Centre Lane Hogging

[volvorocks]

What are peoples thoughts about drivers on a motorway who sit (or rather drive) in the middle lane for mile after mile when the inside lane is clear effectively turning it into a dual carriage way and thus contributing to bunching effectively leading to tailbacks.

[volvorocks]

PS Not sure how Ive managed to get this topic labelled S70

[jetronic63]

OMG - drives me mad. It seems this type of driver needs to be one lane from the outside as on the four lane sections of the M27 around me, they can be seen travelling in lane 3 with 2 clear lanes on their inside. Often there speed creeps up when you try and overtake them as well which is also really really annoying. I am working on the front mounted rocket launchers and I will have my revenge one day !

Until then it should be a fixed penalty for occupying the wrong lane IMO.

[kebab10]

You mean members of the Middle Lane Owners Club. Funnily enough came up to one this week on the M5 near Exeter and then another on the M4 near Chippenham. Wakners that is what they are wakners.

[tt82]

Originally Posted by jetronic63

OMG - drives me mad. It seems this type of driver needs to be one lane from the outside as on the four lane sections of the M27 around me, they can be seen travelling in lane 3 with 2 clear lanes on their inside. Often there speed creeps up when you try and overtake them as well which is also really really annoying. I am working on the front mounted rocket launchers and I will have my revenge one day !

Until then it should be a fixed penalty for occupying the wrong lane IMO.

Highway code

Lane discipline
264

You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past. Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking. You MUST NOT drive on the hard shoulder except in an emergency or if directed to do so by the police, HA traffic officers in uniform or by signs.

[Laws MT(E&W)R regs 5, 9 & 16(1)(a), MT(S)R regs 4, 8 & 14(1)(a), and RTA 1988, sects 35 & 186, as amended by TMA 2004 sect 6]

and penalty given should be

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Motoring/DriverLicensing/EndorsementsAndDisqualifications/DG_10022425

Careless driving

Offence codes CD10 to CD30 must stay on a driving licence for four years from date of offence.
Code Offence Penalty points
CD10 Driving without due care and attention 3-9
CD20 Driving without reasonable consideration for other road users 3-9
CD30 Driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users 3-9

or

Motorway offences

Offence code MW10 must stay on a driving licence for four years from date of offence.
Code Offence Penalty points
MW10 Contravention of special roads regulations (excluding speed limits) 3

[GMad]

These idiots are the bain of my life..
If I could have a pound for every one I see on my travels, there would be a Bentley parked outside my house rather than an S60

[RCSH]

Off the ferry at Dover, onto the M20, 2.25am on a sunday morning, not a soul in sight.... except for the to$$er in a BMW 3 series sitting in the middle lane.

Why is it I have just travelled over 1500miles on the continent, which only has for the majority 2 lanes, and they don't seem to have the affliction that the car will not return to the left after over taking. Could it be because we drive on the opposite side do you think?

jetronic, if you get the rocket launcher done, market it on e-bay, you'll make a fortune....



Rob

[christheancient]

The following is not meant to be sexist or digging at any archetypal driver...

One fairly quiet and pleasant summer Sunday evening, I was driving down the M4 from London to Bristol in a car emblazoned with the logos and livery of a very well-know driving school (not BSM... but the other one that uses a lot of yellow!). Being a good person (oh yeah) and not in any particular rush, I was driving properly within the speed limit and with correct lane discipline (Lane 1 was quiet - next to no HGVs in it).

From just after the M25, I spent quite a bit of time 'trading places' with a Peugeot 307 who insisted on staying in lane 2 all the way at a speed of c65 mph.

On more than one occasion, I overtook that car and, with quite emphatic signalling, returned to an empty lane 1. After a couple of miles or so, that Peugeot would overtake me - even though I was at about a constant speed and then gradually slow down to 65 again.

This went on until J18 for Bath... at which point the Peugeot pulled into lane 1 - for the first time since joining the motorway from the M25 - and left via the slip road.

The crunch...

It was a young blonde female! (but not particularly attractive, though)

Did she not think that, perhaps, a driving instructor may well know the proper procedures for motorway driving and try and adopt them?

[volvorocks]

Originally Posted by GMad

These idiots are the bain of my life..
If I could have a pound for every one I see on my travels, there would be a Bentley parked outside my house rather than an S60

In my case there would be 2 Bentleys...!!

[Mike 700]

Originally Posted by volvorocks

What are peoples thoughts about drivers on a motorway who sit (or rather drive) in the middle lane for mile after mile when the inside lane is clear effectively turning it into a dual carriage way and thus contributing to bunching effectively leading to tailbacks.

I agree that middle lane driving is wrong and inconsiderate, but I wonder how many people who have replied to this thread are actually middle lane hogs themselves, but can’t recognise it ?
Are they flashing and swearing and boiling their blood because ‘they are in the middle lane’ and some one else is there too, but going a little slower – say 70 mph ?, and they want to go faster than the car in front ?

So, they come up the middle lane in excess of the speed limit, flash the guy in front to get out of the way, and then tear up the middle lane themselves.

You must have seen them