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?

Thank you. If my sat nav takes me this way tomorrow I’m going to try and move right in advance and then left straight after. It’s a junction that appears on a bend in the road which affects visibility from both sides I think. So they can’t see the road clearly to merge and I can’t anticipate the merging as the slip road appears quite suddenly.

You are wrong.

It is extremely dangerous to stop on a slip road. You are supposed to move to the right hand lane before getting right to the slip road to allow cars to join.

Yep - and they're right about some of the posts on here. It all makes sense when you see the amount of crap driving on the roads though.

I actually think a lot of this is emblematic of what I see increasingly in driving, in that the collective sense of responsibility to ensure road safety seems to be being eroded in favour of a kind of individualistic mentality.

It seems like common sense to me that even when you have right of way, if you can slightly moderate your behaviour at no real cost to yourself to allow someone else to join in an safer manner, then that's a net benefit (note that doesn't mean slamming on brakes or switching lanes 2 miles ahead) to everyone. If simply easing off the accelerator slightly to widen a gap allows someone to merge at an appropriate speed, then why wouldn't you? But I get the impression some people will grip the steering wheel and drive relentlessly alongside someone trying to merge because they don't have right of way.

Those drivers scare me the most tbh, the ones with so little awareness or ability to see situations unfolding, just single-minded 'this is what I'm doing'.

Looking at the post above yours lol

You're 'supposed' to do nothing of the sort. Read your Highway Code about merging onto dual carriageways and motorways.

Why would someone have any intention of stopping on a slip road? It’s illegal to stop on a slip road.

If you are on the motorwy/A road, etc, you adjust your speed to let in the driver, as I did yesterday on the motorway.

Well of i know this slip road is notoriously bad i would make sure I'm not in the left lane well in advance and let more competent drivers who can slow down to allow people to merge in properly do so

Just slack off and make a gap. Why is that so hard?

What an interesting read! I haven't read every single post but i wonder if rules have changed since i passed my test in 1990.

I have never stopped on a slip road (yet!) in all my years of driving.

But i do not go tanking down a slip road expecting other drivers to make way, either!

I adjust my speed on the slip road. I am watching the traffic as i come down the slip road and adjusting depending on what's there.

I really hate short slip roads, especially those that go up a hill and then straight out to fast moving traffic.

If i am on the main carriageway, i will move over if i see someone on the slip road IF I CAN. If i can't (and i am in Scotland where our motorways are mostly 2 lane only) then i continue in the inside lane and i expect the driver on the slip road to adjust to get on in front of me or behind me.

If that was impossible due to heavy traffic both lanes, then the driver on the slip road would have to stop. Not ideal and poor anticipation but that slip road driver cannot just come barging into the side of a car already on the main carriageway.

When push comes to shove, main carriageway has right of way.

Also there should be a gap anyway otherwise you are driving far too close to the car infront and not maintaining proper stopping distance

Another term for slip road is "acceleration / deceleration lane" according to the guy who delivered a speed awareness course I attended many years ago. The polite thing is for cars already in lane to slow down and let you in since you're not meant to join a dual carriage lane from zero.

Most traffic in the nearside lane are not doing 70 mph, but something like 50. Most drivers realise they have either to move over pre-emptively or gently slow down, whatever the Highway Code says.

Exactly this. Rarely have a problem.

what a smug little post that was.

Utter nonsense. It is the merging cars responsibility to change speed and merge into a gap. If there is no gap, they do have to stop. The traffic on the motorway has no responsibility whatsoever to facilitate a merge. Those rules have been in place since the Highway Code was first drafted and haven't changed since.

But perfectly correct. Unless I am getting off at a junction I move to the middle lane and overtake if it's possible. Being in the nearside lane without overtaking is a pain.

Some slip roads have poor visibility and don't last for long - it can be quite variable. Even though the main road has right of way they absolutely need to hold back a bit to let people merge on. I've been on a scary slip road, shortly after lights, with people not letting you on when you're about to run out of slip road- it's awful.

Well done 👍

271
You MUST NOT stop on any carriageway, emergency area, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency, or when told to do so by the police, traffic officers, an emergency sign or by red flashing light signals.

But they don't 'need' to - that's the key point. Whilst it's common sense to hold back and let cars come onto the trunk road, no-one actually needs to. If you're merging then it's your responsibility to get onto the trunk road safely.

No, your only option is to carry on in your lane, any with their bumpers ahead of yours will aim to go in front, any behind that will go behind you, but you shouldn't have to brake to do that, just let off the accelerator slightly if you need to give the people joining ahead of you more room.

It's not your problem to solve, it's up to people joining to fit in the gaps.. if you are too close to the car in front then you are following too closely, it benefits them to go faster as they can more seamlessly join the flow of traffic, they will have joined perfectly well if you had just done nothing.

You sound like a really nervous driver. It's people suddenly braking and accelerating (aka panicking) that cause more problems IMO, just calmly carry on try to accommodate any slightly ahead of you on the sliproad naturally, or if able to, move over, then move back when you can.

Since when putting your indicator will magically make some space for you to move lanes?
Putting an indicator doesn’t give you priority and expecting the other drivers to cle down for you is simply dangerous.

wow - well this thread explains a lot of the driving seen out there on the roads - if there is so much misinformation about something so simple...

fortunately a few people above do know how to drive - as observed, the Highway Code is very clear:

Rule 259
Joining the motorway. When you join the motorway you will normally approach it from a road on the left (a slip road) or from an adjoining motorway.

• You should give priority to traffic already on the motorway
• check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane
• not cross solid white lines that separate lanes or use the hard shoulder
• stay on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane on the motorway
• remain in the left-hand lane long enough to adjust to the speed of traffic before considering overtaking.

really not complicated - the first bullet point says it all - you give priority to traffic already on the motorway. Yes of course there is an element of give and take and where possible it makes sense for others to make room and help - but there is zero legal requirement - all the onus is on the car joining on the slip road...

just think it though logically - you decide to come down a slip road at 70mph and (according to posters above) have zero ability to stop - it would be dangerous to require you to stop...

• what if the traffic is stationary on the motorway - are you planning to demand that it moves out of your way - how?
• what if there are three lorries nose to tail and another couple overtaking them and some cars in the outside lane - do you plan to just drive into the lorries?
• there is mention that you can't always see the motorway, so they must give way - do you normally drive blind into busy roads at 70mph?!
• apparently there are often cars nose to tail at 70mph on the slip road so it would be dangerous to stop - wow, if that is how you drive your survival rate is probably quite low!
• apparently cars doing 70mph on the slip road don't have time to stop so others must give them space - you have a legal obligation to drive in such a way that you can stop in the clear space ahead of you if necessary - if you are doing 70mph with your brain switched off down a slip road, then your driving is abysmal and you will crash very soon - just drive slower so that you have time to make a judgement... and time and space to stop if necessary.

and too many other misconceptions to correct...

simple - if you are on the motorway you have priority, yes if you can make space that is courteous, but the obligation is fully on the drivers on the slip road to adjust and adapt and if necessary to give way...