[Closed] Pulled over for my actions after driver that pulled out on me from a slip road..

Sounds like they were bored - you were very patient with them I would have been an a**e and probably made it worse

Probably

Not read it all but if safe to do so then pull into the right hand lane, it's common courtesy. Is not like a T junction, it's a slip road.

Sounds like you cut the bloke up out of spite?

Thinking about it, if I didn't pull back in, I'd have been going 60-65mph in the right lane,wanting to get back in, when all I wanted to do was drive in the slow lane all the way home to save some fuel as I was in no rush to get anywhere. All that is far too much silliness with lane swapping etc for me. Left mirror checking and left shoulder checking to get back out of that fast lane? Not a chance I'm going to get into the swing of that crap.

I told them I want to stick to my ways and will continue for these reasons.

RE:pulling back in for spite - I pulled back in to the lane and told them that I honestly didn't know how close he was. I told them that I saw his lights and accelerated a bit as I noticed that he booted it just before putting full beam on me. For me to pass him as he was going approx 40mph, while I was going 60-65, and for me to be fully past him and starting to pull back in, with a bit of acceleration on my part having realized how close he now was, I still don't accept any blame even if we had touched because I never for one moment slowed down on him during all of that. I think he should have been talked to about common decency considering what I did in the first place. Maybe there was spite from his part?

Was speaking to a cop about it and he reckoned that if I was to get charged for whatever reason,they would have been told to get out of court and stop wasting police time as the guy altered my driving.

As far as I'm aware you'd fail a driving test for joining and then (potentially) undertaking like the other driver did.

Isn't the driver joining supposed to give way to traffic to their right on the road they're joining?

Once you'd decided to go right and let him come out, you don't have some kind of automatic right to move back in dangerously, even if the driver you let out is behaving like an arse and booting it.

I used to match their speed and box the buggers in behind the next slow moving vehicle, but that was when I was 20 and foolish. Now I just ease off and let them get on with it.

Sounds like you were both very foolish but you caused more of an issue by cutting back in instead of waiting for him to pass.

Stupid wee short one at Munlochy or N kessock by any chance?? Not so much a slip road as a half arsed dangerous attempt at one.

If I cast my mind back to my Pass Plus;

On joining a motorway you try and match the speed of the left hand lane and display your right indicator, if possible/ necessary other road users will make room for you.

Stopping at the end of the slip road is dangerous, you've got a 0-60+ sprint to pull out as traffic bears down on you. In 6 seconds the a car travelling at 60mph will have travelled over 500 feet.

Also when overtaking the vechicle you have just passed should be fully viewable in your rear view mirror when you back into the left lane.

Surfmatt would know.

As far as I'm aware you'd fail a driving test for joining and then (potentially) undertaking like the other driver did.

Good point. Only I am pretty sure I never indicated back in. Not sure how important or against the law that is in this instance.

martinhutch +1.

This seems to be happening more and more. On my commute there are many occasions when people come down slip roads and seem to make no effort to match the speed of the carriageway and find a gap to merge into.
If I move out, I can, but it is not always possible.

Some of them seem to wait until the very last minute before looking in the mirror and then either panic brake or just keep coming out regardless.
Some drivers seem to be hell bent on joining the carriageway in front of you, even if there is a massive gap behind into which they can merge. They hoof it up the slip road and as long as they get a nose in front, seem to think it's fine to just drift out.
And as the OP mentions, you also get the morons who once you have moved out for them insist on trying to undertake you, rather than giving you space to move back into the inside and then overtaking you.

I did a Driver Awareness course in June (35 in a 30) and the instructor bloke said he has noticed this type of slip road etiquette seemed to be becoming the norm. He said it was his current pet hate.

Stopping at the end of the slip road is dangerous, you've got a 0-60+ sprint to pull out as traffic bears down on you. In 6 seconds the a car travelling at 60mph will have travelled over 500 feet.

