To think the majority of England need retraining on how to drive on a motorway

[afternoonwater]

So I've just been on a trip from Dover to the North and back again.
I learnt to drive in England but I have driven more of my life in Europe.
WHY THE HELL DONT PEOPLE MOVE OVER TO SLOWER LANES?!
Honestly, the amount of people that just sit in the middle when the left lane has about 2 miles of nothing in... or are driving slower in one of the middle lanes than the left lane over....
Or just sits in the right most lane for absolutely no real reason other than they can?
It stops people from actually being able to over take safely and just conjests the whole road. No wonder you all have road rage 🤣🤣

Sorry OP you fell at the first hurdle: there is no such thing as a 'slow lane', or a 'fast lane'.
But I agree that motorway driving should be part of learning to drive: I did a 'pass plus' course and actually asked for a second motorway lesson as it is such a different way of driving and it's not a skill you can just pick up, because of the speeds on the motorway you really need to know what you are doing.
My bugbear: I always leave the appropriate safe space between me and the car ahead, but the amount of cars who then see that as a gap they can just move into, is infuriating. I actually asked my driving instructor about this and he confirmed that a lot of people don't opt for a lesson on motorway driving once they have passed the test and so you see a lot of scary unsafe behaviours.

I've seen people come off slip roads right into the outside lane twice in the last few days with no cars in the inside or middle lanes

That used to be standard practice on the M8 when I was commuting from Glasgow to Edinburgh. It probably still is.

I got there more quickly by staying in the inside lane.

Got to agree with PP that IME the smaller and older the car, the more likely it is to sit in lane 2 or 3 doing 61 mph and holding up everyone else. I do approx 400 miles a week, mostly motorway and I can would bet £100 every trip on more bad driving being done by a 2008 plate Yaris than a brand new Audi.
The truckers are a law unto themselves and I will always move two lanes over to pass a truck with foreign plates because they have sod all visibility on their right hand side

There's technically a slow lane if you have a lorry speed restricted. Otherwise,no slow lane,no fast lane. I was in a bad RTC,car overturned 3 times,left upside down in a field,I was so scared afterwards I couldn't even cross the road! Ex H had lost his job,car was on finance (took 5 months for the insurance company to sort out) I worked in a cottage hospital in a village,no public transport there, I did the advanced driving test with a police examiner and the High Performance driving course on motorways. DH was in the motor trade over 40 years,he can't fathom why cars don't have indicators anymore.

Edited to remove duplicate post.

Lol at the size queens. I have a big SUV and a little electric runabout, and I’ve noticed it’s much easier to drive the big car because people get the hell out of my way. Big cars let you get away with a lot, except for parking in tiny old multistory car parks!

God that sounds so scary! I hope you are okay now?
May I ask, was the rota on a motorway?
Did you do the advanced driving afterwards, or were you saying that bad things can happen even if you are an advanced driver?
I hope you are well now and back to driving again.

I think you’re taking your narrow personal experience and extrapolating a universal truth from it. It doesn’t work like that!

The vast majority of the country need to take driving lessons again. You should have to take your test every ten years. The standard of driving is awful

Could you just accept motorways aren't perfect, leave a bit more time for your journey and chill the f out

I think people do know how to drive properly, they just choose not to. Lorry drivers overtaking going up hill which slows traffic and creates bunching. Timid drivers in the middle lane because they find it easier, Idiots doing 80 in the outside lane in the rain. They are all there on the motorway. They know what to do, but don't. I think we should insist on a driving test every ten years.

The black ones… the drug dealer boy racers! 😆

BMWs are for the chavs of the road.

(I’m sure that’s not fair, but hey!)

I know this is designed to goad but

i drive an i10 - I’m a good driver, I don’t lane hog and I can park ! Reverse parking is my specialty due to my job

That's terrifying. The only time 'Ive ever been scared on a motorway is the number of times I've veen prevented from getting up to speed on the slip road to join correctly because of some dangerous idiot tootling along at 35. Actually stopping is awful.

I was once on the M25 when the car in front of me just stopped. I assume there must have been mechanical failure but it was terrifying. Luckily I always observe stopping distances. I suppose the only thing worse would be being in the stopped car!

I’m a cracking parallel Parker!

Also far too many people driving on them at about 40mph.

Which I think is part of the reason so many people then sit in the middle lane instead.

It’s not just England.

In Ireland too. Apparently yellow boxes are optional now. 😡

Classic stealth boast! I’m guessing you drive a German car?

I drive a medium SUV, so I have no skin in the game.

But how about the tank drivers who

don’t indicate
weave around the lanes
tailgate
jump lights
habitually speed
drive on the wrong side of country lanes

i know a few!

I think updating tuition should be compulsory, say every ten years.

As I said upthread, Mways have changed enormously in the last 15-20 years as hav3 other traffic systems.

I drive a small car and I certainly don't have poor driving skills!

People need to stop thinking of 'fast' and 'slow' lanes. There is no such thing. You can do 70 in the left hand lane. The other two lanes are for overtaking. It isn't complicated.

I very nearly had to stop on the slip road getting on to the M25 the other week. I was up to speed, but there just wasn't a space - HGV s nose to tail. They were virtually touching each other.
I just had to slow right down and luckily the car at the end of the lorry line was able to nip into the next lane to let me in, otherwise I would have to have stopped.
The M25 is a nightmare - often 4-5 lanes with the first two solid HGVs. It makes exiting the motorway extremely difficult too.

Why people in the left lane go 50mph on motorway?! If you are so nervous about driving, don’t drive or take extra lessons. It’s all fine and well to move to “slower lane” but not when left lane is way BELOW speed limit….