To ask if anyone's done pass plus/refresher lessons?

[Blackistheneworange01]

I passed my test about 6 weeks ago, got a car the same week and been driving alone since. I started doing motorways and longer journeys (about 40-50 miles) last week after 2 motorway lessons with my instructor. Mostly been ok but had a bit of a near miss yesterday which has knocked my confidence quite a bit, i was merging onto a dual carriageway from a slip road, someone else was merging behind me and due to me probably not checking properly I pulled quite close in front of him, he beeped at me. Nothing else happened and obviously no collision etc. But I've been beating myself up ever since.
Especially as anyone is free to submit dashcam footage, I'm worried he could submit that and I'll end up with points for careless driving. I might be overreacting here, someone cut me up and I was mildly annoyed but haven't considered reporting.

Anyway I've decided to stay away from motorways and longer journeys for a bit and wondering if I'd benefit from refresher lessons? I've been told I'm overreacting and new drivers are going to make mistakes, but i feel shaken up from that. Unsure what to do?

I’m going to caveat this by admitting I’m not the most confident driver myself and dual carriageway/ motorways were my main concern. It sounds to me like the other driver was in the wrong. If you’re both merging from the same slip road and he is behind you, he shouldn’t try to overtake you in the first lane of the motorway. It’s likely I expect that you were too slow/ lacking confidence to commit to the merge. But I still think he should slow behind you and then overtake in the second lane when he was able to do so.

Anyway, back to your question, I had refresher lessons ten years after I passed as my nerves re motorway driving were holding me back a lot. We didn’t cover motorways in my lessons at all, and there was only a short stretch of road where my lessons/ test route took me up to 40mph. It was mostly stop/ start town traffic, roundabouts, and residential roads. I had the most amazing female instructor and she took me out in my own car. I expected to have several sessions with her but after just one two-hour session, I was so much more confident and able to practice in my own. I didn’t need to see her again. By far the best decision I have ever made even though at the time, before my session, I thought it might be a waste or time/ money.

Thanks for your reply it means a lot!
I have a front dashcam but not a rear sadly ( I need to get one) otherwise I'd be watching it. I've not had anything like this yet and it knocked my confidence. I think when I can afford it I'll go for the refresher lessons, I just don't want anything like that to happen again.

You’ve done well to get straight onto motorways, I’ve friends who’ve been driving for years and never driven on them!
I never did pass but it might help with confidence and it used to bring insurance down too, not sure if that’s still a thing.
As pp said , it sounds like the driver behind was just being impatient, he shouldn’t have tried to over take at the point.

Thank you. I've just got to try and move on and learn from it, the thought of waiting for a letter through the door is horrible.

Hell if everyone submitted dashcam footage every time someone did something wrong the police would be inundated with the stuff.

You have to accept that when you drive sometimes you make mistakes. And sometimes other people make mistakes.

Do your best to use them as a learning experience.

I drive loads on motorways and as previous poster says it doesn’t sound like you were in the wrong! If the car was joining the dual carriageway from behind you he shouldn’t have tried to undertake you! He was totally in the wrong! The only thing I can think is that you were trying to join too slowly which peed him off! I always try to be doing at least 50 by the time I hit the motorway/ dual carriageway so it’s easy to speed up a touch or slow down a touch to ease into a gap. If you were say only doing 30 he probably thought he could speed past you.

He was in the wrong, he was behind you, he should have merged after you. Don't let it knock your confidence.

Also do you have green P plates on? Warns other drivers that you’re new and to give you a bit of patience and space

Thank you, no I haven't and I was told I'd get 'bullied' if I used them, especially as I'm in a smaller car, but perhaps I should.

You were going slower than you should but he was in the wrong and should have stayed a safe distance from you.

A beep doesn’t mean that you have broken the law! It’s the equivalent of someone tutting at you or saying ‘Watch out!’ Or just being a beeping idiot…

If I am merging onto a motorway or dual carriageway I try to match my speed with the traffic as I am coming down the slip road, I then take some glances across and over my shoulder to identify my gap, then slot in behind someone.

Another thing I have found useful is to plan journeys ahead using Google Maps Streetview, so that I can check out any iffy junctions and look ahead for landmarks. For context, I regularly drive on the M25 and other major hotspots.

Oh and sometimes it isn’t necessarily just you doing something wrong, it can often be poor road design or junctions that no longer work for the current volume of traffic. There is a whole website called ‘Bad Junctions’ which I found interesting reading. The Highways Agency also collect and publish data about where accidents happen, then will sometimes re-do road layouts if there is a higher than average amount of accidents.

I’m super impressed you are on motorways already! As per PPs, you were probably a bit slow but he was fundamentally in the wrong. I doubt you need more lessons, just keep up your momentum. But if you’ve got money to burn…

Everyone makes mistakes driving, even people who’ve been doing it for decades. Please try not to let this get to you! The more you drive the more practice you’ll get and you’ll get more confident. some people are horn happy and use it for anything!

I returned to driving many years after passing. I did refresher lessons, a motorway lesson, pass plus, and then joined up for advanced driving sessions with IAM (the Institute of Advanced Motorists -really good value). I tried to make it a hobby to improve, and I transformed from an anxious and bad driver to a confident and competent one. Personally I think its worth it as I want to help everyone stay safe. I dread to think how much damage I would have done without this help, I was not a natural!!! It’s been a life skill I am super grateful for now 🙂. Also, the people who take you out on drives with IAM know everything about driving- it’s great to be
able to ask them things as questions come up.