Near miss on motorway - what else could I have done?

[lurchersforever]

This actually happened on Wednesday but I'm still thinking about it and want to hear others' thoughts.

I go 2 junctions down the motorway, which is 4 lanes where I am, every day, and I also drive quite a bit for holidays etc. Where I join the motorway the slip road has 2 lanes - a really long one on the left and a very short one on the right that ends pretty abruptly. The slip-roads are up-hill, so if you use the short one, you can't really see what is coming up behind until you are very near its end. I always use the left one unless there is something in it going slowly, in which case I go past on the right. The traffic is always free-flowing when I join but people tend to move over to allow people on - with 4 lanes this is what you would expect.

Yesterday I used the right hand lane to join the motorway. Traffic was free-flowing and there were lorries in front then not a massive gap before more lorries coming up behind. I was going at about 50/60 I think. It was obviously going to be impossible to get on in front of the lorries ahead but those coming up behind were going at quite a speed so there was no room to get on in front of them, yet the slip road was running out. There was plenty of room for them to move to the right but they didn't. I had to slow right down and ended up on the diagonal white lines that divide the two slip lanes. As it passed, the lorry blew its horn even though I did not enter his lane at all. There was also a car coming up behind me, but that slowed right down behind me so it was ok.

It was just horrible - no room to the left or right and something coming behind, with no proper space to stop in either. Then the horn blowing as if I had done something wrong, but what? Surely the lorry coming up behind should have adjusted its speed or moved right? What else could I have done?

You can rely on your wing mirrors if they have blind spot lights, they’re more reliable than craning over your shoulder.

Possibly the lorry driver that sounded his horn only saw you at the last moment - and/or thought you were about to pull out in front of him?

Warning rather than "telling off"

I'm not slamming my brakes on at that speed with someone up my arse and an entire queue of cars behind that.

And if you want to do that, go ahead and cause an accident. Just don't do it anywhere near me.

Exact same thing happened to me-I could’ve written this. Lorry drivers think they own the fucking road. It was not your fault

Could you not move back over to the left lane? The slip roads like you describe near me have white hatching between them but no physical barriers or anything.

@Deludamol using the hard shoulder will cause an accident too, and a fine
It's a give way

You weren't in the car with me, so I don't know what scenario you're imagining but if you think I care about getting fined when I've taken evasive action to avoid a massive collision on the motorway, then you're sorely mistaken.

Again, if you want to cause accidents then go ahead. I'm sure the other drivers will be leaping out of their smashed vehicles to shake your broken hands because you stopped dead rather than getting out of the way.

I think stopping on the slip road is very dangerous and an absolute last resort. Pulling into a small gap is better. Obviously match your speed to the gap so that the person behind can ease off a little and not have to brake.

Also it's my experience that people joining very much do expect to be let in and rarely make much effort to adjust to the traffic flow. Often they're going way too fast and start weaving around overtaking as soon as they join, or are just totally unaware.

Maybe there should be a compulsory motorway test as many people won't come across this situation in driving lessons..

I have no idea how quickly I was going as I was obviously focusing on looking for a gap/assessing the road, not staring at the speedometer, however, with such a short slip road I absolutely was concentrating on getting up to speed as I am well aware that lane is the fast option. I'm not hesitant about getting on the motorway and don't 'trundle' on; I do it every day and while I prefer the other lane I've used this one many a time with no issues. I think if I had been going any faster it would have been worse - there definitely weren't any gaps. It's not easy to ensure you are going faster than the lorry if there are no gaps. Do you think that on any given stretch of motorway there are always gaps sufficient to pull into?

It is an absolute last resort and I've only had to do it once
Some twat (I have no other word for them) deliberately blocked the slip road with his 4x4 and caravan while laughing and matching my speed
I had to stop as there was no other option

You said in your OP that you were doing about 50/60, which is a similar speed to the lorry that you spotted behind you in the lane to wanted to enter. Had you perhaps dropped down a gear and sped up to get in the gap, you wouldn’t have had to come to a stop.

@EmilyTjP wrote:

Your post comes across horribly patronising. “I wouldn’t have been in that situation” ugh. And you’re meant to be helping people?

Well that's the joy of brief messages on an internet message board isn't it? It is usually wise to assume that a short written précis of a five minute conversation, taking different form with different students, will not accurately reflect the tone and content of said discussion.

The key point of the anecdote within this thread is that it is always better to avoid a fight rather than defending yourself in one. Getting that across to my students in a driving context is - to my thinking at least - some of the best help I can give them.

Of course the actions of others can always be so unpredictable and unexpected you are left with little choice, but in the case here (as it was with my student) it seems like the actions of the drivers already established on the carriageway were entirely predictable and thus the emphasis should be on avoiding the fight in the first place.

Agree. So the test wants you to not slow down and join the traffic even if you smash in to a car that is in the main motorway? I think I will give that a miss thanks, I stop if I have to and wait for a safe gap, I haven’t got a death wish.

A lorry is restricted to 56mph, the occasional one will manage 57 58 excluding downhills, so at 60 to 65 you will be faster than oncoming lorries.
( with v rare exceptions)

Could you see that little car tucked up beside the lorry that meant he couldn't pull over? It may or may not have been there, either way its your responsibility to join the road safely, not for vehicles already on the road to give way to you.

You either drop it down a gear and speed up to join infront of the lorries or slow up to go in behind them.

I think you were maybe beeped because you didn’t speed up?
chalk it up to experience, and try not to let it bother you. It’s done and dusted and no harm was done.

Driving on the hard shoulder is illegal is incredibly dangerous. And the fact you are is indignant about it is disgusting.
Slip roads are GIVE WAYS. Highway code rule
259Joining the motorway.

• give priority to traffic already on the motorway

If there is no space, you use the skills you are legally required to have as a drivers licence holder and stop. That is the law. Not whatever you feel like doing because you are useless at anticipating speed and positioning.

I don't know why you've come on this thread weeks after the event to stick your oar in, but you're quite incorrect.

I'm a perfectly competent driver. A lorry deliberately sped up to push me onto the white lines. I've been driving for many years and I've never seen the like of such behaviour from a lorry driver. I have a long background of working with driving and I'm perfectly aware of what the rules of the roads are. Likely more than you do.

If I have to take evasive action to avoid a collision, I will do so. And anyone who questions that decision, and thinks I should stay in a lane even when it has become dangerous to do so, should look at their own driving because it's absolutely nuts not to use safety areas when necessary.