Yes, I've just read this as well. It's a bit kamikaze for me to be honest and I see the thinking of the bike driving instructor. To follow that rule, and not take into consideration how much traffic could be in both lanes is just stupid. Maybe worth a try but as the person filtering in you would have to know 100% that it might be brakes on after that manic sprint. No questions.

At the end of any sliproad there are give way markings no?

When I went on my learn to drive slowly course recently it was pointed out that the right of way is yours if you are on the carriageway, if some interloper runs into the side of you or causes you to brake because they pull into a carriage way they are in the wrong as the lines are actually give way lines. They should stop or GIVE WAY to oncoming traffic

I Could be wrong but every one of us that answered "to move into the middle lane" and courteousley give way were slammed by the bod doing the "EDUCATING" ,the question was basically a situation which seemed impossible this applied to motorway slip roads also from the info supplied ,not one of us in the room thought to stop at the entry to the carriageway

It's a really nuisance and happening more and more*. It's clear what the double dotted lines mean, the copper should know that IMO.

* often Disco drivers with my neighbour driving.

flap_jack - Member

martinhutch +1.

+2. I normally let them pass then slot behind them ... can't be arsed to race them. Or if they are slow, after letting them join, I just drive ahead of them at a distance then slot in. No hurry. Just can't be arsed to get wind up by zombies.

Oh ya ... you have the right of way so [u]you are not wrong IMO[/u].

Sounds like you were both very foolish but you caused more of an issue by cutting back in instead of waiting for him to pass.

Like already said by someone above, I slow down and let him pass me, that's him undertaking me,isn't it?

Bedmaker, Yeah, the N.Kessock one. Impossible for 98% of the cars on the roads to get to 70mph in that short stretch.

I wonder if the pigs would have pulled the other guy over for undertaking if you hadn't moved back in?

They were in the wrong initially for just pulling out when you had right of way (regardless of what is common courtesy). Then you were in the wrong for apparently pulling back in and cutting them up. Either brake (people behind can deal with it themselves, they should be prepared for it) or let them take off up the inside and pull back in. It's tempting to teach them a lesson or get annoyed but no-one gains from it.

I tried to get his number but got a bit confused which vehicle it was. Urgh! To be fair, the police up here are always polite and never wind me up. It's always civilized and I think that's the way most highlanders see them.

I was shocked at the reactions and attitudes of the police down south on a police,camera,action type programme the other night. So nasty and provoking to the geezer.

Like already said by someone above, I slow down and let him pass me, that's him undertaking me,isn't it?

Maybe if you'd indicated your intention to pull back in he'd moved out. If they decided to undertake you when you stayed in that lane then maybe none of this would have happened, you were foolish cutting in front of him whatever he did.

What breadcrumb said.

OP don't dwell on being stopped, 100s of people every day get stopped just for a chat, by which I mean an actual chat, not one of those patronising "having a chat" chats 🙂 If you'd done anything too bad they'd have done you for it!

EDIT Unless they were Highland cops of course, who as everybody knows are by far the most reasonable, most intelligent and most handsome of all cops everywhere.

All this driving is one reason I am thinking of investing in a Roadhawk dash cam ... arrghhh ... zombie maggots about ... 😡

I normally let them pass then slot behind them

If there's no cars behind me in the lane I was in, I do this quite often. If I can see that they're booting it when I'm definitely going to be going slower than them seconds later, then I won't start increasing my speed by 10-20mph just to keep up with them. Tonight I had a cop behind me plus other traffic. I wasn't shoulder checking,checking mirrors and slotting in for nobody.

Bet it was a BMW or audi....

Bedmaker, Yeah, the N.Kessock one. Impossible for 98% of the cars on the roads to get to 70mph in that short stretch.

