I find often the hardest part of driving on motorways is joining, especially when you don't know how good the slip road is, how busy the motorway is and whether people will leave you room, especially bad on a short slip road with a busy motorway....I expect we have all been there when getting on the motorway has been a struggle.
For example, coming onto Mancunion way which is sort of a fake motorway, the slip road is about 10metres long, it's more like a junction, they however don't tell you. Then if you don't get out of that lane within 100m you're off the road again....great! "Normal" motorways are usually better though! Always be prepared to lose speed or gain speed depending on what's in the slip road since either might be safest.
Indicating is very important, even if it just stops me getting annoyed, checking blind spots whilst changing lanes is key, especially in heavy traffic, the speed differences mean somebody could have crept up there without you really knowing.
Make sure the car is well looked after, correct tyre pressures, all levels good and plenty of petrol (illegal to go onto the motorway knowing you will break down sort of thing) and fuel prices are much higher on the motorway if you have never noticed.
I always stick to impose speed limits, i.e. through work areas, two reasons really, the limit is there usually for a reason and I wouldn't want to be working with cars zooping past at 100mph and they are often cameraed etc.
Sadly idiots doing 70mph still and you keeping to 40mph can be dangerous but sitting in the inside lane shouldn't cause too much trouble and you're in the right....
