner is a ridiculously high number who either don’t know the Highway Code or don’t have the required levels of competence to make that manoeuvre. It’s actually far more than 10% in my experience.

A slip road is there to allow drivers to speed up to carriageway speed

Another one who hasn’t got a clue. You adjust your speed to the speed of the traffic, which may require you to adjust downwards as well as upwards. Then you join where there is an appropriate gap - and that might mean you have to wait. You should be adjusting your speed accordingly as you wait.

@TexaSun maybe you could show us an example of markings in the road that show a signs, road markings and changes in middle line length indicating a junction/slip road is coming up for a slip road, not an exit of course.

@taxguru im curious to know why you, and so many others, seem to be so angry at the 10% (that) are the self righteous "I know my rights brigade" who doggedly continue with their cruise control set and won't decelerate, move over, nor help a joiner in any way at all - "because they're in the right".

I mean, is it because you find it hard to join in when people do make space for you?
Are you an anxious driver that struggles with slip roads?

I seriously dont understand why so many people feel it’s a problem. Because in most other countries, it’s pretty standard for people on the motorway to stay in their lane. And no one seem to have an issue with that. I’m wondering why it’s different in the U.K.

It’s the same in the UK - it’s just that there are drivers who don’t know they have to adjust their speed downwards as well as upwards while they look and wait for the gap, or understand the difference between priority and give way, and panic as they expect others to make gaps for them to pull out into. This thread has highlighted this perfectly.

@ComingBackHome

Because in most other countries, it’s pretty standard for people on the motorway to stay in their lane.

Different rules mostly. In many other countries there isn't the same lane discipline of keeping right unless overtaking. In the US, for example, you can drive or overtake in any lane, left, right or centre. Faster drivers tend to move over to the "outside" lane, i.e. furthest away from entry and exit slips and stay there for the duration, whereas under UK rules, they're expected to only go into the outside lane when overtaking. The UK rules actually cause congestion in the left hand lane because it's where drivers are supposed to stay (unless overtaking) AND it's where drivers enter and exit the motorway. Personally, I've always felt the US way was far more sensible.