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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

AIBU? Slip road onto dual carriageway

97 replies

DesireLight · 26/09/2019 19:29

I was trying to merge onto a two lane dual carriageway using the 40 mph slip road. I'm always very cautious doing this as I'm a relatively new driver (been driving nearly a year) and generally merging from the slip road has been OK as people in the left lane of the carriageway (onto which I am merging) usually move into the right lane to make space for mergers, meaning I could often merge quite early on in the slip road.

I'm always less inclined to keep driving on the slip road and merging later unless absolutely necessary as drivers behind me who are also merging often use tiny gaps to merge onto the carriageway, meaning I'm likely to need to wait even longer to merge (by which time I might have got to the end of the slip road!) so usually merge at the earliest possible oppurtunity as it's generally always possible to do so (except in a few cases)

but today, it was horrific - I looked behind to merge and saw a big gap with a car driving along the left lane some distance away (plenty of time and space for me to merge) so I start merging in but take another look and see that a huge lorry seems to have moved from the right lane (fast lane on the dual carriageway) to the left lane (I think!) just as I had begun to merge in from the slip road so I had to quicky pull back into the slip road and continue on until another gap but it was such a close to accident situation (we missed each other by less than a foot!) and left me shaken.

I am questioning myself - did I do something wrong or are they to blame? I feel stupid and ashamed it could have led into a huge crash - I feel it wasn't my fault but seeing as this has never happened to me, I have no idea.

OP posts:

Tilltheendoftheline · 26/09/2019 20:25

Slip roads are for getting up to speed of the road you are joining. It wont be 40 if the dual carriageway isnt.

beelzeboob · 26/09/2019 20:26

Once you do a lot of motorway driving you will learn to observe what people in other lanes are doing, not just the lane next to you. Particularly when changing lane / joining a motorway.
The lorry driver was in the wrong but you have to assume that sometimes other drivers might not have seen you. So always be careful when changing lanes.

katalavenete · 26/09/2019 20:35

Oh wow your lack of knowledge is a bit terrifying. If it's a national speed limit dual carriageway then it's national speed limit on the slip road.

Merging into a national speed limit dual carriageway at 40mph is dangerous.

Really fucking dangerous. You are lucky you've not caused an accident yet.

And there is no such thing as a fast lane.

Do you join motorways at the speed limit of the previous non-motorway road you were on too? Same deal. Motorway slip road is national speed limit from start of slip road when joining /until end of slip road when leaving.

Good god, I can't believe you've spent a year joining dual carriageways in such a dangerous fashion.

This was your fault for driving dangerously.

italianfiat · 26/09/2019 20:41

I'm sorry but you were at fault. The lorry was on the motorway and has priority. Had you matched your speed to that of the traffic you would have been out in front of him and away.

You are exaggerating the part about being less than a foot apart though right?

mumwon · 26/09/2019 20:45

what I hate is where 2 lorries & 1 large van block all 3 lanes going up hill trying to over take each other v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y - its dangerous or the lorries just lurching out of slow lane without looking or signalling

Coffeeandchocolate9 · 26/09/2019 20:47

Another struggling to believe that a slip road would have a lower speed limit than the dual carriageway it joins.

BottleCrow · 26/09/2019 20:59

OP, the road leading up to the slip road was 40. On the slip road itself you must match the speed of the traffic on the road you're merging with.

Look it up.

Yabbers · 26/09/2019 21:01

The dual carriageway itself isn't 40 but what I had written is the slip road for merging into the dual carriageway is 40 (definitely so as it had a clear road sign saying it was)

I have never seen a slip road with a speed limit that differed from the road you are merging on to. The whole point of slip roads is to allow you to get up to the speed of the traffic you are joining.

And, you should expect to use all of the slip road, that’s what it is there for.

TrainspottingWelsh · 26/09/2019 21:02

My guess would be that either the 40mph is for a tight corner or other hazard, or it's actually for another route entirely.

I can't imagine any highway where there is an assumption all vehicles have the power to accelerate to the speed of the traffic flow at the moment they merge.

I'd also guess you underestimated the lorry's speed and/ or overestimated your own. Usually I'd suggest it was in your blind spot but an entire lorry would still be visible in your mirrors. Most likely scenario is that the lorry driver intended to let you on in front of them, but was taken by surprise when you tried to merge at such a low speed.

Going by the fact you aren't even aware of why slip roads are there, or how to use them, I'd suggest some lessons might be a good plan.

Lulualla · 26/09/2019 21:06

The road you wete leaving was probably the 40, but once you're on the slip road, the limit sign posted will be that of the carriageway you are joining. Unless this is some seriously messed up road.
Which slip is it? Onto which carriageway?

MulberryPeony · 26/09/2019 21:14

You didn’t see him, he probably didn’t see you. You double checked and avoided an accident which was the right thing to do.

There is a dual slip road near me and I avoid using the outside/fast one because there curve of the road doesn’t allow lorries enough response time to see and move over and prevent people having to do an emergency stop from 70mph! They have generally moved over to the right for the inside slip to join further down so not being nobs. Of course I have also encountered cars pootling along with no earthly reason they haven’t moved the feck over into an empty lane to let a queue of traffic on.

mum11970 · 26/09/2019 21:15

Slip roads are used to gather enough speed to join the carriageway at the speed of the traffic on it so no chance it’s 40 mph. I’d say it was your fault as the lorry driver would expect you to be picking up speed and slot in front of him, using the whole sliproad.

