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?

This sounds like the approach to junction 15 northbound on the M40, there’s a short oncoming slip road that merges just before the slip road exiting to Coventry and Warwick. I usually end up trundling along at 60 in the left lane leaving a good gap between me and the vehicle in front and anticipate that I may have to reduce to 50 if the cockwomble drivers are about who think that the brand of car they drive determines priority and the right to veer straight across to the far right lane and proceed at 85 miles per hour.

Well then you would have no choice but to stop on the sliproad if you absolutely had to, it's not ideal but you need to give way to the main road, if you can't join you can't join. We've got one near us.. you approach it uphill (so no prior visibility) and there is only about 10 car lengths to get on to a busy dual carriageway.. and people can get off there as well as on.. it's carnage. Nervous drivers avoid it altogether.

I drove it every day for 10 years but only have to come to a stop once for bad timing with a massive lorry, most people on the dual carriageway move over into the right hand lane, but some people don't and are dicks about letting people on.

@sandyhappypeople the problem here is that I've seen people forcing their way regardless of the size of the space between cars or speed
They don’t just expect you to vaguely slow down (which you’re not obligated to do)l they expect you to give them way.

Giving way is not stopping. Do you not understand what the white line is for?

The highway code is a little confusing as it says the driver joining should give way to traffic already on the motorway, but also says the slip road should be used to get up to speed and (in bold) that you must not stop on the slip road. So the driver shouldn't just pull out into oncoming traffic without looking the moment they reach the slip road, but equally they cannot stop to give way as that would be incredibly unsafe and if there is no space on the motorway common sense says you should slow slightly to let them in

@EvangelicalAboutButteredToast my understanding is that people joining are meant to give priority to people already on the motorway, so they shouldn't be charging down like idiots but assessing the traffic flow and adjusting their joining speed and positioning to match the flow of traffic.

It sounds like the junction is a tricky one for you (and probably others!), so if you're able to, it could be helpful to set up an alert on whatever SatNav you use, to warn you that you're coming up on the junction. Then you can prepare yourself for it, adjust your own speed in a safe way and check distance from the car in front, look at changing lanes if needed, etc. You shouldn't have to, but playing chicken at 50-70mph is best avoided if possible. If it's really bad for you, and it's close to the junction you'd be coming off at, you could also consider whether you could come off at the exit slip for the tricky junction and use a non-motorway route for the last bit of your trip.

maps.app.goo.gl/tEdTrNZBjjGgZYSSA?g_st=ic

This is an example of a slip road which is particularly hairy in rush hour.

It's always been a somewhat awkward thing as some slip roads are not well designed either by being too short so you do not have the space to either hang back a bit for a gap, or boot it to get in front...

Or they are nice and long, but they don't offer the visibility you need to see the traffic already established on the main carriageway until its FAR too late.

And then add in drivers who like to drive with their bumper six inches from the car in front so there is no room to slot in and for any adjustments needed to be made without braking...

And you do end up with situations where the person on the slip road has cocked it up and is now either going to plough into the side of the car next to them, use the hard shoulder or if there isn't one, come off the road... or stop dead. None of which is safe!

This could all be a lot easier if everyone maintained the proper distance from one another and used roads as intended rather than making up rules like 'people on teh motorway have to give way to those joining' or 'you should merge asap if a lane is closing and you're in congestion, rather than wait til the merge point and zip merge'...

This. Thank god someone else out there has read the Highway Code.

So many drivers not knowing the Highway Code it’s scary

Absolutely this. So often the driver on the dial carriage way has no awareness of the cars coming down the slip road, the lanes effectively merge, the purpose of the slip road is to build up to a matching speed to enable the cars to merge. It is not a give way or stop sign. The amount of crashes I’ve seen and nearly had because of this.

No, you really are not supposed to at all.

It doesn’t sound remotely like the situation OP was in given she thinks a huge pile up on the slip road is 4 cars.

I think this apparent contradiction, that's causing some confusion, is only a problem because people often haven't left enough space in front of them for the 'zipper' action to work as the Code expects it to. If each driver with right of way (those on the trunk road) has left a space, then one person joining should be able to align with it, and fit in seamlessly. If the joiners have enough space between them, then only one of them need fit into any given space on the main road.

there is a difference between stopping and stopping 😁

you can't stop - refers to when you choose to stop - to have a picnic / check your luggage is strapped on / park up to take a phone call etc... you are not allowed to choose to stop

however, that doesn't meant that you can't stop if circumstances force you to stop - such as stationary traffic / a police road block / a mudslide in front of you / a pot hole the size of Wales!

if you took not stopping as including all those instances - would you simply drive into solid traffic / run over the policeman / drive until you were roof high in mud / vanish screaming into the pothole? of course not - you would stop...

you are not allowed to stop on a motorway, but generally speaking it is quite wise to stop when the traffic ahead of you is stationery - otherwise it becomes painful!

What about when traffic is at a standstill? You are misinterpreting that rule.

If you find yourself slowing right down to 15 at the end of the slip road then it IS a (minor) emergency, caused by bad driving!

(Traffic jams excepted.)

This

"...the lanes effectively merge"

No they don't. Have a look next time, the main carriageway continues on and the slip road comes to an end.

Who sounds like a dick? Im assuming that’s aimed at me, but why?

You might want to look up the word “effectively”. If people are having to stop
st the end of a slip road then this negates the purpose of the slip road and creates an extremely dangerous situation. You should speed up or slow down as appropriate to merge with the traffic on your right, those on the carriage way should be mindful of vehicles on the left joining the carriageway at a similar speed.

No wonder the merging in slip roads is so bad when the number of posters here who understand the rules for Joining the motorway is so depressingly small.

Often if you are on the motorway it is often courteous to slow down and or change lane if it is possible to do so to allow joining traffic to merge more easily but ultimately the responsibility is on joining traffic to anticipate and adjust speed.

You do have the right of way, however those cars on the slip road are not meant to stop on the slip road - therefore you need to be giving them the space to join. Either speed up so they can join behind, slow down so they can join ahead or move into the right lane. If both drivers aren’t being selfish arses it’s very easy to achieve.

Well I’ve managed to cause an argument on both Mumsnet and PH today. I think I’ve won the internet 🏆

This annoys me too. They shouldn't just bulldoze their way in - they should hold back and wait for the car in front to safely filter in. It's safer for them too because they only have to concentrate on the dual carriageway and not the car in front too.

It's impossible to know what to do because you can't speed up, can't change lane, so you have to hold back and if you have a lorry up your arse it's very dangerous.