The middle lane

Do you also start screaming at HGV’s when they slow down up hill?

I’m surprised that no-one has yet mentioned the middle lane hogging artics trying to overtake those in the slow lane while travelling at very nearly the exact same speed.

Or is that another can of worms? 😉

If a man is in the middle lane and there’s no one around to see him, is he still a nob?

If a man is in the middle lane and there’s no one around to see him, is he still a nob?

Yes.

I can only suggest you read some basic psychology. What do you think goes through the mind of the person you flash at?

Is it

a) oh, I’m going a bit slowly and really should pull into the inside lane

Or

b) why is that nob flashing me, the bullying ****t!

So what you’re saying is, the people in the middle lane are utterly clueless as to what they’re doing? You might well have a point.

Oh and slowing down when someone sits on your bumper or flashes you is a perfectly rational response given the speeds involved.

Straw man.

For tailgaters, sure. Slowing for a moment and then accelerating back up to speed is a reasonable technique for creating space. Doing it out of spite because someone dares to remind you that you’re not the only person on the road is a wholly different situation.

The problem with flashing is that it is usually done by people who are coming up to your bumper at about 100mph and stopping about 1mm from your rear end

I don’t know about ‘usually’, but again, there’s a difference between screaming up behind someone whilst flashing like mad, and a quick blip from a safe distance to alert the driver in front to the fact that there’s a perfectly safe first lane they could move into and stop holding up traffic.

If the third lane is nose-to-tail, the first lane is empty, and the second lane has bugger all other than a Micro doing 50, what’s the STW-approved technique of making progress here? Pass on the left, give a quick flash of the lights to wake up the lane two owner, or attempt to join the third lane chaos? Seems we’re damned as what we do.

Generally when that happens I’ll just sit in the first lane with cruise set to 70 and probably pass dozens of vehicles at a time. Amazing how many people seem to object to that, too.

Generally when that happens I’ll just sit in the first lane with cruise set to 70 and probably pass dozens of vehicles at a time. Amazing how many people seem to object to that, too.

I’ve got nothing against this. And undertaking isn’t illegal. Its just using available road space to improve traffic flow

undertaking isn’t illegal.

Correct.

Diving in and out of traffic like a loony carving everyone up is, but overtaking on the left is not.

You’re an accident waiting to happen

I hate this attitude.

It’s similar to telling your girlfriend that she made you give her a good kicking.

My sister sits in the middle lane and when I asked her why she replied it was because she put cruise control on and it was easier not to change lanes!!!!!!

I hate this attitude.

It’s similar to telling your girlfriend that she made you give her a good kicking.

No, it isn’t. I’m not blaming the victim, I’m suggesting that the ‘victim’ doesn’t go out of their way to deliberately antagonise people who are probably acting irrationally and aggressively to start with.

If you want analogies: take a pack of aggressive, Stella-fuelled lads late at night. Compare them a) singling me out, following me home and mugging me down a dark alley; and b) me wading up to them, knocking their drinks over and going “wow, track suits are really shit and your girl’s ugly as sin” and subsequently getting a kicking.

Cougar it was time you stop frothing and get on with it. Don’t be such a sore looser about trivial issues of middle lane. It will never change.

I bet you drive a BMW, don’t you Cougar? 😉

No, it isn’t. I’m not blaming the victim, I’m suggesting that the ‘victim’ doesn’t go out of their way to deliberately antagonise people who are probably acting irrationally and aggressively to start with.

If you want analogies: take a pack of aggressive, Stella-fuelled lads late at night. Compare them a) singling me out, following me home and mugging me down a dark alley; and b) me wading up to them, knocking their drinks over and going “wow, track suits are really shit and your girl’s ugly as sin” and subsequently getting a kicking.

I take your point. But it’s something I hear a lot. And in the context of driving, in my experience it’s usually aimed at the more sensible motorist, adhering to the speed limits and the laws. But I’l leave it there, because there’s a lot of stuff in this thread being taken out of context, which never ends in anything constructive.

I agree with the posts about observation. As an M6 mway commuter it is simply staggering what people dont see. Nothing surprises me anymore.

Emergency vehicles with lights and sirens ablaze are routinely held up i dont think for one second people are doing it deliberately its just that driving iis taking so much of their attention its all they can do to drive at a reasonable speed in a straight line, so thinking about what lane they might be in is well down on the list of priorities.

Its easy to think everyone else is concentrating 100% and knows all the rules of the road but the truth is that a lot of people are simply sitting behind the wheel and operating the controls.

The scary thing is you dont know which ones they are.

people do tend to go on auto pilot on mways– its a problem that is left to the individual, or to other people !

so long as they are wearing helmets in the middle lane all will be well with the world otherwise they will almost certainly die whilst swerving to avoid the free running dogs being exercised whilst their multi fuel chimney smoking owners rate the latest brickwork shacks built to house a sparkling orange five or three……

ps middle lane drivers best watch out as my plot has just been lost

Driving in the middle lane, if that’s where you feel comfortable is fine.

BUT pure driving sense (AND in fact, the DVLA and your driving test) says you should always check your rear view mirror frequently to be aware of your surroundings and other road users. If you see someone coming up faster behind you and there’s space on the left, move over!!

If you choose to then return to the middle lane even though the left is clear after this, fine, do so if you are not obstructing people behind you, no matter whether or not you agree with the speed they are doing – simples!!

Never happens though… Wish I could have one of those flash up signs in my windscreen to explain this polite concept!

Blimey Cougar, must’ve been nearly a week!

I’ll just sit in the first lane with cruise set to 70 and probably pass dozens of vehicles at a time

I’ve got nothing against this. And undertaking isn’t illegal. Its just using available road space to improve traffic flow

Probably not illegal but is not advised un less you’re actually in a lane “full” of cars:

Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right[/u]

see, that’s different to what the 2 quotes above are saying – you’re not keeping up with a lane of traffic, you’re catching up cars in your lane whilst undertaking. If you then choose to pull out at some point into the already full, probably too-close outer lanes, you’re in breach of

Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

BUT pure driving sense (AND in fact, the DVLA and your driving test) says you should always check your rear view mirror frequently

Surely it’s the the Driving Standards Agency, not the DVLA that says that.

Ha yes I meant DSA, Monday night after working late and all… Still applies even if it was bob my uncle though 🙂

Maybe this site should be part of the driving test, How Motorways Work

Ha, you found my age-old site! I saw it had popped up here on Google Analytics 😀

Maybe this site should be part of the driving test, How Motorways Work

Ha, you found my age-old site! I saw it had popped up here on Google Analytics 😀

Proper multi-lane driving discipline of using the nearside lane unless overtaking actually works….largely due to the number of inept drivers who sit in the middle lane at 65-70mph….its far less hassle to just cruise past in lane 1 at 70 and catch their glance as the penny drops….often they’ll pull over at that point….sometimes they’ll try and accelerate (good, now they’re finally keeping up with the flow), other times they remain oblivious….apart from moving out for the odd lorry i’d say lane 1 of the motorway is now the least congested and by far the easiset to sit in at a constant 70mph.