sedith Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Hahahaha....Actually no. Never caused an accident, and never had one!....You watch Murphy's law come to force on my way home tonight!...hahaha I've been driving 42yrs, drive 26k a year and the standard of driving on the motorway's of this country is appalling. The middle lane huggers, the majority of them women on the mobile phone; HGV drivers tailgating and Mini's have this propensity to undertake. I was caught speeding 2 years ago and chose to attend the speed awareness course. I was astounded how much I had forgot or never even knew in the first place. Everyone with a full UK driving license, regardless of being caught for speeding should be made to attend these every 10 years, it has certainly made me more aware and increased anticipation. There was an Class 1 HGV driver on my course who when asked how many car lengths you should leave between you and the vehicle in front, at 56mph, he replied 'one and a half' car lengths ... unbelievable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Resident Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 When approaching a junction I often move to the middle lane before the 'on' slip-road. Now I do this so there's a clear gap for anyone wishing to join the motorway, out of courtesy, but does this mean I'll be classed as a middle lane hogger, since technically I'm not overtaking anything? TBH I don't get the whole argument against middle laners. Surely it's safer to have a vehicle consistently in one lane rather than weaving in and out from Lane 1 to 2 and back again. With the amount of trucks on the M-way these days it's like a game of leap-frog most of the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geared Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'd only move over if I saw someone actually on the slip road, and only then if it was totally safe to do so. I'm sick of driving along overtaking someone only to find they swing out in front of me to let someone onto the motorway. If you're joining the motorway you should look for a gap and adjust your speed to get your car in there, not toddle down it at 60 and expect someone to move over - then floor it and move into the outside lane TBH I don't get the whole argument against middle laners. Surely it's safer to have a vehicle consistently in one lane rather than weaving in and out from Lane 1 to 2 and back again. With the amount of trucks on the M-way these days it's like a game of leap-frog most of the time. Well understand it or not, it's against the law and you will get points and a fine for sitting in the middle lane when you should be on the inside lane. There was an Class 1 HGV driver on my course who when asked how many car lengths you should leave between you and the vehicle in front, at 56mph, he replied 'one and a half' car lengths ... unbelievable! What does he think he's driving, a Ferrari?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Could they just use cameras to enforce these laws? How long a gap and speed = yes. Middle lane, any traffic on their left = yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anna Glypta Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I do around 7-800 motorway miles a week and it can be days between sightings of police...even the unmarked ones can be spotted once you're up close to them.. they are very thin on the ground But how do you know that you are spotting the unmarked police cars? That's rather like claiming there are no folks carrying knives because you think you are good at telling who has one hidden in their pocket. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anywebsite Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I've been driving 42yrs, drive 26k a year and the standard of driving on the motorway's of this country is appalling. The middle lane huggers, the majority of them women on the mobile phone; HGV drivers tailgating and Mini's have this propensity to undertake. I was caught speeding 2 years ago and chose to attend the speed awareness course. I was astounded how much I had forgot or never even knew in the first place. Everyone with a full UK driving license, regardless of being caught for speeding should be made to attend these every 10 years, it has certainly made me more aware and increased anticipation. There was an Class 1 HGV driver on my course who when asked how many car lengths you should leave between you and the vehicle in front, at 56mph, he replied 'one and a half' car lengths ... unbelievable! Never mind a course, I think it should be a full driving test every 10 years, with shorter gaps for over 60s & yearly for over 70s. ---------- Post added 05-06-2013 at 13:47 ---------- But how do you know that you are spotting the unmarked police cars? That's rather like claiming there are no folks carrying knives because you think you are good at telling who has one hidden in their pocket. They're usually in uniform. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
truman Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 But how do you know that you are spotting the unmarked police cars? That's rather like claiming there are no folks carrying knives because you think you are good at telling who has one hidden in their pocket. The occupants are usually in uniform and there are usually a load of cameras etc stuck in the windscreen... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geared Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Yep if you're looking for them then you can spot them, but you usually have to be right next to see the coppers. Simple elimination helps as well: S-reg Fiat Multipla - not a police car 10 year old green Corsa - not a police car 18 month old black Audi/BMW/Merc/Volco estate - Possibly police. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shand1 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I wouldn't class myself as a middle lane hogger. I do move over to lane 1 when it is clear for quite a distance. But as we all know, if you move back in to lane 1, it's not very long before you have to move in to lane 2 again due to all the slower lorries. Therefore most drivers tend to stick in lane 2 longer than they, perhaps should ! I'm not sure that prosecuting/ fining drivers for this would be a very good thing. Many accidents on motorways are caused by careless lane changes, this may have the effect of causing excessive lane changing & therefore increase the possibility of careless lane changes. I'm not sure why some people think that sticking to the middle lane is such a problem ? after all, there are 3, sometimes 4, or more lanes which are also there to be used . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H Damnation Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Most motorway cops have HID* headlights too. So do some cars but I have often found that HID headlights during the day a mile or so back, have turned out to be marked or unmarked police cars. (*Real HID headlights, not these cheap conversion kits you can get in Halfords) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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