This was posted on social media with a caption about how the Alfa Romeo made a terrible judgment to rejoin the motorway from the Hard Shoulder just after the M1 Saintfield Road (Belfast bound) on-slip.

Quite a few comments criticised the driver for not moving over sooner, with the driver responding to say they would have, had a vehicle not been approaching to overtake.

Fortunately when they swerved the other vehicle driver had spotted what was about to unfold and gave them that escape route.

The alarming part is there have been a number of comments about moving over because "you're supposed to move over to allow vehicles to merge on to the motorway" and one in particular is so adamant about it, implying to not do so is to be a hazard and danger to others on the road.

I get the courtesy, and am grateful for drivers who do show it, but acting like it's the done thing is definitely a danger when Rule 259 and 278 of the Highway Code say the merging driver is responsible for safely (re)joining the carriageway

So just in case the reminder is handy, or you've some friends/loved ones to pass this on to:

Rule 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.

Rule 278

To rejoin the carriageway after a breakdown from:

a hard shoulder:

•build up speed,
•indicate
•and watch for a safe gap in the traffic.

Be aware that vehicles, obstructions or debris may be present on the hard shoulder





by spectacle-ar_failure

22 comments

  1. Common fucking sense says you move to the outside lane when passing ANYTHING in the hard shoulder

    The graveyard is full of people who were “technically” correct

  3. Driver/owner of the Dashcam is 100% in the wrong here.

  4. Had someone move to the inside  from the outside lane that was free  just as I was merging once. It was so perfectly shit you’d swear he tried to create a collision

    He was technically correct as well but just dont be an asshole and move over 

  5. Not everything has to be one person is right and one person is wrong.

    Hard shoulder driver should not have pulled out into incoming traffic in such a way that it required them to make an evasive manoeuvre. They needed to get up to speed first.

    Equally, dash cam driver makes zero attempt to anticipate the hazard, then swerves into the outside lane rather than applying the brakes.

    Both are wrong.

  6. This needs reinforcing. People just drive out and hope for the best.

  8. What sort of knob doesn’t move over when someone’s trying to get out and they’ve got a free lane to the right?

  9. Its still a massive lottery on the M50 and M7.
    That and the assholes doing 100kph in the middle lane that the garda ignore

  10. Whilst you are correct, it’s common fucking courtesy to move over and let the car merge.

  11. High speed and the left lane where traffic is merging from are a bad combination

  12. Honestly the driving ability in this country is fucking woeful.

  14. Why didn’t you simply move over and let everyone involved drive smoothly and naturally and most importantly safely?

  15. Or you could anticipate the hazard and move into the right hand lane before it becomes an issue

  16. Why is he cutting across the chevrons instead of following the road and joining the motorway naturally?

  18. How about breaking a little letting the over taking car pass and then move to the right?

    Driving isn’t hard. Everyone is always looking for something to get mad about though

  19. You give way at a junction, not on a motorway. They should adjust their speed and join whilst moving. Problem is people joining are so used to drivers moving lanes to let them join. If the joiners knew what to do then no one would have to change lanes or adjust their speed.

  20. Except on the A4 where people just *fucking act like* there’s a great big slip road and keep going! If I can move over, I will. If I need to slow down, I will. But Jesus Christ I am not Houdini!

  21. A good driver realises the potential hazard at play and moves over to the empty lane to allow for this to not potentially cause an accident. It’s literally a massive part of the theory test.

  22. “Fortunately when they swerved the other vehicle driver had spotted what was about to unfold and gave them that escape route.”

    yeah cuz the guy with the dashcam has the foresight of a drunk toddler. like wtf kind of driving was that?? you can quote all the rules you want, you are also meant to be on the lookout for potential situations and attempt to mitigate them. you just didnt.

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