For my sins, I take the Saturday Telegraph and occasionally read the Motoring section ( I really must get out more ). I stopped reading the dreadful James May column a couple of years ago. As long as 'car' was mentioned in a page of senseless drivel, it got published.
They also publish the thoughts of chaiman ' Honest John ' who often answers readers questions with a self righteous,dismissive and patronising
' I am the supreme fountain of motoring knowledge' attitude.
Last Saturday a JR Pickering asked what I considered a very pertinent question.
As usual the readers question
' What is the Law here ' was not answered. Any opinions as to what the law is ?
“Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three
decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good "..
1971 911 2.2T sold
1970 911 2.2S Sold but remains within DDK
1959 Lancia Flaminia PF Coupe
I think the answer given is sensible but as the motorway is the main road and there are three poss. four lanes to consider the joiner should be the one taking responsibility. The broken lines on entry do mean its not a stop sign but it would be impossible for the joineru to know whats happening across all the lanes.
If he is unsure but has committed then there is the hard shoulder to his left or right in europe, generally there is no obstructing traffic parked on the hard shoulder so there is an escape route for him. There is no escape route on the motorway itself.
We all know we should be careful but I'm pretty sure the judge/jury would find against the joiner who should have judged his approach correctly to not affect all the lanes.
the one overruling factor in terms of "law" (ie if a claim goes to court) in my experience is major road vs. minor road.. the person on the major road always has right of way UNLESS the road is signed otherwise (ie a stop sign/line at a cross roads with poor sighting from the minor road)
failing the major-minor thing (ie two people on minor roads at a cross roads) i think priority/right of way goes to the person turning left?
Thats why I think Honest Johns reply is unsatisfactory. If drivers in the inside lane were supposed to give way to drivers exiting from a slip road,the inside lane of the motorway would show arrows directing motorway drivers into the middle lane.
I have never had a problem seeing motorway traffic when joining the motorway from a slip road. I would only join the motorway if I considered it safe to do so.
How can you be " careful and considerate towards others " if your attitude is
' Iv'e got my indicator on which absolves me from taking due care and consideration towards drivers on the motorway who I might force out into another lane ( if it is not already occupied ) or brake heavily to avoid hitting me ?
Obviously motorway drivers should ease off the throttle if they can see someone joining from a slip road, but if they have to brake or change lanes to avoid an accident the slip road driver must be at fault ?
“Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three
decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good "..
1971 911 2.2T sold
1970 911 2.2S Sold but remains within DDK
1959 Lancia Flaminia PF Coupe
richkaz wrote:Iv'e got my indicator on which absolves me from taking due care and consideration towards drivers on the motorway who I might force out into another lane ( if it is not already occupied ) or brake heavily to avoid hitting me ?
richkaz wrote:Thats why I think Honest Johns reply is unsatisfactory. If drivers in the inside lane were supposed to give way to drivers exiting from a slip road,the inside lane of the motorway would show arrows directing motorway drivers into the middle lane
It shouldnt be a problem. Most drivers seem to be in the middle lane anyway.
Regards
Mike
_____________________________
73 RS (Sold)
67 S
Mint T (Sold)
996 Turbo (Sold)
73 2.4E (home after 25 years) and Sold again
73T targa (signal yellow project)
1953 Vauxhall Velox
914/6
1963 356B https://www.mybespokeroom.com/
Driving on the motorway
259
Joining the motorway. When you join the motorway you will normally approach it from a road on the left (a slip road) or from an adjoining motorway. You should
give priority to traffic already on the motorway
check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane
not cross solid white lines that separate lanes or use the hard shoulder
stay on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane on the motorway
remain in the left-hand lane long enough to adjust to the speed of traffic before considering overtaking
You "should" give way not you "must" give way. Joining traffic should not expect traffic to move although I do if I have the space to do so.
I generally slip off the slip road and get really angry when blogsy in the inside lane has seen me and hasnt modified their speed or lane accordingly.
How often have you been hit by an inside lane motorway driver whilst exiting a slip road ?
Blogsy MUST have modified his speed or changed lanes to avoid a collision. You forced him to !
If your action caused a serious accident I doubt anyone ( including your insurance company )would applaud you as being a 'considerate driver'.
“Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three
decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good "..
1971 911 2.2T sold
1970 911 2.2S Sold but remains within DDK
1959 Lancia Flaminia PF Coupe
On questioning many at the station they all said the same thing, a joiner would be hard pressed to defend a position of joining without care and attention. Likewise this does not mean a driver on the motorway can act agressively in narrowing a gap to stop a driver joining, I'm sure we have all seen that happen before.
The lorry scenario is a good one, are we expecting a 42 tonner to be a nimble as a car. Also bare in mind it's generally a lorry which is on the inside most times ,would'nt want to argue with one too often.
Germany, France and Holland make me laugh in this respect, people coming off the slip road barge straight on with little regard to whats coming down the inside lane. Because drivers on the inside lane expect this they all move over en masse like a flock of birds when stuff comes up the slip.....
Is'nt in Holland that there are funny signs in the high streets,(think they have three lines accross them) which indicate the drivers joining the high street/main road, have the right of way say from a side road??? That keeps the speed down and the concentration up.
The question on motorways as said before is one of common sense coupled with the need to keep the traffic moving, after all you are meant to be adjusting your speed to suit, not just upwards. If you cant join correctly then a reveiw of driving skills is needed. Shame there is no Motorway work on test or learning.
Prattie wrote:Is'nt in Holland that there are funny signs in the high streets,(think they have three lines accross them) which indicate the drivers joining the high street/main road, have the right of way say from a side road??? That keeps the speed down and the concentration up.
The question on motorways as said before is one of common sense coupled with the need to keep the traffic moving, after all you are meant to be adjusting your speed to suit, not just upwards. If you cant join correctly then a reveiw of driving skills is needed. Shame there is no Motorway work on test or learning.
steve
France. Right of way is given to the person in the side road through most towns, it is signposted at the beginning with either a distance or no distance then another sign to say you have priority again.....it's tricky to get used to, and generally you just have to know the road, tourists are the only people that get caught out.
So I discovered as a 17 year old taking my first proper car with my first proper girlfriend for a few days en france. Didn't make it out of Le harve before some R5 went ploughing out of a side road into my car.....
Spent some time working in Brussels in '03, my friends there told me that the french changed the law and they are not supposed to pull out but apparently some of the old boys in rural areas refuse to change and still do..
I think the Germans still allow this at certain marked points in built up areas...
Goes back to the days of horse and carts when such action was less of an issue so the locals tell me.
