Motorways.. What do you think?

[Laura2919]

So after that terrible accident on the M5 on Friday what do you think about the motorways.

Do you think that there should be a ban on new drivers being allowed onto them?
Do you think the speed limit should be increased or decreased?

 

[Boony]

I don't think they should change the limit or anything, but i think motorway driving should be included in the driving tests. I just can't understand why its not?? Motorway driving is so dangerous if you don't know what your doing. When i passed my test i got my dad to take me on the motorway and teach me.

 

[TeresaG]

I think that it would be a good idea to include motorway driving when you have driving lessons and in the test. It can be different to other driving as well as dangerous.

I'm not sure about the speed limit. I don't like motorway driving and think that 70 is fast enough. You often see people doing way over the speed limit. If it is raised would it just make people drive even faster?

 

[Mum2b_Claire]

Thing is, if motorway driving was included in the driving test they'd have to allow learner drivers on the motorway to practice - I wouldn't be in favour of that!

After I passed my test at 17 I did 'pass plus' lessons which included motorway driving, I think this would be a good idea for most people but I don't know about making it compulsory.

I would not want the speed limit increased to 80. 70 is plenty unless there is very little other traffic but that is rare anyway. People do 80+ anyway and it scares the hell out of me.

 

[Boony]

I'd rather there be learners on the motorway with an instructor than them be on the motorway on their own not knowing what they are doing!

 

[dani_tinks]

I don't know to be honest, the motorways are always going to be dangerous. No way should the speed limit be increased though, people already go stupidly over it.

 

[MrsPoodle]

I don't think it's fair to ban new drivers, I had to use the motorway to get to work when I had just passed, otherwise it would have taken me nearly an hour to get there. I did do the first week with my hubby in the car though, and didn't get over 60mph until about 4 days into it, even the lorries were overtaking me at one point! But you soon get used to it and I love motorways now.

The speed limits were set in the 60s when the cars weren't as safe or powerful as they are now, I reckon they could prob increase it though to 80mph, a lot of people drive at that speed and over anyway.

 

[Laura2919]

I agree. I dont think I would be in favour of learner drivers on the motorway. Plus its daunting learning on a normal road let alone on a motorway.

They were going to up the speed limit to 80mph, I wonder if they will. I suppose if the outcome of the accident on the M5 was the firework display I dont know where they would go from that.

 

[marley2580]

I don't think that speed on the motorway is the problem, I think the problem is the way people drive. I hate going down south as everyone drives far too close to each other and they never seem to take account of the road conditions. I think that if people had been driving carefully - keeping a safe distance and going a bit slower due to the many fog banks that were around that night - then the death toll would have been less.

 

[teal]

I don't like the idea of learners on the motorway. I'm not sure how I feel about the speed limit. It the limit is 70mph and I see some people doing 80mph would an 80mph limit enourage more people to drive 90mph+ ? I don't know.

What infuriates me on the motorway is people who sit at 40mph in the middle lane! Argh xx

 

[ellismum]

Look at Germany, higher speed limits, unlimited in places, and a restriction on lorries overtaking on certain stretches. They also have 30% less accidents. perhaps higher speed limits should be put in specific parts but ultimately I'd like to see more police presence. I'm sick of people tailgating me or pulling into my safe stopping distance. Sadly too many drivers feel it's their right to be on the road and do what they like, regardless of whether they are breaking the law or not.

 

[lepaskilf]

I remember doing lessons and going on to the local dual carriageway.... this was a good introduction in to driving fast and people overtaking.

Then when I went on to the motorway once I'd passed it wasn't too scary, the main thing to look out for was going in to the middle lane and having to check no one else was either.

I don't mind driving on the motorway but you do have to concentrate just incase the cars in front slow down, I hate it when I have a lorry behind me just incase they're not concentrating!

As for the speed limit increase, I do 80 most of the time and if they increased it to 80 then I'd prob stick at that but I reckon there'd be alot who'd push to 90, so I don't agree

 

[tallybee]

I don't think that speed on the motorway is the problem, I think the problem is the way people drive. I hate going down south as everyone drives far too close to each other and they never seem to take account of the road conditions. I think that if people had been driving carefully - keeping a safe distance and going a bit slower due to the many fog banks that were around that night - then the death toll would have been less.

