In the mirrors I observed much over-taking/lane changes, and allowed myself a few choice words...
Such as " why am I not looking ahead instead of obsessing with something in my rear virw mirror thereby risking an accident?"
You don't look in your mirrors before you join a road from a slipway?
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In the mirrors I observed much over-taking/lane changes, and allowed myself a few choice words...
Such as " why am I not looking ahead instead of obsessing with something in my rear virw mirror thereby risking an accident?"
You don't look in your mirrors before you join a road from a slipway?
I don't know this road, but if it is a dual carriage way, you really need to know what is going on behind yourself, just as much as you do ahead.
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I don't know this road, but if it is a dual carriage way, you really need to know what is going on behind yourself, just as much as you do ahead.
Why? The OP said he joined the road at traffic speed (which was flowing at 40-50 mph), they also said that the car undertaken was doing about 30, so no fear about being compromised from behind.
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At least once a week i have to either brake or take other evasive action, even if there's no room for it, when some blind twerp manages to drive all the way up a slip road and along the full length of an acceleration lane, yet completely fails to notice the brightest yellow tanker you will ever see cruising down the left hand lane.
If you happen to give a touch of the horn (its a sweet sound not a blaster) to let them know you're there, amazingly, they suddenly wake up and get all aggressive at the sheer impertinence of you, yet again, having to drive their car for them, invites for coffee regularly follow and sometimes they stand on the brakes to teach me a lesson, Darwinism in all its glory.
Of course these berks are usually in powerful cars (and some it must be said in lorries), and if they had a clue how to drive them could have undertaken me and 14 other lorries whilst still on the slip road and merged smoothly, just like all proper car drivers manage all day every day.
If our OP is one of the good ones and actually knows whats going on around him, then more power to his elbow.
Edited by gordonbennet on 28/09/2014 at 12:24
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Shame there isn't a 'Like' or 'Dislike' button on here for comments. As usual GB, you talk a lot of sense 'Like'. BTW, most don't realise how dangerous it is to stand on brakes.
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I don't know this road, but if it is a dual carriage way, you really need to know what is going on behind yourself, just as much as you do ahead.
Why? The OP said he joined the road at traffic speed (which was flowing at 40-50 mph), they also said that the car undertaken was doing about 30, so no fear about being compromised from behind.
I'd managed to wind it up to about 65 before I joined the A3 - they mimsed onto it at about 50 I'd estimate, with cars approaching them at anything from 60 - 70mph
It's not so much their (lack of) speed that got me, it's ignoring the whole length of the slip road and just pulling out halfway down it, and causing traffic behind to brake/swerve.
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The roads are now clogged with people that don't want to drive, but are forced to because of inconvenient and expensive public transport, Beeching and short sighted government policy saw to that partly (yes I know it was losing money, but sometimes you have to ignore the cost and keep a basic service available, and privatised rail operators aren't exactly doing a brilliant job. And now they are thinking of reopening branch lines at great expense no doubt).
It means that the roads have become the cheapest option to many people who are 'un natural drivers'. They'll never be able to judge speed or fit in with everyone else seamlessly, they just aren't pre-programmed. I admit that some of those can drive but are just arrogant and selfish, but there it is.
People are more stressed now. I use the A12 as a short cut for about 5 minutes on the way to work. People will accelerate torwards someone in front of them who can't go anywhere because they are already hemmed in and slam the brakes on, or they'll change lanes into a gap hardly bigger than a car's length. There are so many head-shaking moments I've got neck ache.
After 9 am it all becomes much more pleasant.
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The roads are now clogged with people that don't want to drive, but are forced to because of inconvenient and expensive public transport.
After 9 am it all becomes much more pleasant.
School holidays, and Friday mornings bliss by comparison, then Friday afternoon arrives, groan.
You're quite right Corax, as usual.
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Wasn't it Mr Mercedes himself that said not everyone would be able to 'drive' a car? Unfortunately the cost and complexity of driving a car has gone down to the level that an idiot can acheive.
I often ponder if we had to revert back to pumping the oil pump by hand and adjusting the timing on the quadrant mounted on the steering wheel etc. That the roads would once again only be used by people who could 'drive'.
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Wasn't it Mr Mercedes himself that said not everyone would be able to 'drive' a car? Unfortunately the cost and complexity of driving a car has gone down to the level that an idiot can acheive.
