To think I won't kill someone if I drive like this without lessons?

[RealPill]

I passed my test. When I get my car in a few weeks, the first major trip I want to take is from Bedfordshire to Essex. AIBU to think I won't kill someone if I drive on the motorway without any lessons?

My instructor said I should really think carefully before attempting a motorway on my own, and has strongly advised some motorway lessons.

I thought the only tricky thing would be merging on from a slip road... Otherwise should be fine, just follow the SatNav and road signs, and stay in the first lane at 60/65mph.

Maybe I am bonkers... I've spoke to a few friends and they said they just drove on motorways without any lessons for them. But they all passed years ago so maybe things were different

Realpill have you read the highway code about merging on to motorways? Because

My only fear is trying to merge on and someone not letting me in

Is so wrong. They have right of way, they do not have to let you in!!! (Yes someone probably will because adva ced and experienced drivers will have already moved lanes in case they encounter idiots)

Honestly you will be fine. You're overthinking it.

@bloodless - if you drove at 45 on a motorway you'd cause an accident. I seriously hope you don't have a driving licence!!

Take the pass plus lessons! So many people go on the motorway and become 'middle lane hoggers', because they are too nervous or don't understand how motorways work.
I'm glad that learners are now allowed on motorways for lessons with an instructor.

@bloodless The minimum for a motorway is 50mph.
Back in the 90s I had a rubbish 1.2 Vauxhall Astra and the climb from the Severn Bridge to Bristol was horrendous as my old car could hardly get to 50mph.
Very stressful! Keep up with everyone.

As a new driver I would take at least one lesson with an instructor (I am a fairly new driver, passed last may). The thought of actually getting onto the motorway terrifies me, but then I don't like merging on normal roads so that is just me, but I would still suggest taking a lesson).

isabellerossignol

No it is not illegal.

No it doesn't breach the highway code.

There are a number of reasons to stop on the motorway, including if you see a red light.

One of my local junctions has lights on the slip road when it is busy so everyone has to stop.

They are not uncommon.

I have had someone almost go into the side of me because they didn't look at the motorway at all, I didn't move because a) I was the only car on the motorway and b) the inside lane becomes the exit lane in 1/2 a mile and I was taking that junction.

@Forestwitch and @Moondancer73. As already said quite some time ago the rules were previously different in NI where Bloodless was correct in that there was a 45mph restriction for drivers in their first year of passing. So she isn't actually talking out of her arse.

This has only fairly recently been scrapped.

I drove on the motorway by myself about 3 hours after passing my test, but it was only about 4 junctions. Although I then drove 2.5 hours along the M62 and A1M a few days later - it was fine!

This has only fairly recently been scrapped.

It hasn't been scrapped, its still on the Nidirect website.

The speed restriction has been scrapped for motorbikes I think though.

No it doesn't breach the highway code.

I was basing it on the bit of the highway code that says that you must match your speed to the speed of the traffic when joining. I don't know how to do that if stopped. The motorways nearest me have big signs on them when you join that say 'no stopping'. (Although in reality that's impossible sometimes because the traffic grinds to a halt due to the congestion).

OP, perhaps I’m being precious, but several times you’ve made causal comments about killing someone with the car or you dying. I lost a family member in a motorway crash, and in a separate crash another family broke their neck. Both times the fault was the other driver. It isn’t a joke. It happens. And it’s bloody awful.

The M25 is a different beast to most other motorways. I tend to find the driving on there is a bit more aggressive than usual. I’d do some driving on other motorways first.

It hasn't been scrapped, its still on the Nidirect website.

I believe it has been scrapped for newly qualified drivers but remains in place for learners. Happy to stand corrected if that's wrong.

You must not stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency, or when told to do so by the police, an emergency sign or by flashing red light signals.

That's a quote from the highway code.

isabella isn't another car not letting me in an emergency in that situation?

Google map does tell you which lane to use however even that gets it wrong. There is a junction on the M77 at Glasgow where it tells you to use any lane to keep right at the fork. If you used either of the 2 left lanes you'd leave the motorway. So it is good as a back up but should not be your main source of navigation, that's what gantry signs and planning ahead are for.

The only time I've been on the M25 we basically crawled the entire way around and even at 7pm when we re-joined having ditched off at a services for a break (and to feed DD who was only a few months old at the time) it was still backed up and no faster than about 40mph.

You must not stop on the carriageway, hard shoulder, slip road, central reservation or verge except in an emergency, or when told to do so by the police, an emergency sign or by flashing red light signals.

It maybe a quote from the Highway Code, but what else are you supposed to do when all 5 lanes of the M25 have come to a complete stop, as it frequently does?

I have also had times when joining the M25 when the whole carriageway has been stationary, and also when the inside lane is solid with HGVs all travelling at their max speed, and the next lane is solid with cars going at at least 70. Yes some junctions, the slip road becomes a separate lane for a while, but sometimes you have to merge. You need to be prepared to stop. In addition, the M25 doesn't always have a hard shoulder that you could use.

I didn’t have motorway lesson, I passed my test on off I went. Absolutely no accidents, not even a tiny one to date 🤷🏻‍♀️

Only time they might help is if your a nervous nelly with driving

You being unable to merge is not an emergency, no. But this is the difference between passing your test and having experience. Yes, sometimes you have to stop on a slip road because the main carriageway (who do not have to let you on so stop referring to merging as being let on) is too busy. Which is why rush hour traffic ends up backed up and hardly moving. But generally you should be adjusting your speed as you approach so that you can either speed up or slow down as a final adjustment to merge neatly onto the carriageway. Whilst checking around you for vehicles who've decided to swap into the left lane or who have changed their speed.

Nothing wrong with stopping on a slip road if all traffic around you is also stationery. The problem is where traffic IS moving, but people joining from the slip road don't understand how to match the speed and merge into lane 1, thus ending up at the end of the slip road and having to stop which is a massive traffic hazard, all because they didn't match their speed and couldn't merge. Drivers who do that NEED motorway driving lessons before they kill themselves or someone else.

I had one motorway lesson and I still use the tips they taught me today. The problem is you can't stay in the inside lane. You will need to move out and react to the traffic.

After being behind someone who tried to get on to the M25 at 20mph yesterday, would strongly advise having 1 lesson.

In reference to the posts above the motorway was free flowing so you definitely needed to be faster!

I believe it has been scrapped for newly qualified drivers but remains in place for learners. Happy to stand corrected if that's wrong.

It's weird. If you Google it, you get directed to the page in NI Direct that refers to it. But if you go to NI Direct and just look up motoring, I can't find anything. But looking at news reports it looks like a law that was put in motion before the collapse of the assembly and then ground to a halt? It was to be introduced this year, so it's not very clear if that has gone through yet or not...

It maybe a quote from the Highway Code, but what else are you supposed to do when all 5 lanes of the M25 have come to a complete stop, as it frequently does?

That's a totally different situation though, because if all the traffic has stopped then you are joining the traffic at the same speed as other people are going. So its not like just stopping on a slip road whilst the traffic is driving past.

@isabellerossignol Yes, I found it hard to get a definite answer on.

I first tried to pass when I was 20, learning at home in England but living and studying in NI. Couldn't work out then if when I passed the NI restrictions would apply to me or not given that I would hold a full licence, not a P one having passed in England.

As it turns out I ended up not passing till I was 34 so it was all academic!

@Forestwitch

The minimum for a motorway is 50mph.

This is a myth. Motorways in Great Britain do not have a minimum speed.