Like A Lot On Here

[TWR]

Like us all we travel on the overcrowded UK Motorways, I have seen up-on thousands of accidents, many deaths / Injuries, been lucky never have been involved myself in one, I has been unbelievable how people drive, take chances, at times come unstuck, in what way if you were asked could you improve Motorway Safety & try to come up with a solution to try & stop these happening?

[Old_Geezer]

I'm unsure there are good cheap solutions. One needs better training, especially teaching mental attitude to making due progress whilst knowing potential risks for the situation you are in and not taking unnecessary risks. That applies for all driving not just motorway. Maybe compulsory advance driving lessons/tests ? It is the attitudes one needs to tackle but that has it's own problems with, whose attitude is truly best and should be taught ? The 'ultra-cautious' or the 'minimal risk' one ? Can one teach "common sense" anyway ? Maybe just try to force folk to be more aware, but there again it is human nature when doing a repetitive task to leave it up to the subconscious that performs with ease. Maybe we all just need to accept life comes with risk and try to catch the really foolhardy ones and leave it at that.

[VHG]

The best solution is to get people OFF motorways.

Encourage more freight to be moved by train.

Make it easier / cheaper to travel by public transport.

The less traffic on the motorways the safer they are likely to be.

p.s. I was travelling to Cornwall for a summer holiday a couple of years ago down the M5 and it was raining.

Some of the driving was awful, particularly from "white van man" with them over taking on the inside, cutting people up, trying to squeeze into tight spaces. One white van cut in front of a car and they missed each other by inches.

I got so frightened I turned off the M5 and continued down on "A" roads for a while. It may have been slower but at least I got there alive.

[Graham-W]

Education, education, education.
I find it hard to believe motorway driving is not part of the driving test. It's possible to take your driving test in a town or city and never have driven at over 30mph. Then straight out onto a motorway at 70mph with no experience of lane discipline, no experience of entering and exiting a motorway, no experience of safe overtaking and no experience of other traffic at these speeds.
Motorway driving MUST be made part of the driving test and lane discipline MUST be part of the minimum training.

[vulcan42]

Yes, I agree better education is the first step. At the moment learners are being taught to pass the driving test not how to drive. They drive at less then thirty mph, usually on the same roads as the test is carried out on. The test and instruction should include night driving, skid pan driving and motorway driving. Drivers should also pass a test in a simulator before they even go on the road.

[Baldric]

Unless you have a German Car stay out of the Right-hand Lane... . . .

[mccfluff]

i think the test needs an overhaul. you should have to have taken a certain amount of lessons, before you can sit your test & motorway lessons to be mandatory before you can use them

[Graham-W]

The UK is actually the 7th best in the world when judged on fatalities per 100,000 vehicles. Only Denmark, Iceland, Malta, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland have better figures than us. Although any fatalities are too many I don't think we do so badly.

[Baldric]

Graham, you list 7, that makes us 8th!

[craft1948]

I've been driving for 40 years and have never driven on a motorway, they scare the hell out of me......

[Baldric]

Craft, from a Drivers point of view, how do you know?

[boxtops]

I have driven on a motorway once, with a driving instructor when I was having refresher course before buying a car after several years not driving. I'll never do it again. I have to sit in the back when we go on journeys involving motorways.

[Graham-W]

Baldric. Sorry. Must practice my adding up.

[craft1948]

Baldric that's from a passenger's point of view, even just joining a motorway used to make me shiver..........

[boxtops]

I share your feeling, craft. It's the train for me, every chance I get.

[ummmm]

Really Craft?

I just find them really boring and sleep inducing.

Last time I was on a motorway there was a crash. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE. I'd just joined the motorway and some numpti moved from the middle land into the inside lane and crashed into the car in front of me. It's amazing what flashes through your head in a split second.

[craft1948]

No divebuddy but I did spend some time driving along one of the main roads between France and Spain..............on the wrong side of the road :-(

[Prudie]

I spend as much time as I can in the fast lane, I feel it's safer although now illegal. The distance is a very good point, I often recite 'only a fool breaks the 2 second rule' and make sure I comply.

[ummmm]

Bangkok is pretty scary. Especially when you're in a tuc tuc..