It's his job to join safely but you obviously didn't help him there

It's your job to move back in safely but he obviously didn't help you there

not great all round IMO

Driving is shit enough without the cops being clueless.
There's a roundabout near me with a 3 lane approach, 2 lanes are marked to turn left. When you're waiting to enter from the next entrance road, you can't tell if the middle lane cars are going straight on or left, unless they indicate. Its annoying because you have to wait and no-one indicates left - last time I was there a cop car approached, I waited ... he turned left without indicating just like all the other dicks.
[i]They then went on to explain that the way slip roads work, it's common decency to pull out to the right lane to let them filter in[/i]
Is wrong.Its common practice for drivers to keep in the right or middle lane miles from any junction just so they don't have to change lanes to do this. Doesn't make it right.

approaching a slip road on the inside lane, if it may seem necessary: slow down leave space for traffic to join and prepare to adjust speed or change lane.

approaching a slip road on the outside lane same.

glad everyone made it home

learn from it 🙂

I read this ten minutes ago then get a text from the crazy driver saying to read it lol, martins driving has always been good, even when he had a dead badger on the parcel shelf driving it around Inverness trying to sell it.

Ive not really got a good enough handle on what ur saying to judge your situation but there is far too much panicking around sliproads.

Two types, people accelerating to join not matching speed and finding a gap. Either expecting others to move over or then having to panic braking

Or from the other side if you are in the nearside lane doing 60 with a good gap someone joining from your left at a matched speed and then moving out into the middle lane shortly after does not even impact you! Don't panic to move out or slow down..

It's his job to join safely

Exactly. That's the jist of it. Junction rules. Rules for the U.K. Not India or Thailand! He should never just fire out because he doesn't know who's approaching the slip road. He might be pulling out on someone that's been up on holiday from the far south that's never even seen that slip road before. So if you pull out with that mindset, that's like saying you go into that slip road, knowing that some folk know how to anticipate the road layout,but others won't, because some know the area, others don't.. So you do it anyway. Crazy.

Can't comment on the pull in but Plod were wrong to tell you to let him in. Its a give way. the joining car has to give way, you have the right of way and if needed they must stop. No ifs or buts. Being nice and allowing them out is just a very nasty custom to help traffic run smoother and as such has become enshrined.
It is all these stupid little rule breakings that create accidents. Under no circumstances EVER
should rights and the law be subordinate to custom.

Selling a dead badger! Nah,I'm not a good driver. I speed and have my faults.

That's why I get pulled over :OD

if you drive around expecting other drivers to be perfect you may get a surprise one day

it does not matter who is right or wrong in the end.

Being nice and allowing them out is just a very nasty custom to help traffic run smoother and as such has become enshrined.
It is all these stupid little rule breakings that create accidents. Under no circumstances EVER
should rights and the law be subordinate to custom.

+100. All this altering of driving practices to fit in with the wrong is a joke. The police looked at each other and kind of smirked when I replied with 'No' when asked if I knew what I had done wrong.. after someone pulled out of a junction in front of me causing me to move over or slow down. Wishing that something did happen in some ways. Would have loved every moment of it.

If the motorway is quiet enough there is no reason not to move over to the right hand lane. This keeps the flow going.

It's not give way markings at the end of the slip road either.

Can't comment on the pull in but Plod were wrong to tell you to let him in. Its a give way.

I don't believe they would be wrong in saying you should let him in. They'd be wrong if they said you should let the other person in because they have right of way, but that's a different statement.
If you can move safely into the other lane to let traffic join, then that's what you should do. Not doing so is not upholding your right of way, it's demonstrating a lack of care and attention.

^ +1

if you drive around expecting other drivers to be perfect you may get a surprise one day

it does not matter who is right or wrong in the end.

True. It's just that when someone swings out onto a road and expects you to also swing out into the next lane,and the policeman behind you pulls you over because he feels that you weren't being courteous towards the driver at fault in the first place, it kind of gets your goat a bit.

I think someone mentioned it above but did the bizzies not explain that it's a slip road, not a T-junction?

