To want to scream 'We're all going to die!' when going on a motorway slip road

[housebuyingnewbie]

I've been driving for three years and consider myself a fairly competent driver but the thought of going on a motorway slip road fills me with horror. I was cheerfully ignoring this and going the long way round anytime I needed to do a longer journey but dc1 has been invited to a party next week and my options are:
1 x junction on the motorway (15mins)
1 x single lane country road (30 mins)
1 x big A road (35 mins)
The motorway is a no brainer but how do I get over the fear and fast?!

YABU to do 70mph on a-roads

Why? Unless is a single lane or there are signs, that’s the speed limit.

I think the issue is that some arseholes won't make a space and speed up to prevent you from joining. The amount of discussion on this thread shows that it's not clear to everyone what the rule is and isn't! I agree that everyone ought to get out of your way but in practice they don't always (or they do at the last minute and then shout abuse at you/honk aggressively).

Slip roads on A roads are the scariest! Would much rather join onto a motorway. More room for a start.

I've been driving for over 30 years and the only scary things about slip roads are:
Lorries passing when you are trying to pull in (all you see is a massive side of a lorry)
Slip road out of Port Talbot, all uphill, no way to see the motorway and you have to make a split second decision with no idea what is coming behind you.
People who deliberately stop you pulling in.

And apart from those, all other trips are easy!

I love it! Feel like I’m going down a runway in an aeroplane! Remember you can always stop at the end im not sure you should stop on a slip road wtf

PLEASE don’t stop at the end of the slip road like someone did in front of me once. It was scary with my son In the car with me and outright dangerous. The fury I felt afterwards once I’d avoided a potential crash was enough to make me decide to have a dash cam. I would definitely go to the police if anyone did that to me again with footage this time!

Has anyone been on the M5 and had to get off at Junct 16 for Aztec West from the North? That's truly terrifying! You have to cross three lanes of motorway traffic sideways!!!!
Have a look on Google maps and shudder!

Why? Unless is a single lane or there are signs, that’s the speed limit. the vast majority of a roads fit the single lane or signs so not really an unless.

I learnt to drive at 31 and much prefer motorway driving to city driving so I doubt age has anything to do with it.

One junction will be a piece of piss. All you need to do is get on, sit in the left hand lane, and then get off. Once you are on, you just need to sit there, maintaining a good speed and keeping an eye on the traffic around you.

I was a late driver too, avoided motorways for ages and then ended up on one after taking the wrong exit off a roundabout But I realised that it's really no different to lots of A roads, which I had happily been driving on for ages.

Honestly, doing 1 junction on a motorway will be far easier than navigating a single lane country lane where you might meet horses, tractors etc etc.

Thanks so much everyone who gave helpful advice, it is good to know that some people still do it while swearing! And that doing it more often should sort it out. Given that I successfully change lanes on major A roads without crashing, being hooted at or generally having a meltdown I really ought to be able to do this.

Apologies confussssed I should have clarified that at various points in the past I have driven on dual carriageways which were national speed limit and not freaked out about it. Obviously I do not drive at 70mph on A roads which have a lower speed limit than that. If I did, I imagine I would not be concerned with safely entering the motorway via a slip road.

Remember to turn down your music so you can concentrate. or is that just me?

Ah, the Almondsbury interchange. Once I get past it I can pretty much nod off till home.

actually a lot of A roads are dual carriageway and will be 70mph limit

YABU to do 70mph on a-roads

WTF. Literally hundreds of A roads are national speed limit

Anyone had the joy of the Autovia del Mediterraneo on the Costa del Sol? Regularly punctuated with exits and entrances from the neighbouring urbanzacions, from which you may have to join from a standstill, in a queue, uphill, on a blind corner, occasionally all of the above at once.

Had a very near miss going onto the m40. Terrifying short slip road!

Has anyone been on the M5 and had to get off at Junct 16 for Aztec West from the North?

I absolutely hate that junction. There’s a really short weaving zone either there or the next one which is terrifying.

Pretend the inside lane of the motorway is joining your lane instead of the other way round. Then you're assertive about your right to be there. I did this by mistake once at a big junction on the m1. Was nervous until I realised it's the same thing. but its not true on slip roads thers a give way line 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.' and to those saying the car in front stopped and i nearly hit it if you did you would of been at fault rule 126 * Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear. You should

leave enough space between you and the vehicle in front so that you can pull up safely if it suddenly slows down or stops. The safe rule is never to get closer than the overall stopping distance (see Typical Stopping Distances diagram, shown below)*

It's other drivers who fill me with horror when approaching the motorway. The one in front dithering about at 40mph and about to go under the wheels of an HGV.

I'm actually feeling better knowing that it makes other people nervous too. I've always just got on and done it (though I don't drive that much) and it's always been OK, but I'm not entirely confident about it either.

I think the problem is looking at and judging what is going on behind me. Believing and interpreting what is in my mirrors and/or actually turning my head. I prefer looking at things in front of me.

I'm a bit the same about moving into the outer lanes. I tend to be very conservative about it when judging the traffic coming behind me. But in that case I never HAVE to pull out if I'm not totally confident, whereas obviously joining the motorway I do.

Also not keen on big, complicated roundabouts. And have been beeped at before (probably quite rightly in some cases) for moving across into a lane in front of someone.

I don't think many drivers realise that the traffic already on the motorway has priority and drivers joining from the slip road need to adjust their speed appropriately. Understandably, most sensible and courteous motorway drivers will try and move lanes to create a space and facilitate access but it is not always possible.

I used to worry about this too. What helped was remembering that there is usually a hard shoulder there if the worst happens and there’s no way to join the traffic flow.

Joining the local dual carriageway which doesn’t even have a verge and has a short slip road with limited visibility (cut the grass!!) is much more scary.

It's other drivers who fill me with horror when approaching the motorway. The one in front dithering about at 40mph and about to go under the wheels of an HGV.

There's nothing worse than being stuck behind someone not speeding up sufficiently on a slip road!

Book a lesson with a driving instructor. Explain your nerves and ask if you can just have an hour practising slip roads. I lost confidence in my driving once for various reasons and rang an instructor, explained the problem and had an hour with her just doing the stuff that was worrying me. It did the trick and I got my confidence back. I always recommend this to anyone who has got this kind of fear - a friend’s DD did the same after a nasty accident that had left her really scared of getting in the car and after a couple of sessions she was much happier.