[sabber]

Does anyone else agree that hogging lane 2 (middle lane) turns a 3-lane motorway, into a 2-lane motorway. If we're not allowed to undertake them, that means we can only use lanes 2 and 3, just because they cannot be bothered to move to lane 1 for some unknown reason. I really think some ruling should be brought out to stop this terrible driving habit which, and I repeat, turns a 3-lane motorway into a 2-lane motorway, wasting 33% of the available road.

[98selitb]

Yep I agree that this is an annoying and potentially dangerous habit. But I just either let them be and keep behind them (with me in lane 1) or just go to lane 3, overtake them, go back to lane 1 and continue my journey and my life without further ado.

[mills705]

I think i do this quite often in all honesty! lol.
In lane 1, I often find Lorry's and the such like ie slow moving cars. this means that often sitting in lane two is quite easy as im nearly always passing cars in lane one. And those travelling at 80mph go past me in lane 3.
I do move over to lane one if the traffic is quiet but I think lane two is ok as long as you are going past stuff.

[sabber]

I meant drivers who stay in lane 2 when there is no need to do so. Some drive in the middle of the night in lane 2 or even lane 3, when there are no lories or cars around, or anything else for that matter. As for daytime, if more drivers used the three lanes, we will have less congestion on the motorways. Just look at how many cars are usually stuck in two lanes, with lane one empty for miles on end.

[Rolebama]

Sitting in the middle lane for no reason, sitting in the outside lane of a dual carriageway, or straddling the white line on a normal road. Ban them. They are a menace. Interestingly, I know a few TrafPol who will not book a driver for undertaking these characters, but will pull them over and report them for driving without due care and attention. We are not the only ones who get the hump with this form of stupidity.

[MrDanno]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

Sitting in the middle lane for no reason, sitting in the outside lane of a dual carriageway, or straddling the white line on a normal road. Ban them. They are a menace. Interestingly, I know a few TrafPol who will not book a driver for undertaking these characters, but will pull them over and report them for driving without due care and attention. We are not the only ones who get the hump with this form of stupidity.

If a person's understanding of driving does not help them realise the use of motorway lanes then I would not undertake them, They probably don't use their door mirrors for moving to the left either.

I was behind someone in the middle lane of the M23 the other day, nothing in lane 1 for miles and they were driving at 55mph in the middle lane!

[wagolynn]

I had a friend who was prone to this disease, his reason for doing this was; should he have a blowout he had more room to play with......
It is often difficult to get out of lane 1 into lane 2 because other drivers will not make room. A little more thought and observation is required or are they on auto pilot? I really think it is a product of selfish/inattentive driving.

[RoverV6]

I find the middle laner hoggers are basically bad drivers. If you move to the middle lane to overtake slower traffic in the inside lane and keep to 70 , there is always a bumper hugger that tries to get you to move back in even though you have not completed your overtaking. When you pull back to the inside lane the nonce then speeds up and intimidates another driver the same way. Why they never go into the outside lane and overtake above the speed limit in the first place, as some nonces do, is beyond me. They want to go faster but as they have bought the middle lane they stay dangerously on your back bumper then accelerate away when you have pulled back. Naughty nonces!

[mills705]

Originally Posted by RoverV6

I find the middle laner hoggers are basically bad drivers. If you move to the middle lane to overtake slower traffic in the inside lane and keep to 70 , there is always a bumper hugger that tries to get you to move back in even though you have not completed your overtaking. When you pull back to the inside lane the nonce then speeds up and intimidates another driver the same way. Why they never go into the outside lane and overtake above the speed limit in the first place, as some nonces do, is beyond me. They want to go faster but as they have bought the middle lane they stay dangerously on your back bumper then accelerate away when you have pulled back. Naughty nonces!

The above scenario annoys the heck out of me! I am one that has two speed readings- my sat nav and my speedo. I know my speedo at 30mph is actually reading 27. from these machines that tell you your speed. This is also shown on my sat nav. Therefore I sit at 75mph on my speedo which tallies in to 70mph on the sat nav. I find that this is still 'slow' to some drivers.
Coming back from alnwick a few months ago, There was a massive line of lorries/caravans. I was at the back of this and so after the single lane section I moved out and proceded to overtake. After several lorries I noticed a car with headlights on approaching at goodness knows what speed but put it this way it covered the distance to the lorries and more in a short space of time. The guy driving it was mad I was even overtaking lorries! He began to flash full beams at me and at one point I noticed him even pointing a finger at me. I noticed the badge - Bentley! He didnt seem to appreciate that the lorries were in convoy and there was no way I was able to get in between them. After the final lorry. I checked until I saw the lorry (by this time he was using his horn!) and moved across. He then sped off and was breaking in another 100m! People like him should be banned!

[98selitb]

Although middle laners, as seems agreed, are very annoying, to be honest I think the danger of it is not so big: we just have to overtake them and continue our journeys. I think there are many worse dangers on the roads such as drinking, mobile phones, failing to indicate etc. But I am not condoning middle lane driving and I do agree it is a nuisance.

