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

I started driving on motorways immediately after my test with no motorway lessons but I had spent a lot of time as a passenger on motorways so I knew what I was doing.

As PP have said motorways are easy so long as nothing goes wrong which it frequently does because lots of people don’t know how to use them (as demonstrated by this thread). If you don’t know what you are doing (or you think you know what you’re doing but you are subjected to a lot of angry reactions on the motorway and told off on mn for what you do) you should seek lessons.

You can't tootle along at 60mph and just stay in the inside lane, that's incredibly selfish and dangerous. The road is 70mph, and despite supposed to have limiters, many HGVs can exceed 60mph. They will therefore need to come around you, and then hold up the middle lane. Stick to the speed limits. If you're not confident, for the sake of £25ish take an additional lesson.

Bedford to Essex is not a major trip, Cornwall to Sutherland is not even major.

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

Are you serious?

Did you miss the part where they have right of way and you have to plan ahead and match your speed to the gaps?

It might be an emergency of your creation if you fail to do that, but if you're anticipating creating emergency situations before you even join the motorway you're not safe to be on the road.

@isabellerossignol an imminent accident is an emergency. If no one is letting you on (usually because there no space to change lanes but sometimes because they’re all thick) you instigate and emergency brake. You the wait stationary on the slip road until it is safe to merge.

Your driving instructor has got you through your test safely. Don't you trust them enough to get you to motorway standard too? Personally i couldn't take that kind of risk.

Merging on to a motorway still makes me nervous more than 30 years after passing my test! If you're struggling to find a gap, I think you're advised to slow down and look further back for a spot, adjusting your speed till someone lets you in or there is a gap. You're not meant to use the hard shoulder as continuation nor are you meant to stop.
There are lots of unobservant or selfish drivers about, unfortunately. If your route is houng to include ant complicated junctions or anything that isnt straightforward, I would maybe try a couple of practice runs first.

I live in a county with no motorways. I’m not sure what would have happened if I did pass plus or anything. We would have to drive at least 1.5 hours to get to one🤣 Admittedly I’ve never ventured onto one as never had to go far but I think he’s trying to sell extra lessons. You sound like you are comfortable in trying it. Many people are nervous about doing it - me included. I’ve been driving for 10 years and We don’t go far to be honest. OH has to do the motorway driving if needed here. I find A roads instead which take a lot longer 😂

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.

You are also not supposed to stop on the carriage road, but you're not supposed to crash onto vehicles either. If you have to stop to avoid doing it, then you do.

As for merging to a motorway, don't stop at the end of the slip road, because you won't have time to gain enough speed to join in.
It's best to reduce your speed if you see too much traffic, and at worst, if they are driving at high speed, stop at the start of the slip road, so that you can gain speed to join in.

Can I ask another question re driving instruction as a non-English person? So when I was learning, as a learner, I was allowed to drive under supervision of anyone licensed. I had a few formal lessons to help with the actual test, but mostly I spent a year being the one doing the driving whenever we went out anywhere. As a result, I had a fair bit of actual experience when I got to my test which I think is really important. I drove to and from school, to sports practices, to my friends' houses. Did shifts on longer drives while on holiday etc.

Does that happen here? Or do you have to drive with a licensed instructor? I appreciate that for a lot of people, driving with a parent/friend/partner might not be practical if you don't use the car all the time, but when it's the DC turn to learn to drive, will I be able to help teach them?

I ask because I do think the idea of being allowed to drive anywhere anytime when you've had maybe 10-20 lessons is just bonkers.

Not all driving instructors are trying to con you into giving them more money

Having motorway lessons seems to be a thing these days.
People didn't used to bit I guess things are different now.
I'm the worst person to comment anyway as I recently started my own thread about driving anxiety.
However,I imagine the worst part is emerging onto the motorway a d exiting.maybe.
The rest is probably like a dual carriageway going in a straight line.

@BlingLoving

Yes - as long as the supervising driver is 21 or above, is qualified to drive the vehicle and has had a full licence for 3 years.

However, only an approved driving instructor may take a learner on to a motorway, and they must be in a vehicle fitted with dual controls.

Does that happen here? Or do you have to drive with a licensed instructor? I appreciate that for a lot of people, driving with a parent/friend/partner might not be practical if you don't use the car all the time, but when it's the DC turn to learn to drive, will I be able to help teach them?

You can supervise/teach other people if you have held your licence for over 3 years and are over 21.

Until recently you couldn't go on a motorway as a learner. You can now but only in a dual control car supervised by a official driving instructor. So you can't teach them about motorways.

My advice would always to have formal lessons for the actual learning but to get as much practice outside of those as possible as well. So as a supervising driver to be there to intervene if necessary, make suggestions if required and alert the learner to any hazards but not to actually try to teach. That's only my opinion though. Legally you can take and pass your test without any formal instruction although I believe this is also going to change. Or has already possibly in which case ignore most of what I've said!

The first time my best friend drove independently he went on the motorway for two hours and he was absolutely fine. You will survive and definitely won’t kill anyone, nobody needs motorway lessons.

Eh? I drove on the motorway the day after passing my test without extra lessons!

You need to build up some confidence driving on your own tbh.

Anyone passing and driving straight onto a motorway is irresponsible imo.

Driving with an instructor you’re learning to pass a test, not drive.

Get comfortable with being on your own when driving, and become comfortable with your car first.

*So you:

*Think you can spend the whole journey doing 60/65 in the outside lane
*Did not know that the main carriageway has right of way
*Are not confident on joining at speed
Think the satnav will tell you what lanes to change

Sorry

Forgot to add.. I don't think you should have even passed your test after 6 attempts.
I wouldn't want to be on the road with you.
Please avoid the motorway.

As I understand it, the 'easiness' of motorway driving is precisely what makes it so dangerous. High speed + trancelike driving conditions = danger

Plenty of us did just fine on motorways after passing and without extra lessons. Sometimes you just bloody have to get on with it.

You can't tootle along at 60mph and just stay in the inside lane, that's incredibly selfish and dangerous.

Not only that, but sometimes the left hand lane is an exit lane, so you need to move into lane 2 (or sometimes even lane 3) to carry on straight ahead, otherwise you'll find yourself off the motorway or on the wrong motorway. Changing lanes at only 60mph into lane 2 or 3 that are doing at least 70 is a recipe for an accident.

You will survive and definitely won’t kill anyone

Given that, in 2018 alone, 107 people were killed on Britain's motorways (and a further 803 were seriously injured), that's a ridiculous thing to say.

Think about what that means. In 2018, 107 people didn't come home at the end of the day. 107 lives were cut needlessly short. Those 107 people were children, parents, friends, colleagues, who didn't need to die. All of those deaths were caused by someone.

These 107 deaths weren't inevitable, or just one of this things. They were, largely, a result of thousands of people displaying the cavalier and dangerous attitudes to road safety that people are showing on this thread.

The fact that you have a mate who once drove on a motorway for two hours without killing anyone is absolutely meaningless.

If you stay in the inside lane on the M25, you will most definitely end up getting off the motorway several times

As I understand it, the 'easiness' of motorway driving is precisely what makes it so dangerous. High speed + trancelike driving conditions = danger

People definitely lose concentration and go into a trance. But even with all that, motorways are still the safest UK roads, calculated by miles travelled per year, not just based on numbers of accidents.

I think it's just that when there is a crash on a motorway it tends to be at speed which makes them so frightening. But I'd definitely rather drive on a motorway than a dual carriageway, they're designed so mucb more safely.