Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Driving onto a motorway

69 replies

CruCru · 31/05/2012 19:31

On Monday I was joining a motorway from a slip road. This slip road merges with the slow lane of the motorway (M27).

I had a motorcyclist dressed all in black immediately behind me (very very close) and a red van in the slow lane at exactly the point I was going to join. I couldn't brake without causing a serious hazard to the dressed-in-black motorcyclist. So, heart racing, I pressed my foot down to the floor and managed to get onto the motorway with what felt like mere inches between me and the red van. Meanwhile, the dressed-in-black motorcyclist did an exotic manoeuvre known as weaving between lanes and undertaking a bunch of the cars on the right.

It gave me shakey leg for a while (although 8 mo DS didn't even wake up). Why on earth do motorcyclists (not all but definitely this one) take such terrible risks?

OP posts:
Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:09

ineed No it was from the M271 onto the M27 eastbound. There is a big roundabout and it is the third exit but you do need to wiggle a bit to get into the correct lane - there was lots of traffic in the left lane so I couldn't get there.

Billy I sort of whimpered.

OP posts:
Debeezandbirds · 31/05/2012 20:10

No, I would have done as the OP did, adjusted my speed to fit onto the motorway, as per the highway code. And the motorbike should have left a proper stopping distance between his vehicle and the one in front.

I dare say the OP had a lot more room between her and the van than she thought, partly due to that she sounds like a careful driver who would over rather than underestimate danger, and the fear of the biker going into the back of her probably added to her panic (Ready to be shot down here OP if I'm wrong :o)

Don't get me wrong, I can see your point but due to my love of the highway code :o, my insurance background (who was in the wrong etc?) and that every available action should be taken first I wouldn't be recommending the hard shoulder in this instance. The hard shoulder is the most dangerous place to be on a motorway. If she'd gone onto the hard shoulder and had hit some she'd be the one up for dangerous driving.

RightBuggerforit · 31/05/2012 20:11

Why didn't you just slow down? Motorbokes can accelerate and decelerate a lot faster than cars. You can't just hare around slamming your foot down when it's not safe and then say it was the person behind you's fault for being there. Even if they're all dressed in black(?)!!

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:13

Debeez you are not wrong, I am quite cautious, especially when DS is in the car.

Glad that you think I did the right thing.

OP posts:
Buckingfiatch · 31/05/2012 20:16

I agree that it was the bikers fault. Although the van driver should of been aware and also tried to decrease the chances of an accident ie slow down/move over. It is what I do, always. And I am forever up and down the Motorways and see plenty of drivers move over for cars joining. It is much safer to do so. Even lorries move over.

And using the excuse that the driver may not of known, well he shouldn't be driving if he isn't able to keep a check on mirrors and be aware of his surroundings. Maybe he should take his hazard perception test again, along with the biker. What the OP did was spot on. She was aware of possible hazards and acted to attempt to avoid an accident.

Buckingfiatch · 31/05/2012 20:18

(meant to say maybe he should take his hazard perception test again if it is ok to accept he had no clue as to the possible dangers surrounding him)

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:19

RightBuggerforit I couldn't slow down enough to slot in behind the van without braking and felt the motorcyclist was so close that even tapping the brake might mean he would hit me. I have never ridden a motorcycle so don't know how the acceleration / decceleration would compare to my car. Presumably that would depend on the type of bike it is?

The description of what the dude was wearing was just to give my sorry tale a bit of colour Grin.

OP posts:
lovingthecoast · 31/05/2012 20:22

The traffic may have been heavy but I would still have indicated and moved over unless it was all at a standstill. I'm not talking about the part just as the slip road joins but the driver of the van will have known a slip road was coming up and have had a good mile to gently move over.

It's just good driving practice. It's like people who brake when the car in front brakes rather than when the car in front of the car in front brakes or people who are not aware of cars behind them at all times.

orienteerer · 31/05/2012 20:27

What gets me is when I am already on the motorway and have the courtesy to look/think ahead and (if I can) move over to middle lane at a junction to let a car on........said car them puts his/her foot to floor to undertake me before I can move back to nearside lane. I'm not a 'slow' driver either but these days tend to sick to 70 mph for cruising to economise on petrol.