[RoverV6]

I agree. Ignore them, all, inc bumper huggers.

[phils landy]

Just undertake the suckers!!! We have lives to live and journeys to make!!!!!


take care all!

phil

[wagolynn]

I have found a significant difference between sat nav and speedometer. But how accurate is the sat nav? The US military insist on having a built in timing error in the system but I am not sure how much difference it makes. Anyone know the answer?

[Rolebama]

Don't think there is a real answer. I put my max speed at 60, and sometimes it alerts at a little over 60, sometimes at just under 70 (speedo readings), I think it depends on how many signals you are receiving.

[smudger]

Yea! they can be a pain to get stuck behind, and its very tempting to "undertake" them, but if you get filmed by a police car doing that, they can book you for it:rolleyes:
In these modern days of road rage, its not advised to flash your lights at them either, besides, half of them don't even check their mirror to see what chaos they are causing;)
Cheers, Smudger.

[sabber]

This something I found on "***** Cars" on the subject. It puts the point more clearly, especially the "rolling roadbloc" comment.

Few things enrage careful motorists more than middle lane hogs (MLHs), those careless motorists who stay in the centre of a three-lane motorway, regardless of traffic.

The sensible motorist knows you keep to the inside lane unless overtaking. It is illegal to pass vehicles on the inside ('undertaking'). So, in effect, the MLH creates a rolling roadblock, using up two lanes and increasing congestion.

What can you do to avoid MLHs? Many MLHs aren't deliberately causing a nuisance. You're most likely to encounter MLHs after long tailbacks, when near-stationary traffic has been instructed to 'stay in lane' and drivers have got in a habit.

Legally you can't flash an MLH or honk your horn. To avoid them, wait for a clear road ahead. From the inside lane, move into the middle lane, behind the MHG, then overtake it and glide over two lanes to the inside lane. If they don't get the message, they are either careless, or ignorant. In either case, you'll be glad to be past them.

[Snowball]

I agree that these drivers who stay in the middle lane can be a pain, but I never pass then on the nearside. That is both illegal and dangerous; and in any case I respect my driving discipline too greatly to make such a manoeuvre.

But, you know, if you stop to consider all the deliberately stupid actions that are carried out by drivers who think they know how to use the roads, these middle lane road hogs pale into insignificance.

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by sabber

Legally you can't flash an MLH or honk your horn. To avoid them, wait for a clear road ahead. From the inside lane, move into the middle lane, behind the MHG, then overtake it and glide over two lanes to the inside lane. If they don't get the message, they are either careless, or ignorant. In either case, you'll be glad to be past them.[/I]

Is that correct? I could flash or blow the horn to advise them I am coming through; they usually do not use their mirrors anyway. I just get on with driving my vehicle; if I wish to travel faster I overtake if not, no problem.:)

[smudger]

Aye! It seems that they are quick enough to jump on drivers who drive too fast, yet at the same time allow others to "doddle" along in the middle lane, slowing down traffic, and even cause accidents, brought on by frustration:rolleyes:
Cheers, Smudger.

[davey_g]

There certainly seem to be plenty of paid up members of the middle lane owners' club around here!

Surely, another instance where more money spent on traffic police on patrol rather than revenue raising, sorry, safety, cameras would be beneficial; pull a few of them over and advise them of the error of their ways!

They just don't seem to realise what they do to the traffic flow capacity of the motorways - forcing more drivers than necessary into lanes further out and reducing the ability of traffic to pass. (I keep expecting the whole motorway network to start lasing - technical joke(!) - population inversion etc!)

[Snowball]

Thinking about driver behaviour, two things come to mind.
(1) Is it possible that some drivers who maintain the 70 limit are reluctant to drop back into the left-hand lane because others exceeding the limit will not let them out again when they approach the next lorry's rear end?
(2) If someone at the 70 limit is sticking in the middle lane, how can that cause a problem unless those behind are exceeding the limit?

Personally, I don't have a problem, because I am quite happy to drop my speed until it is safe to pull out again. But it seems that many are not this patient.

There's none so queer as folk; even drivers.

[davey_g]

Originally Posted by Snowball

(2) If someone at the 70 limit is sticking in the middle lane, how can that cause a problem unless those behind are exceeding the limit?

That assumes all speedometers show the same reading, which they don't. Someone's '70' in middle lane could be as low as 64 (allowing 10% error). And, let's not forget, one is only supposed to be out of Lane 1 for overtaking, it's not a general 'cruising' lane.

Personally, I don't have a problem, because I am quite happy to drop my speed until it is safe to pull out again. But it seems that many are not this patient.

I agree about that being a sensible, patient approach, but this is what causes more congestion and less free flow on the motorways as more and more of the lanes end up being occupied by those who do not pull back in - the more lanes there are, the more they occupy...just look at the wider parts of the M25 (when the variable limits and their rules about staying in lane are not in force!).

[Xenomorph]

There are many reasons why someone may 'hog' the middle lane and I try never to presume their motives, as hard as that is sometimes.

