Middle lane hogs and tailgaiting

Blatent populist policy bollocks, I eagerly await the Daily Mash response.

I can’t wait until the police start enforcing all the traffic laws against everyone else, who is a terrible driver, unlike me.

As said before – unenforcable.

They can’t do mobile phones.

The use of mobile phones while driving has dropped noticeably and significantly. Of course the police can’t be everywhere and see everything, but the law has had a clear impact.

The use of mobile phones while driving has dropped noticeably and significantly.

I think it did, for a while, but these days I see plenty of people using smartphones while driving to check email/facebook, send texts, get directions etc

But that usage means they don’t hold their phones up to their ears, so it is much harder to detect and enforce.

Seatbelts

Cops are nowhere to be seen on the motorways in this country. Coming from Australia I was surprised by the lack of enforcement. Police seem not to care about policing over here. Nice, as you get to sit 5 mph over the limit without fear of losing £100s, not so nice when the roads are infested with useless and inconsiderate drivers

What is too close and at what speed?

Under 2 seconds (1 banana, 2 banana) at any speed, as per the Highway Code you’ll read if you ever decide to try for a driving license.

Edit: And if you spend some time looking at what other drivers do, you’ll see figures of a 1/10th of this not uncommon at speed. To my untrained eye, 2 seconds at 60-70mph must be like 8 car lengths.

The police can’t catch murders, rapist, locate missing children, why on earth does anyone think they stand any chance with this latest headline grabbing announcement.

Unless of course it is going to be their main effort! Maybe if they electronically tagged people with number plates/gps locaters then crimes against real people would become easier

There are three reasons people drive in the wrong lane of the motorway.

Ignorance / Laziness / Selfishness

If this announcement informs the ignorant people and give the lazy people an incentive to to move over it will be a start

Cops are nowhere to be seen on the motorways in this country. Coming from Australia I was surprised by the lack of enforcement. Police seem not to care about policing over here. Nice, as you get to sit 5 mph over the limit without fear of losing £100s, not so nice when the roads are infested with useless and inconsiderate drivers

Which bit of Australia?????

Australians seem to exhibit the worst driving ‘skills’ I’ve ever seen. Totally inattentive, incapable of reading the road, zero lane discipline, no concept of how to drive in rain (never mind fog or frost), or around corners. Starting at some point within the first five minutes after the lights change to green also appears to be an issue, and roundabouts seem to be a complete mystery. Very blasé about drink driving, and the cops and pollies seem to think the only way to improve road safety is through punitive fines for being 2 km/h over the limit and ever decreasing speed limits, rather than actually teaching any of the halfwits how to drive.

I’m convinced if you fed half of London’s drivers speed, and the other half five pints you’d still see better driving skills compared to your average day in Australia.

To my untrained eye, 2 seconds at 60-70mph must be like 8 car lengths.

It’s more like 12-14 car lengths (based on a car being 5m in length) at 60-70mph. If you measure that on a row of parallel parked cars its quite a long way (60-70m)!

It’s more like 12-14 car lengths (based on a car being 5m in length) at 60-70mph.

Wow. And I’ve seen cars driving under 1 car length at 60-70! Should be an instant ban requiring re-test IMO.

The use of mobile phones while driving has dropped noticeably and significantly. Of course the police can’t be everywhere and see everything, but the law has had a clear impact.

I’m afraid to disagree with you on that point, the amount of folks driving around here whilst using their mobile phone is quite frightening, I think alot of people have it as a comforter.

I understand that the Govt. are trying to make roads safer by introducing the new laws, but with the high profile cut-backs that are taking place it just seems like lip-service and it gives the BBC something to publicise.

I use the old public information film saying “Only a fool breaks the two second rule” and use an object on the side of the road as a reference point.

*shuffles off to find pipe & slippers 😳

It’s more like 12-14 car lengths (based on a car being 5m in length)

Yep, 2 seconds at 70mph is 62.59 metres

I think the general rule of thumb is leave roughly one car length for every 5mph.

IME no one does this. Ever.

Blatant populist policy bollocks, I eagerly await the Daily Mash response.

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/news/environment/middle-lane-voted-best-lane-2013060571028

Considering the volume & the speed at which traffic moves in this country, I dont think the standard of driving is as bad as its made out to be. You get the occasional buffoon but for the most part the motorways hussle along ok.

Quite how they will enforce this with current policing levels is beyond me. We drove back from Cornwall on Sunday & only saw one traffic plod car in 250 miles.

A great idea that’ll be as well enforced as mobile phones, seatbelts, window tints etc – the law makers get their spot in the limelight for all their do-gooding, there’ll be a couple of headlines about how much safer the roads will be and then everything will carry on as if it never happened.

I really do want this to work, but unless there are a heap more coppers put on the road and people see this is actively being enforced it won’t make a bit of difference.

Does that bit of the M1 still exist with the chevrons on it to indicate (2 of them) the distance that should be between cars?

Yeah. Makes me laugh, the chevrons appear and everyone brakes to spread out properly, and then as soon as they run out everyone bunches back up together again.

You get the occasional buffoon but for the most part the motorways hussle along ok.

The problem is that one buffoon can impact a lot of other people. I’ve sat in half mile long tailbacks because there’s some assclown doing 50mph in the outside lane of an otherwise fairly quiet motorway alongside two drag-racing lorries.

the law makers get their spot in the limelight for all their do-gooding, there’ll be a couple of headlines about how much safer the roads will be and then everything will carry on as if it never happened.

