First trip on the M50

delta_bravo

So, I passed my test 2 weeks ago and decided that the time was right to make my first trek on the M50. I had previously been on the N7 so that was the closest i had experienced to the motorway. So I went on Northbound from Leopardstown. Firstly as I approached to merge I wasnt accomodated and had to slow down. Fair enough, that happens on most roads where people arent courteous. It was Tuesday around 11 so there was little traffic.

So when I eventually got on no problems, ticking along around 95kmph ( limit was 100) but I was shocked at the distance between the car behind me. It was no more than 10 metres behind me and this seemed to be the norm for all other road users. If I had to stop suddenly there was no way he wouldnt have hit me. I dont understand it, people are treating it like a 50 or 60 limit road where you can stop quickly enough. Stopping distances are a lot longer but people dont seem to bother. So, is this common? Its very dangerous

Hogging the fast lane were we?

sc4rf4ce

were you in the left or right lane?

delta_bravo

ronoc wrote: »

Hogging the fast lane were we?

No I wasn't.

delta_bravo

sc4rf4ce wrote: »

were you in the left or right lane?

Left all the way

DonJose

ronoc wrote: »

Hogging the fast lane were we?

This is an everyday occurance on the M4, I always come across one idiot who has no intention of letting me overtake, even when the road ahead is clear.

delta_bravo

This thread really wasnt about lanes it was about people not maintaining a safe stopping distance on the m50

Mr. Larson

yes, it's quite common. If you leave a safe gap some queue jumper will likely fill it somehow. Not condoning it but that's the attitude that's prevalent out there about Dublin - each man for himself and all that.

delta_bravo wrote: »

Firstly as I approached to merge I wasnt accomodated and had to slow down.

As a matter of interest, what speed were you trying to merge at?

unkel

delta_bravo wrote: »

Firstly as I approached to merge I wasnt accomodated and had to slow down

Oh dear :eek:

It's up to you to use the on-ramp to accelerate to the speed of the traffic in the driving lane and to find a gap where you can safely merge. If you can't find a gap, please do not slow down / stop on the on-ramp but instead progress on the hard shoulder and merge at the earliest safe opportunity. This should be extremely rare. Might have happened to me 2 or 3 times in 22 years of driving...

I'm not blaming you, delta_bravo. It's just shocking that motorway driving is not a part of the driving test in this country

delta_bravo

delta_bravo wrote: »

This thread really wasnt about lanes it was about people not maintaining a safe stopping distance on the m50

Worry about keeping yourself a safe distance from the car in front. You are going to find it difficult to change everyone elses habits and it will quickly drive you bonkers.

bear in mind if your speedo says 95kmh it could be as low as 90 in reality. Or at least on the speedo of the guy behind you.

10-10-20

Welcome to the M50.
Read ahead when driving, 2 if not more cars.
Know what the driver in front is thinking, before he even knows it.
Braking distances are to be respected, but good road reading skills will keep you out of harms way if you do find yourself too close to the man in front.
If you're being tailed, double check your speed against the posted speed, and adjust (upwards) as required. Don't take it personally.

delta_bravo

Jabberwocky wrote: »

yes, it's quite common. If you leave a safe gap some queue jumper will likely fill it somehow. Not condoning it but that's the attitude that's prevalent out there about Dublin - each man for himself and all that.



As a matter of interest, what speed were you trying to merge at?

Cant really remember, was around 80-90

unkel wrote: »

It's up to you to use the on-ramp to accelerate to the speed of the traffic in the driving lane and to find a gap where you can safely merge. If you can't find a gap, please do not slow down / stop on the on-ramp but instead progress on the hard shoulder and merge at the earliest safe opportunity.

I'm not blaming you, delta_bravo. It's just shocking that motorway driving is not a part of the driving test in this country

Thanks for that, will do

I'll admit I was incorrect when joining the road, it was the distance between cars that worried me

Ice_Box

unkel wrote: »

If you can't find a gap, please do not slow down / stop on the on-ramp but instead progress on the hard shoulder and merge at the earliest safe opportunity.