Driving on motorways at high speed is not an activity to be carried on in one's own bubble. It requires anticipation, awareness and a willingness to give as well as take to avoid creating dangerous situations. If you're in the left hand lane you have to anticipate the speed of joining traffic and act accordingly. Sometimes this means braking, be it by engine braking or with your right foot (if the driver behinds starts gesticulating, then he or she is too close) to allow the other car to join safely...all this if moving out would create more danger to overtaking traffic in the middle/outside lane. If you're overtaking in the middle/outside lane as you approach a joining slip road, you should also be aware of joining traffic and what this may cause drivers in the left hand lane to do.

It's always tempting to teach the other guy a lesson, there are few of us I suppose that haven't at least been tempted. In this case the other guy might have been an arse but you're both only trying to get somewhere in one piece. You were significantly more delayed by your chat with the bizzies than you would have been had you simply slowed down and let him join in front of you.

When you join a motorway of slow moving traffic from a quiet slip road and end up passing cars in the left hand lane as you slow down to joining speed, you're not undertaking, you're filtering.

It's not a slip road. It's an acceleration lane. The onus is on joining traffic to integrate with the main carriageway traffic.

Quite why it's degenerated to the point where people think they can pull out regardless is anyone's guess.

The same breed of morons who hog lane 2 and have front fogs on when there isn't any fog. A lifetime ban for the aforementioned offences would ease congestion a bit 🙂

if you drive around expecting other drivers to be perfect you may get a surprise one day

it does not matter who is right or wrong in the end.

There does seem to be a lot of drivers who assume right of way pulling out of a motorway sliproad. I seem to remember learning something like if it all goes horribly wrong, carry on along the hard shoulder and match speed and find a gap in the traffic.

I also think policemen look very young, and their training is biased towards politically correct bolleaux rather than real world stuff.

If the motorway is quiet enough there is no reason not to move over to the right hand lane. This keeps the flow going.

Yes, it helps so much for so little effort. If tonight I pulled over into the other lane to allow him to enter the dual carriageway, and I don't want to go any faster, I would have now been one of the slowest moving vehicles and in the fast lane. The flow of my driving would have decreased as I dropped back to pull in behind around 6 cars that had been gaining on me for the past 5 or so miles which were all in the slow/inside lane with me. It's a new set of made up rules that is causing problems. If everyone knew not to push out like they do these days,and follow the way the highway code describes it, there would be a lot less of these problems.

Just so as we're all clear:

3. Joining the motorway (259)
259
Joining the motorway. When you join the motorway you will normally approach it from a road on the left (a slip road) or from an adjoining motorway. You should

give priority to traffic already on the motorway
check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely into the traffic flow in the left-hand lane
not cross solid white lines that separate lanes or use the hard shoulder
stay on the slip road if it continues as an extra lane on the motorway
remain in the left-hand lane long enough to adjust to the speed of traffic before considering overtaking.

Totally agree with you OP, I would have been fuming.

breadcrumb - Member

It's not give way markings at the end of the slip road either.

What's the dashed line mean then?

Just so we're all clear on this.

ensure you do not cut in on the vehicle you have overtaken

Yup two wrongs don't make a right.

Why is there a speed ad above? I was going about 60 in a 70. Not 70 in a 60 :o)

Drac

168

Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass.

Sounds like the OP has just admitted being a pretty poor driver, showing very little road awareness, anticipation, and consideration.

Drac

168

Being overtaken. If a driver is trying to overtake you, maintain a steady course and speed, slowing down if necessary to let the vehicle pass.

Back there <<<

I said both were in the wrong hence the 'two' wrongs.

They then went on to explain that the way slip roads work, it's common decency to pull out to the right lane to let them filter in

give priority to traffic already on the motorway
check the traffic on the motorway and match your speed to fit safely

This slip road is so short you would need a supercar to reack 70 by the end of it :O(

Drac, If I had just driven past the guy as he was going about 40-maybe 50 tops.. and I accelerate. Yet he still manages to be up my arse as I pull in. It's his doing. After all he did just pull out of a junction causing me to make a move to avoid him instead of braking on the cars behind me, I never slowed down, I sped up every so slightly before pulling back in. The cops said I was very close. Having sped up, I would say that HE got very close. Maybe if he was a bit more courteous of me pulling out after him pulling out on me in the first place you would think he would have at least eased off a bit. Then again, maybe he thought I was pulling in on him on purpose. I've been driving 20 odd years and always judged pulling back in well. This guy booted it, the lights were going up and down.. he got close. He was the arse. End of!

