Middle lane drivers – an observation

It frigging well is NOT safe, because people are not expecting you to do it! If MLHs are oblivious to the world around them then chances are they won't see you flying up their inside when they finally do decide to pull in.

Who said anything about flying? I'm talking about doing 70, not 140 and weaving through traffic, and am always watching for erratic behavour in other drivers.

DO NOT undertake, kids! It makes for bedlam on the roads. Drive on i294 around Chicago for an example of this!

I don't live in Chicago, so it's a moot point. It's a simple fix though, if people didn't hog the middle lane, I'd never undertake. I'd never have to, and I'd never be able to.

Slightly off topic but what is it with people who tailgate on single carraigeways. I see it all the time, like yesterday travelling back down from Fort William.

Why sit five feet from the car in front constantly on and off the brakes. Either overtake or sit back the proper distance so other traffic can overtake.

. I moved into the middle lane and blipped my headlights to alert them to my presence, and they changed into the third lane.

LOL

CharlieMungus – Member

No, I've never seen someone sit in the middle lane when there are no other cars around.

CharlieMungus – Member

So far you've recommended undertaking on the motorway and told us that you drive with a defective speedo. Please do excuse me if I don't take your advice on safe driving practice too seriously

10% over-read on a car speedo is fairly normal. Some makes are worse for it than others, a Nisaan Terrano I once owned needed to be showing just over 80mph on the speedo to do a real 70mph as measured by GPS.

Charlie, just wondering where you live when you say you've never seen "someone sit in the middle lane when there are no other cars around".
The motorway network in northwestern england (M62, M57, M6, M56, M60) must have your share then!

there would not be a uniform 10% under reporting in all speedos, would there?

Where did I suggest it was uniform? I said "about", some are more, some are less. They're built to a tolerance, unlike many road users.

Speedos have to be calibrated to show a higher than true speed when the car is new to make sure that they never show a lower than true speed as the car ages and part tolerances shift. They're more accurate than they used to be but still usually 5mph too high at 70mph on the original tyres when new and correctly inflated.

Different tyres at different pressures shift things quite a bit and worn and under-inflated tyres can result in your trusty keeping-to-just-under-70-middle-lane-sitter actually travelling in synchrony with the HGV in the slow lane that's hard against its 56mph limiter.

Just let your foot off the accelerator!

I had a guy tailgating me a couple of years ago. Coming to some traffic lights on red and I let the car roll to a halt, he went ballistic because I didn't use my brakes!! 😯 Wanka!

Underreading speedo here too. Mine is aboout 6 miles fast at 70.

Almost universal in my experience, hence why performance tests on cars never rely on the speedo alone

Charlie, just wondering where you live when you say you've never seen "someone sit in the middle lane when there are no other cars around".

Well, when I see them, there is usually at least one other car around

I'd hope that you see them from so far away that there is no justification for their road position. Or are your usual motorways unusually bendy?

Where did I suggest it was uniform? I said "about", some are more, some are less.

here

most consumer speedometers underread by about 10%

I said "most" and "about", is that ambiguous somehow?

My understanding is that the "you can pass in any lane" rule applies when lanes are congested and moving at similar speeds – perhaps within 5mph of each other – which makes sense because changing lanes in these circumstances is very tricky to plan and disrupts overall flow. So you go with the traffic in your lane regardless of passing on the left.

It's really about planning. I don't think changing lanes is normally dangerous if planned. I don't think lane hoggers are observing and planning. Who knows if they will pull back into the outside lane just as you are trying to pass!?

Has anyone ever seen anyone pulled over for hogging the middle lane?

middle lane hoggers are fat and they need the inside and outside lane space to generate air flow round their tubby mass to keep them cool – Fact!

They over-read anyway, not under-read.

Who knows if they will pull back into the outside lane just as you are trying to pass!?

Presumably you mean 'inside' here, but you're right, the same could be said of any overtaking manoeuvre.

They over-read anyway, not under-read.

Sorry, yes, typo. Should be clear from context what I meant though.

Underreading speedo here too. Same with every car we've had when compared to GPS or even on one of those "test your speedo" sections of road (not seen one of them in a while!).

So I'd have to agree with Cougar. Underreading is the norm.

Or "overread" …. errr.. "overreporting"?

Cougar – Member
I said "most" and "about", is that ambiguous somehow?

Not at all, it is the 'most' which implies the uniformity. The 'about' implies that it is uniform around the 10% mark.