Exactly – government gets some (much needed) praise for “common sense” policies, and then gets to divert future criticism by pointing out that they introduced the new laws and it’s hardly their fault if those silly police can’t be bothered to enforce them (while they slash police budgets behind the scenes).

I use the old public information film saying “Only a fool breaks the two second rule” and use an object on the side of the road as a reference point.

Me too. Road markings, tree shadows. And I’m constantly doing it.

IME no one does this. Ever.

Well, that’s two of us that do.

Make that 3 please. 🙂

4 but I don’t actually do it consciously as really there is no need it’s not hard to judge.

five

The last time I was tailgated it was by an unmarked police car (without any lights flashing) apparently annoyed at me for having the audacity to pull out in front of him as he speeded in the outside lane (I was doing 70, he was doing considerably more). The space between him and me was plenty, he just carried on barreling along until he parked up on my boot.

After I pulled in he *then* flashed his blues in the rear window. Helpful.

Can I fine him?

Obviously when I said “No one” I was excluding members of the STW Perfect Drivers Club 😉

(I do try to observe the 2-second rule too BTW. And I stick nearish to the speed limit. But both these actions seem to result in a lot of aggressive tailgaters, especially on single lane roads. Which brings us neatly full circle 🙂 ).

I think a lot of people stay in the middle lane as the slow lane is full of lorries and more often than not the road surface in that lane is potholed, scarred and deformed. Also when the weather is bad there seems to be less chance of aquaplaning in the middle lane. Perhaps if “they” fixed the roads people would be more inclined to use proper lane discipline?

(Not me though I smash it down the fast lane in my German penis extension, get out of my way ye plebs!)

I seem to find that everyone who goes slower than me is an idiot.
And everyone who goes faster than me is a maniac.

from the grauniad

I think a lot of people stay in the middle lane as the slow lane is full of lorries

No one cares if cars are overtaking lorries, the problem is when the inside lane is completely devoid of any vehicles but the numpties are still trundling along in the middle lane, flushed with smug entitlement.

flushed with smug entitlement.

No, they are just not concentrating.

flushed with smug entitlement.

No, they are just not concentrating. morons

FTFY Molls

Classic Middle Laner arguments

It’s basic etiquette really. By shunning the highway code you are slowing faster moving traffic, reducing the motorway’s capacity and probably being dangerous to others. Use the inside lane when it is clear ahead, with these exceptions:

When overtaking slower moving vehicle(s), move back into the inside lane when it is safe to do so
To avoid being blocked in by a faster moving vehicle in an outer lane

Otherwise, use the left lane you cretinous urchins!

more often than not the road surface in that lane is potholed, scarred and deformed.

Either we’re driving on different roads or that’s an urban myth. I can’t say as I’ve ever noticed any great difference in the surface quality in different lanes, certainly not consistently anyway.

flushed with smug entitlement.

They were talking about this on the radio earlier, and I caught a sound bite from a woman saying “if I’m doing 70 in the middle lane, what’s the problem?” so for some people it is a self-righteousness issue rather than good old-fashioned ignorance.

4 but I don’t actually do it consciously as really there is no need it’s not hard to judge.

I actually find it very hard to judge, because is it entirely speed dependent, and speed and distances become harder or easier to judge depending upon the terrain and prevailing conditions. And of course the vast majority of people can’t count two seconds accurately (which is why ‘bananas’ are used by even highly educated military pilots).

flushed with smug entitlement

nah that’s the M4 on a Friday evening, and is the “fast” lane.

When I used to commute that route (M25-Bristol), the “fast” lane would exceed the critical mass of tailgating BMWs, so that the net traffic speed in that lane was slower than the middle lane. I could keep a steady 70 passing all the cars/truck doing 60 in the “slow” lane, but also undertaking all the reps in the “fast lane”. Dangerous though, since BMW rep-mobiles don’t have indicators.

edit: actually maybe CL is smug / FL is entitlement

which is why ‘bananas’ are used by even highly educated military pilots

I was always taught (in Scouts) to use “Mississippi”, as in “1 Mississippi, 2 Mississippi” etc

But to be fair, if I was landing a plane I’d probably use a watch 😀

the “fast” lane would exceed the critical mass of tailgating BMWs, so that the net traffic speed in that lane was slower than the middle lane. I could keep a steady 70 passing all the cars/truck doing 60 in the “slow” lane

I’ve had that on the M5 / M6 coming back from London. Third lane nose-to-tail doing about 60, second lane has a Nissan Micra on the horizon. I sat in the first lane, set cruise control to (an actual) 70mph and the number of cars I passed on the left whilst being two lanes away must’ve reached three figures.

and the number of cars I passed on the left whilst being two lanes away must’ve reached three figures.

There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about “undertaking”

Its not a specific driving offence.

If you speed while you are doing it then you are guilty of speeding. If you cut people up then you could be variously be charged with “driving without due care” or careless or dangerous driving.

Carrying on at the speed limit in the inside lane while ignoring muppets tailgaiting each other in lane 3 is definitely not an offence

number of cars I passed on the left whilst being two lanes away must’ve reached three figures.

But they’re in the “fast lane”.. so they must be going faster… 😀

It’s a bit like those motorists that complain about being repeatedly overtaken by the same cyclist, even though they are clearly in the “faster” vehicle. 😀

Whilst the French are perfectly civilised drivers (outside Paris) in their own country, this is largely because of the hair-trigger speed cameras. You get 5kmh leeway and then it’s a ticket and points no matter if the limit is 30 or 130. I put this to a colleague who denied it was anything to do with speeding fines but sadly the fact they drive like lunatics when over the border sort of disproves that.