Slightly disingenuous there slowoldgit. Rule 168 not from the motorway section of the Highway Code. Overtaking on a motorway is covered in rules 267 to 269.

Sounds like the [s]OP has just admitted being[/s] driver of the car on the sliproad was a pretty poor driver, showing very little road awareness, anticipation, and consideration.

FTFY

Driving on motorways at high speed is not an activity to be carried on in one's own bubble. It requires anticipation, awareness and a willingness to give as well as take to avoid creating dangerous situations. If you're in the left hand lane you have to anticipate the speed of joining traffic and act accordingly. Sometimes this means braking, be it by engine braking or with your right foot (if the driver behinds starts gesticulating, then he or she is too close) to allow the other car to join safely...all this if moving out would create more danger to overtaking traffic in the middle/outside lane. If you're overtaking in the middle/outside lane as you approach a joining slip road, you should also be aware of joining traffic and what this may cause drivers in the left hand lane to do.

nicely put.

FTFY

and another one as bad as the OP.

Martin, not trying to speak on Drac's behalf but I don't think he's defending the other guy, just saying that you may have exacerbated the situation by pulling back in too soon. At least that's how I'm understanding it.

Had you mentioned the shortness of the slip-road previously? Sorry if you did, I missed it.

You were the one performing the manoeuvre so you're responsible for making sure it's safe to pull back in without cutting him off.

Martin, it wasn't directed at anyone in particular, but I saw it earlier today, thought it was worth sharing, and a thread about driving behaviour and road safety seemed to be as good a place as any.

The point goes beyond speeding, anyway.

OP and some others on here sound like they should be on a car forum complaining about the bl88dy cyclists who think they own the road...

All that is far too much silliness with lane swapping etc for me. Left mirror checking and left shoulder checking to get back out of that fast lane? Not a chance I'm going to get into the swing of that crap...... I pulled back in to the lane and told them that I honestly didn't know how close he was.....

Surely this is a troll? If not, you shouldn't be driving mate, looking over your shoulder and being aware of a car right behind you isn't really optional.

Oh, and about this:

Only I am pretty sure I never indicated back in.

So I get pulled over for pulling back into the lane I was already in

That's not how it works, you don't have "dibs" on a bit of tarmac because you were in that lane a moment ago.

In answer to your question

Do I then have to slow down and shoulder check to find a way back into the left lane which I was already in,

Yes, of course you do, certainly the looking part, slowing down if necessary (and again, the fact that you were previously in that lane is irrelevant)

now 2,3,5 cars back from where I was seconds before?

Grow up.

If I slowed down instead of the last minute common courtesy lane switch.. the cop would have been right up MY bumper. :O(

Was the Police van 'traffic'? I'd say they need to stick to their specialism.

If its a sliproad the other driver did not have right of way.

Courtesy? What like when idiots force their way onto a motorway thinking an indicator gives them overpowering rights?

What mattsccm and others said is spot on; there is now a presumption that the person on the slip road has Right of Way.

Yes, if it's clear / safe I'll let someone merge, but if I feel there's any question I'm not going to change lane OR speed so they'll have to wait for a few seconds, until they're more than welcome to give me the finger / flash me.

Around here people just barge their way in anyway and hope for the best 😐 Don't think any more about it martinxyz and chalk this one up to experience.

konabunny - Member

Get stuffed. They're not the "common courtesy" cops.

^^ this. BTW if it was a 'normal' police van they shouldn't really be pulling cars

BTW if it was a 'normal' police van they shouldn't really be pulling cars

Of course the can.

there is now a presumption that the person on the slip road has Right of Way.

When did this happen?

