Dual carriageways and B roads are much harder to use than motorways. There are no joining side roads, crossings, roundabouts, traffic lights, horses, fords etc etc etc on motorways.
Learner Drivers on Motorways
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Originally Posted by SaddlerSteve:
“This is what I was thinking.
A motorway is essentially a dual carriageway with extra lanes. I'm also sure that driving on a dual carriageway was a requirement on the test when I passed 11 years ago?
The fear seems to come from people thinking a motorway is a lot worse than they actually are. Them not being part of lessons or the test also makes it seem as something for advanced drivers who've been driving for years.
The week after I passed my test we had a football match to go to 60 miles away. We'd previously been making this trip on the train but as I'd finally got my licence decided to drive.
I was initially going to take the A5 but my dad suggested going M1/M6 and said just make sure you're checking your mirrors regularly and watching out for others. We left early morning about 7am to avoid some of the Saturday traffic and we bumped into one of our friends at the petrol station who was on his way to work. When we told him where we were going he seemed quite shocked that I was going to use the motorway a week after my test. He'd actually passed his own test several months before and admitted he'd not been on a motorway yet as he didn't feel ready for it.”
“This is what I was thinking.
A motorway is essentially a dual carriageway with extra lanes. I'm also sure that driving on a dual carriageway was a requirement on the test when I passed 11 years ago?
The fear seems to come from people thinking a motorway is a lot worse than they actually are. Them not being part of lessons or the test also makes it seem as something for advanced drivers who've been driving for years.
The week after I passed my test we had a football match to go to 60 miles away. We'd previously been making this trip on the train but as I'd finally got my licence decided to drive.
I was initially going to take the A5 but my dad suggested going M1/M6 and said just make sure you're checking your mirrors regularly and watching out for others. We left early morning about 7am to avoid some of the Saturday traffic and we bumped into one of our friends at the petrol station who was on his way to work. When we told him where we were going he seemed quite shocked that I was going to use the motorway a week after my test. He'd actually passed his own test several months before and admitted he'd not been on a motorway yet as he didn't feel ready for it.”
Motorways have motorway rules and status, its nothing to do with how many lanes they have. For example the M2 has 2 lanes and the A2 has 3. I learned my 'motorway' training while I was learning to drive on the A2 which is incredibly busy. The M2 is quieter in comparison.
Originally Posted by tiacat:
“Motorways have motorway rules and status, its nothing to do with how many lanes they have. For example the M2 has 2 lanes and the A2 has 3. I learned my 'motorway' training while I was learning to drive on the A2 which is incredibly busy. The M2 is quieter in comparison.”
“Motorways have motorway rules and status, its nothing to do with how many lanes they have. For example the M2 has 2 lanes and the A2 has 3. I learned my 'motorway' training while I was learning to drive on the A2 which is incredibly busy. The M2 is quieter in comparison.”
Anyone who's passed their test should be more than capable of driving on a motorway. It's not difficult.
People are just building them up to be something in their minds that they're not in reality.
Originally Posted by bluewomble88:
“Dual carriageways and B roads are much harder to use than motorways. There are no joining side roads, crossings, roundabouts, traffic lights, horses, fords etc etc etc on motorways.”
“Dual carriageways and B roads are much harder to use than motorways. There are no joining side roads, crossings, roundabouts, traffic lights, horses, fords etc etc etc on motorways.”
Cows though http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-23615011
And a horse !! And going the wrong way !
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news...scaped-3454464
Originally Posted by SaddlerSteve:
“Anyone who's passed their test should be more than capable of driving on a motorway. It's not difficult.
People are just building them up to be something in their minds that they're not in reality.”
“Anyone who's passed their test should be more than capable of driving on a motorway. It's not difficult.
People are just building them up to be something in their minds that they're not in reality.”
It's precisely what not allowing learner drivers to use motorways creates though, a false worrying belief. It's absolutely ludicrous that no-one passing their test has ever driven on one when they're an important integral part of our road network and they've driven on roads which are far more dangerous and difficult including dual carriageways.
I'd far rather drive on a motorway than the city centres and dual carriageways in this area.
Any nervous qualified driver who avoids motorways should book some specific lessons with a driving school and they'll soon overcome their fears. The point is they should never have to and hopefully this very long overdue simple common sense will be approved and avoid totally unnecessarily frightening people.
Originally Posted by LostFool:
“I had an ex-girlfriend who would creep down a slip road at 30mph then always stop, look right and left, before pulling out onto the motorway. She would then tootle along in the slow lane at 50-55 mph oblivious to the chaos she was causing behind her.
