Slip roads on to Motorways

Yes, happens quite often, some drivers have no idea of how to join a motorway.

Another group are the "it's a caravan, I must get in front of it" brigade, who fling themselves out in front of us, without any thought as to the braking distance of an over 4 tonnes outfit.

I totally agree with you post we have found the same , the responsibility for joining a motorway or dual carriageway is for the person coming down the slip road to adjust their speed accordingly to filter in where appropriate , it shouldn't be left to the vehicles already there.

But as you say it's becoming more common  , is it people aren't experienced enough or they don't know the rule of the road or just don't care .

I've found that HGV drivers are the most considerate / willing drivers on motorways when dealing with caravans .

The watch word is drive for yourself , but keep an eye out for the idiots that drive on our roads too.

edit.........

In fact there's a video on YouTube that shows a blue transit type van taking out a car /caravan doing actually what you've described .....unbelievable😬 

It sounds very familiar. As Kjell says, people have no idea at all on joining a motorway, they expect you to give way to them. Another one is that,  despite a very long slip road, they think they've to join lane 1 ASAP, so get in lane 1 at 50, instead of putting their foot down & matching the speed of the m/way they're about to join. 

It’s a very common experience and not just when towing!

I find that you have to not only anticipate what other drivers are doing / going to do, but more often than not, you have direct them as well.

I will admit that I do try and move myself over to the middle lane if possible when coming up to a slip road. This is two fold, as too many times someone has left getting into the near side lane to take the exit and dangerously cut across the front of me-in an attempt make the exit, causing me to break like mad to avoid them. Not fun solo, but hair raising when the caravan attached!

secondly, I watch for the hesitant drivers and ones that an extra pairs of eyes watching the rear of their vehicles as the join the motorway would be of help and “flash” to let them know I know that they are there and that their path in front of me is free to Join. Sometimes easing off my speed for them to join safely. 

I know that a appreciate it when it’s done in return.

This  is  probably  the  first  and  most  important  lesson  the  newly  qualified  drivers  need  to  learn  about  motorway  driving.

Perhaps  we  will  see  a  marked  reduction  on  drivers  bullying  there  way  onto  m-ways  when  ( and  If )  the  lesson  on  Motorway  Driving  becomes  an  official  part  of  the  driving  qualification  for  those  within  reasonable  distance  of  these  high  speed  roads.

Sadly  those  learners  in  remote  parts  of  the  country  such  as  north  and  west  Wales   along  with  most  of  Scotland  would  need  a  couple  of  days  to  get  this  experience,  purely  due  to  the  distances  involved.

B

It's amazing the number who will match your speed instead of giving it a bit of welly and slipping into the gap ahead of you. It's much easier to gauge your distance from a vehicle in front than guessing how close the one coming up behind is.

We have some very good dual carriageways which would be perfect for teaching motorway driving. The idea of a learner on a motorway is horrifying. I don’t know what driving schools teach these days but there doesn’t seem to be as much “thinking driving” like we were taught years ago.

I nearly had a very nasty encounter with a lorry coming off a slip road, didn’t even slow for the junction, just came straight off the slip road into my path. It was very close and if there had been anything in the next lane I wouldn’t have stood a chance. Fortunately I wasn’t towing at the time.

Another time I was in the outside lane when a van came off the slip road, straight across the front of the van I was overtaking and into the lane in front of me. 

Those on the motorway, obviously, has right of way because of the speed.

When I passed my driving test, some 40 years ago, the first thing my driving instructor asked for was another payment for another hour of instruction and he promptly took me on the motorway and gave me lessons of going on/off motorways and driving and overtaking vehicles on said motorway.  I've never forgotten it.

Apparently, this is coming into force for learner drivers to actually be allowed to drive on the motorway with an instructor to learn the basics before passing their test

Oh boy I have just read the OP to my OH, its one of his pet hates. We have the added joy that sometimes we tow a small car behind our m/h. 

The amount of times we have had drivers pulling out from the slip road, not seeing the car on the back and almost driving into it  the other day coming back from Stonehaven we narrowly escaped one of the OP's examples, the car on the slip road slowed down so much that the car behind him almost hit him, which would have knocked him into the dual carriageway, OH was not best pleased. 

Our worst fears is just this. Every slip road the OH watches them come down and utters her incantation to the joining traffic to "get your foot down"! I have learnt to check mirrors every time in the hope that should I need to i can where possible, pull over to the outer lane as the car joining matches our speed and expects us to slow down to let them in! ... and then shoots past us later after we pull back in casting 'that look' at us!