If you think about it logically, the actions of the other driver are rude, but did not result in anyone being in immediate danger. Your driving does seem to have done this, compounded by failing to indicate.

The road is full of selfish people. Irritating as it may be, it's normally safer overall to accommodate these tools.

Do I then have to slow down and shoulder check to find a way back into the left lane which I was already in

Yes! Of course you do!

1) It's not your lane, you have no right to it just because you were there. Road safety isn't about sticking to your guns, it's about not crashing.

2) You should always know how far away from other cars you are, regardless of what they are doing or if they are right or wrong.

3) As my driving instructor used to say, it won't make a difference whose right of way it was when you are lying in a hospital bed.

Now he was in the wrong, of course - you're supposed to give way as you join a DC/motorway, but see point 3.

I did a Driver Awareness course in June (35 in a 30) and the instructor bloke said he has noticed this type of slip road etiquette seemed to be becoming the norm.

Was anyone actually taught how to join motorways etc on their driving test? I don't think I was.

Yes, if it's clear / safe I'll let someone merge, but if I feel there's any question I'm not going to change lane OR speed so they'll have to wait for a few seconds, until they're more than welcome to give me the finger / flash me.

If I see traffic close to merging, I'll often have a look to see if I can get out of the way. I also frequently move into lane 2 just before junctions. My reasoning is that I probably have a better view of the road than the merging traffic. Seems to be less stressful 😉

I expect I wouldn't be going as fast as some of you. I'll probably stay in the nearside lane thanks, there's normally faster and denser traffic passing on my right. If they're on my left, whoevers joining can speed up or slow down. Then I'll react appropriately to help make a gap.

I am truly shocked there are actually experienced drivers on our roads with attitudes like OP! ......and not to mention, slightly worried.

Scary stuff!

And had you not pulled back in was this car going to undertake you..... Seems to me that the joining car had no idea what he was playing at......

Was speaking to a cop about it and he reckoned that if I was to get charged for whatever reason,they would have been told to get out of court and stop wasting police time as the guy altered my driving.

The most confusing thing of all was that they only way you thought you could avoid a collision / make space was by changing lanes - but 9/10 times I can do it by simply lifting off my right foot... ...too much of a rush.

The most likely way you will kill someone or get killed in the UK is on our roads. I'm quite comfortable with the police making that a focus for their intervention even if sometimes they make are arse of it, because I bet you think twice before rushing to cut back in next time.

The most confusing thing of all was that they only way you thought you could avoid a collision / make space was by changing lanes - but 9/10 times I can do it by simply lifting off my right foot... ...too much of a rush.

No rush at all,scroll back and read. I was going 60/65mph in front of a cop for approx 4 miles.

edlong - Member
All that is far too much silliness with lane swapping etc for me. Left mirror checking and left shoulder checking to get back out of that fast lane? Not a chance I'm going to get into the swing of that crap...... I pulled back in to the lane and told them that I honestly didn't know how close he was.....

Oh, and about this:

Only I am pretty sure I never indicated back in.

and this:
So I get pulled over for pulling back into the lane I was already in
That's not how it works, you don't have "dibs" on a bit of tarmac because you were in that lane a moment ago.

Read below on my take on his acceleration and my judgement. You might see it as me pulling in on a guy but I wouldn't do that. He sped up a bit heavier footed than needed. The police didn't reply or question this when I mentioned it along with his lights showing the obvious movement of his car under acceleration which, to me, seemed a bit abnormal. They saw it all.

In answer to your question

Do I then have to slow down and shoulder check to find a way back into the left lane which I was already in,
Yes, of course you do, certainly the looking part, slowing down if necessary (and again, the fact that you were previously in that lane is irrelevant)

now 2,3,5 cars back from where I was seconds before?
Grow up.