It is when I've tried it – in four or five cars.

Interestingly in the US it's spot on. Which is another reason their cars appear to get crap MPG – they are actually driving faster.

Has anyone ever seen anyone pulled over for hogging the middle lane?

Yes.

Has anyone ever seen anyone pulled over for hogging the middle lane?

Not pulled, but the Guardia Civil told the driver to move lanes.

Clarification please:

Inside lane – on the inside of the road, nearest the barrier
Outside lane – on the outside of the road nearest the hard shoulder

Is that right?

No, I've never seen someone sit in the middle lane when there are no other cars around.

I have. I was driving up the M6 once in a Merc Sprinter and in front of me was the usual myopic pillock in a Rover doing about 55mph. Nothing in sight in the inside lane at all. I was gaining on him, still no reaction so, being a typical white van man, I flashed my lights and eventually he got the message, pulled in and gesticulated angrily for me to come past. As soon as I had passed, he pulled out into the middle lane again! WTF?!

that's right, but the hard shoulder on the other side

No – hard shoulder, inside lane, middle lane, outside lane, barrier.

I was driving a white van up the M6 once and in front of me was the usual myopic pillock in a Rover doing about 55mph. Nothing in sight in the inside lane at all. I was gaining on him, still no reaction so, being a typical white van man, I flashed my lights and eventually he got the message, pulled in and gesticulated angrily for me to come past. As soon as I had passed, he pulled out into the middle lane again! WTF?!

why all the flashing and so on? Why not just ease into the overtaking lane early, pass him, them smoothly back into the inside lane where you started

No – hard shoulder, inside lane, middle lane, outside lane, barrier.

You sure? So the inside lane is on the outside, and the outside lane is on the inside?

As soon as I had passed, he pulled out into the middle lane again! WTF?!

😆
I've seen it more times than I remember. Sometimes rather than overtake or undertake I'll just sit behind the middle lane driver (not tailgating but close enough, you understand) Most move over reasonably quickly but I would say half move back to the middle lane once I've passed!

I've seen it more times than I remember. Sometimes rather than overtake or undertake I'll just sit behind the middle lane driver (not tailgating but close enough, you understand) Most move over reasonably quickly but I would say half move back to the middle lane once I've passed!

But then you would have to move into their lane to do this? Why bother?

RealMan – Member

No – hard shoulder, inside lane, middle lane, outside lane, barrier.

You sure? So the inside lane is on the outside, and the outside lane is on the inside?

You need to forget about the other side of the motorway and then that makes sense.

Has anyone ever seen anyone pulled over for hogging the middle lane?

Yes.

In this country? How long had they been lingering there?

As your speedo takes it's info from the final drive it is all done on the tyre circumference and as a trey wears this changes but quite some size. Think about it the difference in tread hight from new to worn of 8 mm per side plus most. Cars have 2 pressure settings depending on the cars usage or if it's fully loaded.
I have seen plenty of people pull on the m27 an go straight in to the middle lane even though the only other car is me and I'm going faster than them.

It was on the way to a two week trip in France, so it was hardly the high light of the trip, but I'm pretty sure it was England.

And I'm not quite sure, I was just a passenger, I don't drive myself. They did have 2 other cars sitting right behind them, as we were going past on the outside lane, so I reckon they deserved it.

I regularly see text book middle lane driving on the M8 heading through Glasgow, the Scots really don’t understand motorway driving. Some of them have stepped it up a level to outside lane hogging! Impressive stuff.

Not at all, it is the 'most' which implies the uniformity. The 'about' implies that it is uniform around the 10% mark.

The implication here is your error, not mine.

why all the flashing and so on?

To alert other drivers to your presence, as per the highway code.

Thank you for your testimoney mr realman! you may step down

Never seen it myself. Then again I can't remember the last time I saw a motorway cop pull anyone over for anything.

Unless they invent a middle-lane-moron-cam I doubt it will ever improve.

I regularly see text book middle lane driving on the M8 heading through Glasgow, the Scots really don’t understand motorway driving. Some of them have stepped it up a level to outside lane hogging! Impressive stuff.

Yeah the M8 is shocking. Its not helped by the crazy layout though, with exits on the outside lane in two places

Cougar – Member
Not at all, it is the 'most' which implies the uniformity. The 'about' implies that it is uniform around the 10% mark.
The implication here is your error, not mine.

Not mine, that of the English language.