Backtobedlam · 31/05/2012 20:28

Its really hard with bikes as they just appear from nowhere, although there are probably a lot of safe motorbike riders out there it's always the bad ones that stick in your mind! Thank goodness you are all in one piece and you are obv.a very aware driver. Sounds to me like you did the right thing.

ineedabodytransplant · 31/05/2012 20:29

Lovingthecoast,

And if every driver moved over a lane a mile before a junction your three lanes become two, and a dual lane becomes a single lane.

By all means move over a few hundred yards before a junction if it safe to do so, but a mile?

Crucru,

Junction 3 then at Nursling. Similar layout to a few junctions on the M27 where they have widened the road.

ArielThePiraticalMermaid · 31/05/2012 20:32

I am a bit pursed lipped about motorcyclists, I must say. Not all of them of course, but behaviour like you describe and the phenomenol speeds they travel put them at terrible risks. And you get so many campiagns aimed at car drivers about looking out for them etc - well, it would help if they didn't appear in less than the blink of an eye. "Bikers - save yourselves. Slow the fuck down."

doesn't rant about the selfishness of bikers roaring through village at 8am on a Sunday morning or midnight on a Friday night.

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:33

ineed Yes that sounds about right.

OP posts:
lardylump · 31/05/2012 20:33

but the thing is, its not your responsibilty for the biker behind you. he is higher than you and should have been able to see over you into the situation you were facing. Chances are, as you braked he would have slipped in behind the red van and then you wouldnt have been able to pull out till the biker moved again.

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:36

lardylump I'm sure you are right but I think that if the dude did kill himself on my car I would feel shitty about it forever.

OP posts:
lovingthecoast · 31/05/2012 20:36

I'm not suggesting you move over a mile before! Grin I was saying that you have about a mile's warning of a junction coming up so no need for it all to be a last minute squeeze.

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:40

I think that my ears were at the same height as the bikers helmet. He may or may not have been able to see over the car (it is quite tall).

OP posts:
Debeezandbirds · 31/05/2012 20:42

:o at "Bikers - save yourselves. Slow the fuck down." I would like this extended to so many drivers.

Some fucker inconsiderate driver overtook me once at speed. I caught up with him a few miles down the motorway, the blue lights were beautiful.

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:44

Debeez Cool, are you a police officer?

OP posts:
skybluepearl · 31/05/2012 20:46

You should have taken your foot off the accelerator and slowed down a little, aiming to join behind the red van. You have to do what you need to do to join the motorway safely and without damaging yourself or the red van. This might have included breaking a bit to correct your speed. The bike rider is responsible for his own actions on the slip road. As it stood, you could have caused a major pile up on the motorway and you would have been responsible for injuries and damage.

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 20:52

skybluepearl Perhaps you're right. It was one of those split second decisions that you ponder over for days afterwards.

OP posts:
ineedabodytransplant · 31/05/2012 20:54

I think Debeez meant that the police had already pulled the fool over and saw the blue lights while passingSmile

Loving the coast. I assumed you didn't mean pull over a mile before, just the IPad doesn't always do the smiliesGrin

Debeezandbirds · 31/05/2012 20:57

Yeah I saw them passing. I'm in insurance though so I'm obsessed with safe driving (I've seen the claims and accident reports) and who was at fault.

Skybluepearl is spot on about the pile up potential and responsibility.

takingiteasy · 31/05/2012 20:58

Leaving the bike out of it for a minute, it would appear your speed wasn't right for joining the motorway given the fact you were side by side with something that was already on it. You realised this too late and panicked. If they bike hadn't been there you wouldn't have sped up, but braked. Slip ways aren't that short, you adjust your speed and fall in line as nessecary and shouldn't be speeding up or braking eratically on them.

Bikes don't appear out of no where, contray to popular belief. They appear behind you like any other veichle. If you don't check your mirrors enough then of course it's going to appear like they've came out of nowhere.

Original poster
CruCru · 31/05/2012 21:05

Do you not try to match the speed of the traffic already on the motorway? I thought that was usually safer than being slightly slower and possibly having traffic coming slamming up behind you when you join the motorway.

OP posts:
Swipe left for the next trending thread