It would scare the life out of me as a passenger - and presumably other people on the road too.”
“I had an ex-girlfriend who would creep down a slip road at 30mph then always stop, look right and left, before pulling out onto the motorway. She would then tootle along in the slow lane at 50-55 mph oblivious to the chaos she was causing behind her.
It would scare the life out of me as a passenger - and presumably other people on the road too.”
I fail to see how 50-55 mph in the inside lane would cause chaos
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“I fail to see how 50-55 mph in the inside lane would cause chaos”
“I fail to see how 50-55 mph in the inside lane would cause chaos”
It wouldnt of course, and I love the way the poster makes reference to the 'slow lane'. There is no such thing, the inside lane is the driving lane, the others are overtaking lanes.
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“There are plenty of dual carriageways where a learner can do 70mph if that's what they need.”
“There are plenty of dual carriageways where a learner can do 70mph if that's what they need.”
A learner shouldn't be doing 70. Although I'd prefer that than them joining the motorway at 17 mph. There's more to motorway driving than just experiencing speed.
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“I fail to see how 50-55 mph in the inside lane would cause chaos”
“I fail to see how 50-55 mph in the inside lane would cause chaos”
No but treating the slip road like a stop sign as the poster describes their ex doing could cause chaos.
Originally Posted by Wee Tinkers:
“A learner shouldn't be doing 70. Although I'd prefer that than them joining the motorway at 17 mph. There's more to motorway driving than just experiencing speed.”
“A learner shouldn't be doing 70. Although I'd prefer that than them joining the motorway at 17 mph. There's more to motorway driving than just experiencing speed.”
I enter a motorway at the appropriate speed for the situation. On occasions it has had to be less than 17mph as I have had to be sure that I was being let in.
Originally Posted by Wee Tinkers:
“No but treating the slip road like a stop sign as the poster describes their ex doing could cause chaos.”
“No but treating the slip road like a stop sign as the poster describes their ex doing could cause chaos.”
Not a stop sign but if the motorway is more or less at a standstill, you have to treat it as a give way sign and wait to be let in.
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“Not a stop sign but if the motorway is more or less at a standstill, you have to treat it as a give way sign and wait to be let in.”
“Not a stop sign but if the motorway is more or less at a standstill, you have to treat it as a give way sign and wait to be let in.”
On a moving motorway I always come over to the next lane to allow joiners to join. It irks me that others dont have that consideration at all.
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“I fail to see how 50-55 mph in the inside lane would cause chaos”
“I fail to see how 50-55 mph in the inside lane would cause chaos”
Originally Posted by tiacat:
“It wouldnt of course, and I love the way the poster makes reference to the 'slow lane'. There is no such thing, the inside lane is the driving lane, the others are overtaking lanes.”
“It wouldnt of course, and I love the way the poster makes reference to the 'slow lane'. There is no such thing, the inside lane is the driving lane, the others are overtaking lanes.”
Ask a HGV driver.
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“Not a stop sign but if the motorway is more or less at a standstill, you have to treat it as a give way sign and wait to be let in.”
“Not a stop sign but if the motorway is more or less at a standstill, you have to treat it as a give way sign and wait to be let in.”
Well, obviously no one is suggesting anyone goes hurtling down the slip road and joins at speed if the motorway is at a standstill. I would imagine that's a given...
I assumed the poster was talking - as was I - about when the traffic flowing.
It's very very rare for the motorway I use to be slow let alone at a standstill and yet people seem very tentative and slow right down attempting to join the fast moving traffic.
Perhaps if people had lessons on the motorway they'd have more confidence so I definitely think it's a good idea.
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“I enter a motorway at the appropriate speed for the situation. On occasions it has had to be less than 17mph as I have had to be sure that I was being let in.”
“I enter a motorway at the appropriate speed for the situation. On occasions it has had to be less than 17mph as I have had to be sure that I was being let in.”
Really? I have never had to slow down like that.
Originally Posted by tiacat:
“On a moving motorway I always come over to the next lane to allow joiners to join. It irks me that others dont have that consideration at all.”
“On a moving motorway I always come over to the next lane to allow joiners to join. It irks me that others dont have that consideration at all.”
I always try to move out if I can but it's not always possible but I know a few nervous motorway drivers who stick to that one lane, gripping the steering wheel with white knuckles 'I'm here, I'm ok here so I'm staying here' and refuse to move to let those joining get in.
Originally Posted by Trulytrue:
“Really? I have never had to slow down like that.”
“Really? I have never had to slow down like that.”