I often ponder if we had to revert back to pumping the oil pump by hand and adjusting the timing on the quadrant mounted on the steering wheel etc. That the roads would once again only be used by people who could 'drive'.
Somewhere (Possibly here) I read a quote that blamed the syncromesh for opening up the roads to those of less...ability.
I'm sure those old gearboxes taught/enforced looking ahead, planning, and using all functions of the vehicle fully (Power, engine braking, block shifting)
Today we have 'point and squirt, on/off switches for pedals, never look further than the car in front'
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Somewhere (Possibly here) I read a quote that blamed the syncromesh for opening up the roads to those of less...ability.
I'm sure those old gearboxes taught/enforced looking ahead, planning, and using all functions of the vehicle fully (Power, engine braking, block shifting)
Today we have 'point and squirt, on/off switches for pedals, never look further than the car in front'
You have no idea, or maybe you do, just how relevent that statement is to lorries (substitute automated manual for syncromesh) and the abilities and skill set required to drive them.
Just to let those who don't know, know, the current HGV drving test, no controlled emergency stop, no gearchanging exercise (crawler to top through every gear and back down) and best of all, you'll like this one...train and pass on an auto lorry, gain a manual lorry licence so long as held a manual car licence.
Feel safer..:-)
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Somewhere (Possibly here) I read a quote that blamed the syncromesh for opening up the roads to those of less...ability.
I'm sure those old gearboxes taught/enforced looking ahead, planning, and using all functions of the vehicle fully (Power, engine braking, block shifting)
Today we have 'point and squirt, on/off switches for pedals, never look further than the car in front'
You have no idea, or maybe you do, just how relevent that statement is to lorries (substitute automated manual for syncromesh) and the abilities and skill set required to drive them.
Just to let those who don't know, know, the current HGV drving test, no controlled emergency stop, no gearchanging exercise (crawler to top through every gear and back down) and best of all, you'll like this one...train and pass on an auto lorry, gain a manual lorry licence so long as held a manual car licence.
Feel safer..:-)
And a lot of you probably don't know that HGV instructors don't have to be registered or authorised like car or motorcycle instructors - they just have to have a licence for the class of vehicle that they are teaching-so there is no check on what they are teaching or how they teach it.
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The roads are now clogged with people that don't want to drive, but are forced to because of inconvenient and expensive public transport, Beeching and short sighted government policy saw to that partly (yes I know it was losing money, but sometimes you have to ignore the cost and keep a basic service available, and privatised rail operators aren't exactly doing a brilliant job. And now they are thinking of reopening branch lines at great expense no doubt).
You can't go on blaming Beeching indefinitely - it's almost 50 years since his axe closed many branch lines - and some connecting ones too. Although the cost case was often falsified, most of them were losing money heavily, and would have continued losing increasing amounts for 15 or 20 years if kept open. I'm sure you aren't too happy with the present size of the rail subsidy, so you wouldn't have been then either.
The irony is that while regular motorists clamour for more bypasses or Mways or widening schemes, the railways are now doing likewise for HS2. I occasionally go on main-line steam excursions, and the word is that in a few years' time hardly any paths will be available to run them.
The basic fact is that too many people want (perhaps need) to do too much travelling in a limited (i.e.constant) amount of space.
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Poor Beeching wasn't really to blame, but people tend to use him as a scapegoat.
I commute to work on the A14 three days a week. Compared with the one week day the Saturday and Sunday commutes are bliss.
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Just very occasionally slip roads can be tricky. Once when I was joining a busy motorway, a car on the inside lane indiacted right as if they were about to move over and let me on, but then the car behind them pulled out to overtake them, blocking them in. I eased off a bit to let the giving-way car pass, but at the same time they decided to slow down to let me on, so we were both slowing down and I was running out of slip road!
The worst bit driving I've ever been affected by on a motorway was the time I was driving along the M5 and it was relatively clear. A VW campervan, the old rear-engined type, was stationary on the hard shoulder with the right indicator on, waiting to join the traffic. As I approached, it pulled out, from a standstill, straight into lane 1, as if leaving a parking space. I couldn't move over, as there was someone bering down in lane 2. I think I gave the longest blast on the horn I've ever done! I think for some reason I was prepared for that driver to do something stupid, but I was still surprised that they actually did so.
Edited by Sofa Spud on 28/09/2014 at 22:36
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