Standard of driving on the M1

BrianD3

I was on the M1 recently for the first time. Great stretch of road. What I found striking about it was that the standard of driving was very high by Irish standards and compared to the driving I see on the M50, M4, M7 etc.

On the M1 virtually all the cars were doing 120-130 km/h. There were no lines of annoying dawdlers plodding along at 80 km/h. Merging was done efficiently and safely. There was no tailgating. I only saw one car hogging the overtaking lane - that car was a taxi

There were a lot of yellow regs on the road. I wonder is this the reason for the higher standard of driving. Nordie drivers come in for a lot of stick down here - some of it is deserved but based on what I saw they actually know how to use motorways properly.

is_that_so

Overall I agree that driving habits on the M1 are generally better but try it in the upper reaches particularly in the "race" for the toll or in rush hour. As for tailgating you can get lucky and not see it for weeks. That said it has improved since the M1 opened. One habit that is not absent is that well practiced sprint up the "outside" lane so that you can dive in front of everyone at the next exit at the last second.
Northern drivers come in different types but the good ones are streets ahead of most of us.

unkel

BrianD3 wrote:

the standard of driving was very high by Irish standards

I have observed same most times I've driven on the M1 since it opened although I have to say I rarely use it during peak traffic

BrianD3 wrote:

There were a lot of yellow regs on the road. I wonder is this the reason for the higher standard of driving

I always felt it was a combination of:

1. Quality of the road and the visibility
2. Relatively low density of traffic compared with M50
3. Yellow regs

Nuttzz

its because people are actually "travelling" somewhere, the m50 is full of gob****es looking for the liffey valley exit or the blanchardstown shopping centre exit, god help us when ikea opens in ballymun

RicardoSmith

Nuttzz wrote:

its because people are actually "travelling" somewhere, the m50 is full of gob****es looking for the liffey valley exit or the blanchardstown shopping centre exit, god help us when ikea opens in ballymun

LOL thats more the reason. Also people in the north are more used to drving faster, and driving in fast traffic. Whereas down here people think nothing of doing 50 in the fast lane of the M50.

unkel

RicardoSmith wrote:

people in the north are more used to drving faster, and driving in fast traffic. Whereas down here people think nothing of doing 50 in the fast lane of the M50.

That must be the yellow reg factor alright. As in the Irish are the only ones in Europe that do not know how to drive on a motorway :rolleyes:

CCOVICH

I was on the M50 this morning and there were quite a few 'yellow regs' driving like dickheads.

I like the M1 most of the time (use it around half a dozen times a year to head for the hills). I also like the M11, M4, M7 etc. I detest the M50. Worst driving ever.

angeldelight

BrianD3 wrote:

standard of driving was very high by Irish standards...

On the M1 virtually all the cars were doing 120-130 km/h

Oh yes wonderful driving where "virtually all the cars" were breaking the speed limit

DubTony

unkel wrote:

That must be the yellow reg factor alright. As in the Irish are the only ones in Europe that do not know how to drive on a motorway :rolleyes:

That's really not fair to say. The Yellow Regs can cut it with the worst of us.

http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=3026660#post3026660

View the full thread here. http://boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=275130

is_that_so

angeldelight wrote:

Oh yes wonderful driving where "virtually all the cars" were breaking the speed limit

Some cars drive at inappropriate speeds, either too high or too low, as they do on many other roads but the general standard of driving is substantially higher than other roads. The point the OP was highlighting is that cars on the M1 do drive at "around" motorway speeds but it was only part of his post. Motorway driving is a lot more than inappropriate speed as you are not doubt aware from the M50 car park.

blastman

Generally, the M1 is good (I use it on a daily basis) but at peak times it can be as frustrating as any other road in the country.

unkel

DubTony wrote:

That's really not fair to say. The Yellow Regs can cut it with the worst of us

Not fair to whom? I agree with you that not all yellow regs are sweetie pies. From my own experience on the M1, the majority of yellow regs use the motorway as it should be used, as in driving at speed but only using the overtaking lane to overtake. The majority of Irish (Southern) drivers don't in my experience

I have never come across overtaking lane hoggers being the majority in any other European country I have driven...

HotRodDub

I think the problem with everyone driving on the outside lane happens because EVERYONE does it. What I'm trying to say is that if you pass someone and come back into the inside lane you'll never get out again because the outside lane is full.

The M1 is good because there is not alot of cars on it, and the M4 gets better better once you are past the Maynooth exit.

As for yellow regs, I'm originally a northerner and we're no better or worse than the southerners. Actually it can be frustrating up north on a national road where all the do gooders are sitting at 40mph, thinking they are the safest drivers around, but all they are doing is forcing people to make dodgy overtaking moves where it is'nt always safe.

blastman

That's a good point. I hate sitting behind someone in the outside lane of the motorway hoping that they'll pull in but I know if I do pull in that someone else will just sit in the same position and I won't get out again when I come up behind something in the inside lane.

el tel

Last time I travelled up the M1 I had to pass a girl and her mates on the inside. She was doing about 60mph and wouldn't pull over for me at all.
I moved about 1/2 mile ahead and then decided to take it fairly easy up to Dundalk and watch the mirrors to see how she got on. For exactly 31 miles (both before & after the toll booths) she remained out in the overtaking lane. The only possible explanation is that she had never been instructed not to do it.

BTW - has anyone ever noticed the roadsigns along the more touristic routes informing European motorists to stay on the left?

Borzoi

Nuttzz wrote:

its because people are actually "travelling" somewhere,

Tend to agree, much of the traffic is going long distance, not commuters going one or two junctions, so are happy to get up to speed and stay there.

mackerski

el tel wrote:

BTW - has anyone ever noticed the roadsigns along the more touristic routes informing European motorists to stay on the left?

They tell people to drive on the left, which isn't quite the same thing.

Dermot

528i

I was on the M1 recently for the first time. Great stretch of road. What I found striking about it was that the standard of driving was very high by Irish standards and compared to the driving I see on the M50, M4, M7 etc.

Probably because of increased self awareness and 'lets-not-get-shot-at' mentality up north. If the fear of being killed or beaten to within an inch of your life by was even half as prevalent down south there'd be a lot less numpties hogging the bmw lane too.