Exactly. People not keeping a safe distance is the problem - not just speed. People also drive as if conditions are ideal when they're NOT (ie wet, dark, low visibility etc), not modifying their driving in any way to take account of it. That scares the crap out of me more than fast driving on a very quiet road.

I do think motorway driving ought to be part of the test - it would need to be introduced in a sensible way, perhaps learners only allowed on motorways with an official instructor beside them? As opposed to just any qualified driver like it is on other roads... Obviously it'd be a bad move to take learners on motorways until they've got some competence on other roads, there'd need to be a proper official rule book on how to do it.

But yeah all in all I would prefer for almost-qualified drivers to be having their first motorway driving experience alongside an instructor, in a car with dual controls, than for just-qualified drivers to be having their first motorway experience whilst also dealing with being on their own as it were. When I first passed the weirdest thing was not having someone sat there telling me which way to go

 

[RachA]

So after that terrible accident on the M5 on Friday what do you think about the motorways.

Do you think that there should be a ban on new drivers being allowed onto them?
Do you think the speed limit should be increased or decreased?

I think that once you have passed your general test then you should do a separate test to go on the motorway. The first time you go on a motorway as you new driver you only know what you have read and tbh that isn't actually the truth of how people actually drive on them.

Generally i think the 70mph speed limit is fine. I get annoyed when roads have their limits dropped for stupid reasons.

I also think that drivers should adjust their driving to suit the conditions. My OH is terrible at this. He always seems to drive worse when its raining or foggy etc and it annoys me no end.

 

[RachA]

I don't think that speed on the motorway is the problem, I think the problem is the way people drive. I hate going down south as everyone drives far too close to each other and they never seem to take account of the road conditions. I think that if people had been driving carefully - keeping a safe distance and going a bit slower due to the many fog banks that were around that night - then the death toll would have been less.

Exactly. People not keeping a safe distance is the problem - not just speed. People also drive as if conditions are ideal when they're NOT (ie wet, dark, low visibility etc), not modifying their driving in any way to take account of it. That scares the crap out of me more than fast driving on a very quiet road.

I do think motorway driving ought to be part of the test - it would need to be introduced in a sensible way, perhaps learners only allowed on motorways with an official instructor beside them? As opposed to just any qualified driver like it is on other roads... Obviously it'd be a bad move to take learners on motorways until they've got some competence on other roads, there'd need to be a proper official rule book on how to do it.

But yeah all in all I would prefer for almost-qualified drivers to be having their first motorway driving experience alongside an instructor, in a car with dual controls, than for just-qualified drivers to be having their first motorway experience whilst also dealing with being on their own as it were. When I first passed the weirdest thing was not having someone sat there telling me which way to go

My SIL comes from Switzerland and there they take 3 or 4 different tests to make up the whole driving test. I can't remember all the parts but basically once you have passed the main driving on single and duel carriageways then you have lessons for motorways driving and a test.

 

[krissy1984]

I wouldn't want learners on the doorway, pass plus drivers yes but not learners.

The problem is not the speed its the idiocy of some drivers, prob is people forget the 2 second rule and drive too close. the whole point is so you leave enough room to stop if an accident happens ahead and people don't do this.

The m5 accident is truly horrific and i thought it would make people think a bit more about their driving but i went on the m40 on Saturday and it was ridiculous. people getting so close to each other

 

[lisa9999]

Better to have learner drivers on the motorway under instruction and with dual controls than letting a new driver loose on their own, surely?

 

[Midnight_Fairy]

I dont think learners on motorways but passplus should be essential for EVERYONE

 

[beccad]

People drive too close together. Speed isn't such a problem if you leave appropriate stopping distances, but invariably people are doing 70, 80, 90mph with 10 feet between them and the car in front. People are selfish and seem to think they're invincible, and that getting to their destination three minutes quicker is oh so important.

I don't think we need to ban new drivers from the motorways. I think people generally need to be taught how to use the overtaking lanes. People seem to have forgotten that the middle lane is an overtaking lane. Sitting there blocking up the motorway in the middle lane is utterly baffling to me. The left lane hardly gets used!

Motorway driving is still pretty safe overall. Far more people are killed on residential roads than motorways. Big accidents like that are rare.

 

[KayBea]

I think after youve done your test you should have to do one lesson with an instructor on a Motorway...
2 days after i passed my test my sat nav sent me onto the M25 (i put in to avoid motorways).
I shat myself, was so scared with big ass lorries all over the place. But now im fine with motorways.