You've never had to join the M5 at jt 1 West Bromwich then have you.....
Originally Posted by tiacat:
“On a moving motorway I always come over to the next lane to allow joiners to join. It irks me that others dont have that consideration at all.”
“On a moving motorway I always come over to the next lane to allow joiners to join. It irks me that others dont have that consideration at all.”
I do that too, although was taught not to. Apparently you're not supposed to, at least not in Finland. And if you get up to the right speed on the slipway you shouldn't have to, but how often does that happen.
Originally Posted by Kat1966:
“You've never had to join the M5 at jt 1 West Bromwich then have you.....”
“You've never had to join the M5 at jt 1 West Bromwich then have you.....”
Thought we were talking normal motorway driving, not traffic jams. Joining a motorway that isn't moving is pretty damn easy
Originally Posted by SULLA:
“I enter a motorway at the appropriate speed for the situation. On occasions it has had to be less than 17mph as I have had to be sure that I was being let in.”
“I enter a motorway at the appropriate speed for the situation. On occasions it has had to be less than 17mph as I have had to be sure that I was being let in.”
I did 2mph recently. The 13.5mile journey took 2.5hrs most of it in getting too and actually being on the motorway at 2mph
Originally Posted by Wee Tinkers:
“Well, obviously no one is suggesting anyone goes hurtling down the slip road and joins at speed if the motorway is at a standstill. I would imagine that's a given...
I assumed the poster was talking - as was I - about when the traffic flowing.
It's very very rare for the motorway I use to be slow let alone at a standstill and yet people seem very tentative and slow right down attempting to join the fast moving traffic.
Perhaps if people had lessons on the motorway they'd have more confidence so I definitely think it's a good idea.”
“Well, obviously no one is suggesting anyone goes hurtling down the slip road and joins at speed if the motorway is at a standstill. I would imagine that's a given...
I assumed the poster was talking - as was I - about when the traffic flowing.
It's very very rare for the motorway I use to be slow let alone at a standstill and yet people seem very tentative and slow right down attempting to join the fast moving traffic.
Perhaps if people had lessons on the motorway they'd have more confidence so I definitely think it's a good idea.”
BIB someone should tell that to the lorry driver who came hurtling down a slip road at full speed the other week, he didn't consider that the traffic was barely moving or that the drivers in the second lane of the slip road were going slower. Its a smart motorway and the signs were 40mph but no one was moving at half that! How he managed to not take out half a dozen cars I don't know!
Originally Posted by tealady:
“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38464776
Seems a bit mad to me.
Will they be able to join the motorway and get up to speed? Dual control is good for stopping, but how do you get up to speed?
It's bad enough when you meet some oap going at 45, let alone some leaner going slow.
Why not have compulsory lessons once they have passed their test, before they can use the motorway?”
“http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38464776
Seems a bit mad to me.
Will they be able to join the motorway and get up to speed? Dual control is good for stopping, but how do you get up to speed?
It's bad enough when you meet some oap going at 45, let alone some leaner going slow.
Why not have compulsory lessons once they have passed their test, before they can use the motorway?”
You push the accelerator pedal with your right foot.Am I missing something?
Originally Posted by soap-lea:
“I did 2mph recently. The 13.5mile journey took 2.5hrs most of it in getting too and actually being on the motorway at 2mph”
“I did 2mph recently. The 13.5mile journey took 2.5hrs most of it in getting too and actually being on the motorway at 2mph”
I'm feeling tense just reading that. Sounds awful. I hate being stuck in slow moving traffic - I'd sooner take a longer route as long as I can keep moving. I'm a bit in awe of anyone who sits in heavy traffic during their regular commute, I couldn't do it.
Originally Posted by soap-lea:
“BIB someone should tell that to the lorry driver who came hurtling down a slip road at full speed the other week, he didn't consider that the traffic was barely moving or that the drivers in the second lane of the slip road were going slower. Its a smart motorway and the signs were 40mph but no one was moving at half that! How he managed to not take out half a dozen cars I don't know!”
“BIB someone should tell that to the lorry driver who came hurtling down a slip road at full speed the other week, he didn't consider that the traffic was barely moving or that the drivers in the second lane of the slip road were going slower. Its a smart motorway and the signs were 40mph but no one was moving at half that! How he managed to not take out half a dozen cars I don't know!”
Reading that I'm amazed too.
Originally Posted by WhatJoeThinks:
“ You push the accelerator pedal with your right foot.
Am I missing something?”
“
You push the accelerator pedal with your right foot.Am I missing something?”
Not in the instructor side, should be brake (and clutch).
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