But you could get points for driving on the hard shoulder.

Random

"If you can't find a gap, please do not slow down / stop on the on-ramp but instead progress on the hard shoulder and merge at the earliest safe opportunity."
What does the ROTR say you should do in this situation?

As for people tailgating you ... it seems to happen all over Dublin on a daily basis in my experience. The other guy who mentioned people jumping into the gap is true aswell... forcing you to slow down and the guy behind to almost hit into you... horrible vicious cycle

Stark

10-10-20 wrote: »

If you're being tailed, double check your speed against the posted speed, and adjust (upwards) as required. Don't take it personally.

I'll need to shower after using this hackneyed line, but "it's a limit, not a target". If he's driving in the correct lane on a dual carriageway, there should be no need for him to speed up. If the car behind him wants to go faster, he can overtake. If anything, he should be slowing down until the stopping distance is sufficient for the speed they're doing

Henry Ford III

unkel wrote: »

Oh dear :eek:

It's up to you to use the on-ramp to accelerate to the speed of the traffic in the driving lane and to find a gap where you can safely merge. If you can't find a gap, please do not slow down / stop on the on-ramp but instead progress on the hard shoulder and merge at the earliest safe opportunity. This should be extremely rare. Might have happened to me 2 or 3 times in 22 years of driving...

I'm not blaming you, delta_bravo. It's just shocking that motorway driving is not a part of the driving test in this country

You sure about that Unkel?

tossy

unkel wrote: »

If you can't find a gap, please do not slow down / stop on the on-ramp but instead progress on the hard shoulder and merge at the earliest safe opportunity.

Have you tried this technique on the off ramp at the red cow where the road works are and there is no hard shoulder,and the on ramp ends in a line of traffic cones where you either merge or go through them???????

Its amazing,this guy/girl who has only recently passed their test and who most likely has better driving habits than most of us,has come on here and posted a very valid observation aobut the M50,only to be met with what i can only describe as abuse in waiting!!

The 2 frist replies were:
Today 16:19
sc4rf4ce were you in the left or right lane?
Today 16:18
ronoc Hogging the fast lane were we?

And im sure if the OP had of answered yes then all hell would have broken loose!!

Not to mention all the other answers of which only 5 were maybe relevent.

S.I.R

why don't anyone use the 3 car rule , or dos's everyone want to drive like the gardi ?? tailgating is Very rude , though at 10 meters away , its basically the same thing. Also dont forget , theres good drivers and bad drivers everywhere , no matter where you go , just make sure your in the right and your problems will go away.

tossy

tossy wrote: »

Its amazing,this guy/girl who has only recently passed their test and who most likely has better driving habits than most of us,has come on here and posted a very valid observation aobut the M50,only to be met with what i can only describe as abuse in waiting!!

Abuse? More like questions.

MGrah

delta_bravo wrote: »

So, I passed my test 2 weeks ago and decided that the time was right to make my first trek on the M50. I had previously been on the N7 so that was the closest i had experienced to the motorway. So I went on Northbound from Leopardstown. Firstly as I approached to merge I wasnt accomodated and had to slow down. Fair enough, that happens on most roads where people arent courteous. It was Tuesday around 11 so there was little traffic.

So when I eventually got on no problems, ticking along around 95kmph ( limit was 100) but I was shocked at the distance between the car behind me. It was no more than 10 metres behind me and this seemed to be the norm for all other road users. If I had to stop suddenly there was no way he wouldnt have hit me. I dont understand it, people are treating it like a 50 or 60 limit road where you can stop quickly enough. Stopping distances are a lot longer but people dont seem to bother. So, is this common? Its very dangerous

Delta Bravo - welcome to boards.ie motors forum - otherwise known as the 'who can be first to point out that they know what the overtaking lane on a motorway/dual carraigeway is for forum'.
Same thing over and over again - trust me on this, if you are looking for constructive info on correct driving practises stay a million miles away from this forum, the amount of dross you will have to sift through to get the one or two decent replies you will receive is not worth it. Answers #2 and #3 are standard responses to any question about tailgating on a MW or DC.

delta_bravo

ronoc wrote: »

Abuse? More like questions.

