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

In some instances no immediate merging is required when the slip road (if you are furthest left) becomes an additional lane on the motor way. I think the A1m joining m25 is like this (although obviously you will be required to move lanes later when the inside lane becomes the designated lane for the next exit.)
When I first used a motorway it was when an A road becomes a motorway. I was panicking but essentially it was the same road, and actually it was very congested so felt less scary to be moving at 20-30 mph than 60-70, although can be more difficult to change lanes if needed when it's super busy.

You will be fine if you keep your wits about you and leave plenty of time for changing lanes if you need to, because the L hand lane is temporarily only for an exit.

Speaking as someone who drives on it regularly, the M25 is best avoided if poss during rush hours! It is often very slow and busy outside those time too, so do leave plenty of time.

but please god don't drive at 60 on the motorway if conditions are good - you'll cause more problems for yourself than you'll solve.

It won't cause any problems for you, OP.
And I'm saying this as a fast driver. It's twattish and distracted drivers who will have a problem with drivers going slightly below the speed limit.

@AmelieTaylor
Have you seen the roundabout accident thread?

Tootling along at 60 will make it harder for you. You'll be stuck in the left hand lane with speed limited lorries ahead, behind and alongside you massively reducing your visibility. Far better to drive 10mph or so faster than them, to keep away from them and give you space.

Do you mean the lorries for which the speed limit is 60?

www.gov.uk/speed-limits

@RealPill

It’s not a case of someone not letting you in-you need to match yours speed to anyone in the slow lane so that you can merge.

If you can’t do this confidently, I’m sorry but you’re not ready and shouldn’t put others at risk.

Trying Well no because they added a different one to make up for it

Trying you're absolutely desperate to single me out as a dangerous and unsafe driver, aren't you? Funny how you consider yourself to know my ability better than the examiner who passed me, and the instructor who's encouraged me.

I'm aware I am less than competent about motorways, which is why I'm having a lesson on one.

Sounds to me like you're hell even on making me even more unsure and therefore a worried driver

One of my friends was nervous about driving on the motorway. I sat in with her and we went up and down between two junctions about 6 times...just coming off and round the roundabout and back up until she had got her confidence up at getting on/off!

@Lweji

God no I haven’t. Well, not a recent one. There was one a few weeks back about some incompetent
Moose going the wrong way around one,... do you have a link to the latest one (couldn’t find it in active)

@RealPill

I'm not the only one who is concerned about your driving. Maybe read your own thread..

I actually have recommended (excluding the lessons.. because.. a lot of us survived just fine without them), going on some short journeys.

Just some advice.. don't break to a standstill on a slip road. That will be the biggest mistake you make. 60-65 is neither here nor there.
Maybe practice on a dual carriageway at a busier time of day.

And I'm only reiterating what others have said

It’s not a case of someone not letting you in-you need to match yours speed to anyone in the slow lane so that you can merge. If you can’t do this confidently, I’m sorry but you’re not ready and shouldn’t put others at risk

Lweji although the speed limit for lorries is 60mph, in practice they are speed limited to 90km/h which is 56 mph. This is covered by the European legislation.
So sitting at 60 in the inside lane will mean you are faster than the artics but when you pull out to overtake you will be too slow for the overtaking traffic in lane 2. Cue accident waiting to happen

So sitting at 60 in the inside lane will mean you are faster than the artics but when you pull out to overtake you will be too slow for the overtaking traffic in lane 2. Cue accident waiting to happen

If you decide to overtake.
Or you overtake in heavy traffic.
Or you overtake when other cars are too close.

This can happen at 70 mph as well, because many other cars travel at higher speeds anyway.

It's not going at 60 that is the dangerous behaviour.

when you pull out to overtake you will be too slow for the overtaking traffic in lane 2. Cue accident waiting to happen

Why is that? The traffic in lane 2 will see you come out and will have to either slow down a bit (probably just taking their foot off the gas will suffice) or they can move out into the 3rd (or 4th or 5th or even 6th lane if it's certain parts of the M25). I am assuming the OP won't just pull out right in front of them in which case it wouldn't matter how fast she was going.

Be alert and aware but please god don't drive at 60 on the motorway if conditions are good - you'll cause more problems for yourself than you'll solve

For goodness sake people the limit on the motorway in the UK is 70!

How can it possibly be a problem to drive at 60?

If you don't like it, overtake. If you can't overtake you'll just have to lump it.

Apparently, 70 is the lower limit, did you know?
Even though 99.9% of MN pps claim never to drive over the speed limit.

God some people on here are being such dicks.

Congratulations on passing! I have my 4th test on Monday and like you I am a good driver its just the test that is my undoing!

I don't see a problem at all with 60 on a motorway, as long as its not 60 in the outside lane, trying to overtake something going at about 58mph and taking forever to do it.

If you ever use cruise control it suddenly becomes very noticeable how many people don't drive at a consistent speed. You're doing 70 and someone hurtles past you at what's probably 75 or 80 then a mile up the road you're caught up behind them and this time they're going at 60. I mean obviously speed will change due to traffic conditions and weather but I've driven on many a motorway, all over the UK and in France and Ireland and I've never seen anyone be involved in, or cause other people, to have an accident through driving at 60 mph.

Also, the parts of the M25 that I've driven on were nowhere near as bad as I thought they'd be. Obviously in terms of volume of traffic it's horrendous, but I find that drivers in England are, in general, much less aggressive than they are where I live. But I've only driven on about half of it, and I don't know the names of all the junctions etc, so I'm not sure if I was on the busiest bits or not. Although I've driven past Heathrow a few times and I'd guess that bit is pretty busy?

I think some of these replies are a bit harsh, she’s asking the information to gain some knowledge after admitting she’s not confident and realising she isn’t ready. It would be different if she’d said ‘I hadn’t been on a motorway before but I attempted it without lessons, stopped on the slip road, and drove at 50 the whole way AIBU’
I have been driving for a year and haven’t driven on the motorway since my lessons. I live minutes from the m25 and almost daily there is an accident which causes traffic all through the area, so it scares me and has been the reason I avoid it. A roads/duel carriageways I’m fine with. I wouldn’t attempt the m25 unless I’d had more lessons and felt confident enough to handle all the situations that could happen. Wouldn’t make me automatically a bad driver to question some things the OP has, we all have to learn from somewhere. Just be warned OP if you intend to do the journey at some point always check the traffic, the bridge you’d have to cross on the m25 to get to Essex is almost permanently grid locked, I have the lovely view from my window. Good luck

I see shitty driving on motorways every day.

People being hesitant on slip roads rather than moving to the speed of the traffic and merging. People pootling I'm the middle lane overtaking nothing.

I did a motorway lesson and it was great and really helpful. I only wish it was compulsory.

I have skipped a few pages. The M1 in Bedfordshire is horrible and terrifies me and I have been driving MAAAANY years. It's not a nice stretch to do your first solo motorway drive on really, especially the bit around Luton.

Goods vehicles may be speed limited to 60 - but that just stops them accelerating past 60 - many are quite happy to exceed this on a downhill (especially when this precedes an uphill) and get crabby if there's a slow (ie 60mph) vehicle in their way.

Just emphasising that a constant 60-65 is not a 'safe' option - drive at the speed of the traffic, leaving plenty of space in front - in practice you'll range from standstill to 75 even in the left lane.

I live in Beds and go to various parts of Essex fairly often. Some of the roads and juctions are horrible.

@RealPill send me a PM if you like, tell me where you are starting from and where you are going and I'll try to plan a route for you so that it isn't too daunting