BottleCrow · 26/09/2019 21:18

I would strongly, strongly recommend you pay for one motorway driving lesson. Please.

Teateaandmoretea · 26/09/2019 21:25

I think if he pulled over when you were trying to merge that is a ridiculous thing for him to do. On the positive side you were aware and avoided hitting him which is positive

BUT to merge you need to go at the speed of the traffic and slot in rather than expecting people to jump out of your way. If people are overtaking you as you try to merge then indicates you are going way too slowly. The only time I find merging scary is when I have someone like you in front of me because you stop me being able to merge properly as I have to go at your speed.

As pp said it might be an idea to have some motorway lessons until you are more confident.

jacketpotatos · 26/09/2019 21:26

It sounds as though they were in your blind spot, as you should clearly have seen both vehicles in both lanes when looking in your mirrors.

You should always physically look before merging for this reason, it's possible to not see vehicles alongside you if you're just looking in your mirrors whilst preparing to merge. This is more of an issue if you're merging as soon as possible, as you describe.

LtJudyHopps · 26/09/2019 21:33

You should NOT be doing 40 trying to merge on to a national speed limit road be it a dual carriage way or a motorway! You need to be increasing your speed to merge in to the left hand lane. It sounds like an honest near miss, the lorry shouldn’t really have been moving to the left by the slip road but he may not have seen you. I’d also recommend a motorway driving lesson to up your confidence. After a year you shouldn’t think of yourself as a new driver.

OrchidInTheSun · 26/09/2019 21:35

The 40 mph will have been for a bend or something. You are supposed to match the speed of the road you're joining. If it's a NSL dual carriageway, that's 70mph.

www.highwaycodeuk.co.uk/joining-the-motorway.html
Joining a road going that fast doing 40 is incredibly dangerous and likely to cause an accident.

SudowoodoVoodoo · 26/09/2019 21:39

Please merge at the speed of the traffic you are merging with.

There's a vile one near me that's a X so you're trying to get up to 50mph+ (not the fastest flow on there) but traffic keeping left or coming off to the left are slowing to 25mph due to a very sharp bend. It's very easy to become hemmed in by slow traffic and have to abort and swing left because you couldn't safely build up speed and have an adequate gap to join the main carriageway. The NSL sign is quite late on the slip road, I'm accelerating well before it, but right foot ready to adjust my speed as necessary for that moment.

It is possible that the lorry was pulling in to the left. It's a big thing to fail to observe, and lorry drivers can often lose concentration. It's good form to move right to facilitate merging traffic but not essential. Pulling in left when traffic is merging is poor form.

Jayaywhynot · 26/09/2019 21:40

If the slip road has a bend it might be 40 at the top but as you get on the straight to merge you need to be up to matching the speed of the dual carriageway traffic. If it helps I nearly hit a caravan, I was going to merge behind a car but totally didn't see the caravan it was towing!

Mummyoflittledragon · 26/09/2019 21:42

I also agree with others. You are misinterpreting signage. The 40 mph will be for a bend. You have to match the speed limit of other cars when approaching a dual carriageway or motorway. Not doing so is very dangerous.

italianfiat · 26/09/2019 21:44

It sounds as though they were in your blind spot, as you should clearly have seen both vehicles in both lanes when looking in your mirrors.

OP did see them. OP failed to get her speed up and merge in front of the lorry that was returning to the left.

Collaborate · 26/09/2019 21:44

Always put your foot down hard to increase speed as you join a motorway or dual carriageway. It’s far too dangerous to do otherwise. I commute on two motorways each day. The one thing that scares the crap out of me is the driver in front struggling to reach 50 on a downhill slip road. You should be doing a minimum of 10 below the speed limit, or the speed of the prevailing traffic, if that is greater. If you can’t manage that after a year there are driving instructors who offer lessons on motorway driving. You should look in to that. It’s just a confidence issue that will be overcome with practice.

suggestionsplease1 · 26/09/2019 21:44

The most important thing you can do when merging from a slip road is to match the speed of the traffic already on it - if they are doing 70 the safest thing for you to do it to get to 70 as soon as possible and then that gives you more flexibility for safely merging into the gaps without causing other traffic to break or accelerate suddenly arounf you.

It sounds like you were unlikely, but you must get up to speed if you're not already doing that!

One of my pet hates is following behind a car on a slipway that is doing about 40mph. It's so dangerous for people behind you as well as you are preventing them from safely merging.

WhoKnewBeefStew · 26/09/2019 21:48

Slip roads, in most cases, should give you enough time to speed up to the dual carriageway speed, to allow you to merge safely.

I've never ever seen a slip road with a speed limit on it. Certainly not a limit of 30 mph slower than the carriageway you are joining. Are you sure you're correct OP?

If you joined the carriageway 30 mph slower than most of the traffic on it, then I'm not surprised you had issues. Even a lorry at 58mph will come up fast if you're only doing 40. It you'd upped your speed to 60 to join the road, it's unlikely you'd have had the issue with the lorry.

As the vehicle joining the carriageway it's your responsibility to ensure you have the room. Traffic already on the carriageway don't have to move over for you, but a lot will do.

Alsohuman · 26/09/2019 22:00

These driving threads are awful, they always turn into a pile in on someone’s driving because everyone else is perfect. Sailing down a slip road at 60 blindly hoping there will be a gap in the traffic is so dangerous.

The lorry was at fault, OP. Only an idiot pulls in as traffic is merging at a junction; considerate drivers pull out to create a gap.

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