Fear of the motorway: making the first slip road work

Why motorways feel frightening

High speed, the feeling of little reaction time, lots of lorries. Objectively, fewer accidents happen per kilometre on motorways than in town. But feelings follow experience, not statistics.

The joining sequence

1. Accelerate properly on the slip road. Do not brake.
2. Look for a gap using mirror and shoulder check while you accelerate.
3. Match the speed of the traffic already on the carriageway.
4. Move across, indicator off, build your gap.

The most common mistake is accelerating too gently. Joining at 60 makes it harder, not safer.

How we build it up

We start outside rush hour, drive one junction, leave the motorway and turn back. After three or four repeats the sequence feels familiar. Then come lane changes and lorries, then rain and darkness.

What you can do at home

Look at the route on a map beforehand. Knowing which exit is coming makes the drive calmer.

Next step

Tell me which slip road gives you the most trouble. That is where we start.