I passed the car, he was going about 40-50mph like I said. I glanced to the left and there was no car there.. then started to pull back in. As this was happening I see the lights tilting back and forth in my left mirror and once I'm in the lane, he's closing in the final distance to be right on my tail with the full beam. I felt the speed I had passed him and the judgement of the speed he was still going as I passed, all added up to be fine to move back over. With the movement of the lights and the speed at which he was on my tail there's no doubt he's booted it. Could he have not let me in without the aggro? No, because I obviously peeved him off by staying in my lane approaching the slip road for all the reasons I talked about. I told the police I honestly thought I judged it right considering the speed I passed him in the slip road and that I even accelerated up to about 65-70 by the time I was crossing back in as I knew from the lights that he was making it hard for me. Obviously not quick enough for the guy that booted it and had no respect for someone that bothered to pull out for him when he shouldn't have in the first place. It's the way the final sequence of our driving worked out. I know for sure I didn't pull in onto a car from the side. By the time I was in, he then started to reel me in the final bit and put full beam on. No need for that.

Come to think of it, the cops that had to brake after following the guy that booted it up to 65-70mph to pull in front of myself and the cop van behind.. why did the police not pull over into the 2nd lane? Why were they driving so close for this to become a problem for them? The distance they drove behind some other car after all this was done and dusted would have shocked you.

As for the other stuff, you (and Molgrips) picked it up in the wrong way.

What I meant by the questions of me pulling out and having to shoulder check/mirror check to get back, backing off and waiting until the other cars to my left have passed and going backwards on my journey, was me asking if I should really be pulling out into that lane and going through all those actions when I could just stay in the lane I'm travelling in (like I had planned to do,without going to all that bother to try and correct someone's mistake with some other kind of rules) Of course I'd have to do all of that if there's car after car to my left but what I meant was.. should I really be going out of my way and adding all that extra work to my journey because of someone pulling out on me at a slip road? I don't think anyone on here would choose the option of pulling out and waiting until all the other traffic that was already behind you flowed on by on the inside, only for you to rejoin at the back. The answer is for people to hold fire at slip roads, cars having right of way to stick to their guns and hold their lane if they feel they don't feel safe to 'be courteous' or can't let them flow in for other reasons. If you have been brain washed into thinking that it's a must to have to pull right into another lane because someone has just pulled out on you from a slip road, you've been doing what I had been doing myself for years. During the bike test/lessons, I was put in my place. It was described as a junction. I was asked what you should do at junctions.. and without being told,I knew exactly what he meant by it. This was about 4 years ago. Up until then I had a similar mindset to this guy by indicating, getting up to speed and half expecting others reactions to alter to flow with mine.It's a junction. Think about it next time you are in a slip road. Don't expect to be able to flow out every time. This is what happened at the junction before the one in question last year during the roadworks. A bus was put off the road because it had nowhere to go with all the traffic on both lanes. It was on the front page of the local paper. If the cars merging followed the highway code, it wouldn't have happened.

I think the last thing anyone want's is a driver stopped at the end of a slip road.
IME on a motorway you get seriously ample 'warning' of junctions ahead.
Junctions to me mean vehicles leaving and joining the motorway.
With a very short amount of time driving you'll get to know that some cars will join a bit slowly and some a bit quickly.
The cars joining are supposed to match the traffic on the motorway. however vehicles on the motorway might be a lorry doing 50, a driver keeping it at 70 or a speeding motorist.
With often miles and miles of warning it's easy to adjust your driving to cope with what might happen.
And what are we talking about here, passing a junction...a couple of seconds?

What's the dashed line mean then?

Double white dashed line is Give Way.

It's a single dashed white line where a slip road/ acceleration lane meets a m-way.

I do agree that drivers shouldn't force their way onto a motorway but drivers already on should help accommodate vehicles joining. It's far safer for everyone. Holding your ground because you were there first or you don't like changing lane is irresponsible.

As I've already said expecting joining traffic to come to a halt then accelerate up to m-way speeds is idiotic.

When I'm travelling on a motorway as I'm approaching a joining slip road I'll move to the right or alter my speed if I notice traffic wishing to join. This is what I was taught during my Pass Plus by my instructor (ex copper), its safer and keeps the m-way flowing more freely.