Well in fairness to tossy, the post seemed rather condescending and wasnt entirely relevant as I was discussing distance really

MGrah wrote: »

Delta Bravo - welcome to boards.ie motors forum - otherwise known as the 'who can be first to point out that they know what the overtaking lane on a motorway/dual carraigeway is for forum'.
Same thing over and over again - trust me on this, if you are looking for constructive info on correct driving practises stay a million miles away from this forum, the amount of dross you will have to sift through to get the one or two decent replies you will receive is not worth it. Answers #2 and #3 are standard responses to any question about tailgating on a MW or DC.

The Learning to Drive forum is such a happy space, although it is riddled with failure, everyone is supportive. This is quite a change

MGrah

MGrah wrote: »

Delta Bravo - welcome to boards.ie motors forum - otherwise known as the 'who can be first to point out that they know what the overtaking lane on a motorway/dual carraigeway is for forum'.
Same thing over and over again - trust me on this, if you are looking for constructive info on correct driving practises stay a million miles away from this forum, the amount of dross you will have to sift through to get the one or two decent replies you will receive is not worth it. Answers #2 and #3 are standard responses to any question about tailgating on a MW or DC.

This I would agree withe. Its like car flavoured after hours.

smemon

is the speed limit not 120 on a motorway?

merging at 80/90 is too slow imo (*note the 'imo' to the it's not a target, it's a limit police) as the majority of traffic will be doing 110+

if the road is busy, not only will YOU be forced to merge late, but the guys behind you will also.

Stark

smemon wrote: »

is the speed limit not 120 on a motorway?

merging at 80/90 is too slow imo (*note the 'imo' to the it's not a target, it's a limit police) as the majority of traffic will be doing 110+

Yeah sorry about using that line It's a clear requirement that you should merge at the same speed as the traffic already on the motorway. Not sure how that works for speed limited vehicles like buses and trucks. I guess that's where other traffic should move to the right-hand lane out of courtesy (assuming it's not filled with the "I'm doing the speed limit, therefore I'm not causing an obstruction" brigade). After you're on the motorway, you can drive at whatever speed within reason. (Although I'm of the opinion that anyone doing less than 80km/hr is a hazard).

Random

Re the speed limit on the motorway. He's said the limit was 100 at the stretch he was on.

delta_bravo

smemon wrote: »

is the speed limit not 120 on a motorway?

Did you read my post? I stated the limit was 100kmph

smemon

ok fair enough, but i'd imagine most people see 'motorway' and think 120, as that is the speed you'd automatically associate a motorway with...

hence the increased speed and lack of merging opportunities.

i know for example when i come across road works with 50km/hr signs, people bomb on at 100km/hr as they think to themselves the *real* limit is 100km/hr... :rolleyes:

Motorways in fairness are hassle free i find (compared to all other roads). If people want to overtake, they've space to do it. And if you want to overtake, you can also.

Speed doesn't kill on motorways as there are no head on collisions. If you slap on the brakes the guy behind might react late, but the impact will probably be what 30/40km/hr? tops -v- normal road and spinning into oncoming traffic with head on collisions at 200km/hr

Not saying it's right to tailgate, but it's safer to tailgate on a motorway than it is any other road.

Random

smemon wrote: »

Not saying it's right to tailgate, but it's safer to tailgate on a motorway than it is any other road.

Better to shoot someone in the foot than the head. What's your point?

smemon

random wrote: »

Better to shoot someone in the foot than the head. What's your point?

well i'm saying the OP is appauled with motorway driving, but the reality is the 2 lane national roads are much more dangerous, with more extreme tailgating/dangerous behaviour.