Resident 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 . Exactly why I said I don't understand why all the animosity towards driving in the middle lane. If we all drove on the left, strictly as dictated currently then there would be 2 lanes free for overtaking. Now granted traffic moving at 70 would need to move out to lane 2 to overtake a truck doing 56 but since the traffic will be doing 70 whilst overtaking said truck there shouldn't be anything needing to overtake the person in lane 2 which Lane 3, for all intents and purposes, redundant I cannot see a reason why we cannot restructure the lane discipline rules so that: Trucks and speed-restricted traffic (vehicles towing caravans, trailers etc are limited to using Lane 1 Normal traffic not speed limited (upto 70mph, the NSL) use Lanes 2 for traveling the motorway, moving into Lane 3 to allow vehicles to progress from Lane 1 into Lane 2 safely and vice versa, using Lane 1 only for entry/exit of the M-way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xt500 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 . I guess thats your thoughts as a very average or below average driver rather than it being based on fact. It really isnt rocket science to keep to the left lane unless over taking is it?Reading some of the posts you can see why our roads are in such caos when people cant even do that. Retest them all i would!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 It really isnt rocket science to keep to the left lane unless over taking is it?Reading some of the posts you can see why our roads are in such caos when people cant even do that. It isnt that easy when your vehicle has a speed limiter. Many vehicles, not just large ones, now have these. Company vehicles that want to be more responsible and make speeding imposible, or just to save fuel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xt500 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Exactly why I said I don't understand why all the animosity towards driving in the middle lane. If we all drove on the left, strictly as dictated currently then there would be 2 lanes free for overtaking. Now granted traffic moving at 70 would need to move out to lane 2 to overtake a truck doing 56 but since the traffic will be doing 70 whilst overtaking said truck there shouldn't be anything needing to overtake the person in lane 2 which Lane 3, for all intents and purposes, redundant I cannot see a reason why we cannot restructure the lane discipline rules so that: Trucks and speed-restricted traffic (vehicles towing caravans, trailers etc are limited to using Lane 1 Normal traffic not speed limited (upto 70mph, the NSL) use Lanes 2 for traveling the motorway, moving into Lane 3 to allow vehicles to progress from Lane 1 into Lane 2 safely and vice versa, using Lane 1 only for entry/exit of the M-way. The anomosity comes not just from ignorent idiots who know which lane they should be in but either are too arrogent or incapable of being aware of whats around them and moving when they should but they dont.Instead they activily block the roads up believing they have the right to stop others making reasonable unhindered progress and they usually have the most shocking of attitudes which often turns to very dangerous manouverers to make sure others dont get past and its that which causes many accidents. ---------- Post added 05-06-2013 at 18:13 ---------- It isnt that easy when your vehicle has a speed limiter. Many vehicles, not just large ones, now have these. Company vehicles that want to be more responsible and make speeding imposible, or just to save fuel. i drive limited vehicles every day and i dont have any problems.I think some people will blame anything but thier own incompetence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DT Ralge Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Just being devils advocate: Getting back to the 'lane hoggers'....What exactly constitutes a lane hogger?....How many miles would you have to travel in the middle lane? Yes I think we've all been 'stuck' behind 2 lorries, one trying to overtake the other, when they're both limited to 56mph, which goes on for mile after mile. That's pretty clear cut. I have to admit, sometimes I 'sit' in the middle lane. Simply because I'm travelling faster than traffic on the inner lane. But I'm also mindful of anything behind me, in which case I move over so as not to cause a backup of traffic. Then of course there's the problem of getting 'stuck' in the slow lane, once you move over. If the motorway is busy, it can sometimes take forever to get back out again! Some people do insist on driving in the 'slow' lane on a motorway at 40mph!! I once travelled the entire length of the M5 from Exeter to Birmingham in the middle lane. It's was a Christmas morning, and there was virtually nothing on the road. Does that constitute lane hogging? Ok, that's an extreme example, but it illustrates a point! Middle lane hogging (MLH'g) is only that, in my book, if the driver has no knowledge of or ignores what's behind/around him. Having said that, a driver is entitled to take the view that he/she's better off staying in lane 2 to deal with those entering a slip-road a little further on, for instance, or staying in lane 3 in anticipation of a vehicle ahead moving from lane 1 to lane 2. That those drivers behind may think of this is lane-hogging is an open expression of their inability to read the road or of their wanton, selfish get-out-of-my-way bullheadedness. The same driver in this same situation should not however get in the way of the extremes of bullheadedness and should move back in to avoid a worse situation developing. So each situation is best dealt with on its own merits and there can be no absolute right and wrong. MLH'g is not in itself illegal - the HC only says "should" so there's no law attached (RULE 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.) Those falling foul of this crackdown will face a charge/FPN of driving without due care and attention/consideration. Thing is, it'd be good to see a PC on patrol occasionally - I've been out all day today and I cant recall seeing a single patrol car, so Lord knows who they'll find to issue the FPN's. In any case, I can't imagine there'll be many ticketed for this. I come across only a handful of MLH's who make themselves very conspicuous by the fact that all around are confused to hell about how they can and should be passed. The teachers/finger-wagging policemen amongst us will also helpfully mark them out from the crowd by the swerve out to pass and swerve back in manoeuvre. Tailgating? Well, that's a different story. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnailyBoy 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 . What do you class a quite a distance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Cid Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 i drive limited vehicles every day and i dont have any problems.I think some people will blame anything but thier own incompetence. I dont have a problem either. Most of the time when I drive, there is always another lane to my right(or two), and they are only ollowed to drive 5 mph faster. So how can they have a problem? Its not that often that I need the middle lane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkey104 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 The problem seems to arrive at busy times, most of the day really. If you observe the motorway, see how empty the left lane is in relation to the middle and outer lane. Sometimes it looks like only the outer two lanes are used and the left lane for the odd HGV. If people really did drive on the left the motorways would seem less congested. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shand1 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I guess thats your thoughts as a very average or below average driver rather than it being based on fact. It really isnt rocket science to keep to the left lane unless over taking is it?Reading some of the posts you can see why our roads are in such caos when people cant even do that. Retest them all i would!! Why the personal attack ??? .... You don't know me ! I've said that i do move in to lane 1, when it is clear, but what is the point of weaving in & out of lanes 1 & 2 , creating danger, when there is no need to ? When the motorway is busy you often get trapped in lane 1. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
md00071 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I can't stand people who middle lane hog, trundle along with nothing in front ofn them on the left. But the motorways are getting busier, and most are three lanes moving at similar speeds in rush hour. Now, on the M25 in it's busiest sections, they have put up signs asking motorists to "maintain constant speed, stay in lane" or something like that. Isn't that the opposite of what today's announcement is demanding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.