The best thing to do with those people is simply to deal with them as you would any other car on the road. If that requires a change of speed or a change of lane, so be it.

Has anyone considered the tramlines in the left lane? Those are the ruts in the road surface caused (I presume) by LGVs. Now when it rains these ruts get filled with water and when you are in a car, whose wheel base in smaller than the LGV it makes it very hard to drive safely as your car is pulled on way then the other. On days like that I do not use the left lane unless absolutely necessary and I know when it is necessary by using my mirrors.

[Snowball]

That speedometers will vary a little, by a lesser degree on the newer cars, is a known fact that any decent driver will be aware of, and accept these variations as part of driving routine. What I find difficult to understand is the apparent preoccupation with driving at (or above) the maximum speed limit whenever possible, and expecting other drivers to maintain the same maximum permissible speeds to avoid the mad-rush drivers from being inconvenienced.

The 60 mph speed limit on rural roads is currently under review for possible reduction to 50 mph. If drivers don't come to their senses, I can imagine all motorways being reduced to 60 mph maximum limit. In the past, a lot of argument has arisen concerning the length of time lorry drivers have held the centre lane whilst trying to pass another lorry when their maximum speeds have been very similar. And this has resulted in accusations that these lorries then hold up the faster traffic; sometimes being named as an accident cause. Government legislators may not be a world away from seeing a 60 mph motorway limit as being beneficial to road safety.

It is also quite obvious that far too many drivers are exceeding the 70 mph limit by figures that have nothing to do with speedometer discrepancies, but everything to do with bad driving discipline.

I have reservations about the claim that slower drivers cause congestion, on the basis of "what happens when everybody reaches the end of a motorway at the same time?"

Regarding the "tram lines" in the left-hand lane of motorways, whilst I have noticed them I have not found that my vehicle's steering is affected by them. Perhaps I am just fortunate, yet I would be concerned about the set up of the steering geometry if I did notice any effects. Most roads have some surface irregularities to some degree, but this doesn't cause vehicles to veer from the chosen path. Why should these minor ruts in a motorway behave differently?

[Rolebama]

Snowball, the ruts in lane 1 over J20 M25 were big enough to see on aerial photographs. (Google or Live). My Fiesta would 'self-steer' along this stretch.

[Rolebama]

Over the years, I had occasion to drive a number of Police vehicles for a variety of reasons. One thing I did notice was that when seen, the middle laners always moved over. Sometimes it would be when I was passing them, sometimes when I had passed them, but the majority would move on approach.
If they are incapable of following such a simple instruction as 'Drive On The Left', then they have no business holding a Driving License, or driving a vehicle on the roads.

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by Rolebama

If they are incapable of following such a simple instruction as 'Drive On The Left', then they have no business holding a Driving License, or driving a vehicle on the roads.

I bet if you could have asked them they would tell you they were ‘safe’ drivers because they were under the speed limit!

[wagolynn]

Originally Posted by Snowball

Regarding the "tram lines" in the left-hand lane of motorways, whilst I have noticed them I have not found that my vehicle's steering is affected by them. Perhaps I am just fortunate, yet I would be concerned about the set up of the steering geometry if I did notice any effects. Most roads have some surface irregularities to some degree, but this doesn't cause vehicles to veer from the chosen path. Why should these minor ruts in a motorway behave differently?

I think what was troubling xenomorph was the situation where you have to run with one wheel in a grove and one out, the wheel in the grove will tend to climb out. In rain apart from wasting fuel in the grove you will be aquaplaning at low speed.

I do notice a marked difference between driving to get there (E.g. commercial driving) and driving for pleasure (if that is possible) in the former one tends to ‘push on’ making up for lost time and for the next delay, in the latter one has the time to sit and wait. What is noticeable is, it is hard to stay fully alert in the sit and wait mode.

Remembering my days of squirting around tracks, ones senses become fully turned on, even to the point of smelling the fresh earth and broken grass where someone had just gone off, hearing birds, and spotting a worm in the freshly turned earth. OK it was an open topped car, speed 70 to 80 on that bend, car balanced on the throttle.

[sabber]

The problems with over-weight lorries driving on the roads is another story, the same as the lack of attention given to cars driving without headlight-correction stickers (used for left-hand drive cars) when they come from the continent. The problem with the middle laners is that "They turn a three lane motorway into a two-lane one". That causes havoc and tailbacks. I wish RAC would commission a hekicopter and film stretches of the motorways showing the effect of such drivers causing tailbacks while leaving lane one empty for miles and miles.

[misterp]

Middle lane hoggers are breaking the law, often driving without due care and attention and generally unaware of what is going on around them. If you think this is not the case, why do they not pull over to the inside lane once they have finished overtaking (as it says in the highway code).

I think people should drive in Germany on the Autobahns - here they will quickly learn about lane discipline or be rammed off the road.

I am very surprised more is not done about inconsiderate middle lane users. Why not use the matrix signs to remind these idiots that they are required to pull over once they have overtaken?