The middle lane

Ok, when you walk on the street do you happen to elbow just any pedestrian because they happen to walk along just that tad slower than you?

I guess some dont realise consequences of their supposed awesome fast driving with all swearing and tooting along

Hardly the same thing though, is it. When driving I pass slower traffic, when walking I pass slower pedestrians. I don’t elbow people out of the way any more than I smash other cars off the road. I might say ‘excuse me’ occasionally though.

Also, you’ll be sure to point me to the rules of the pavement dictating overtaking rules, yes?

I take it you saw in the news recently that £90 fines & 3 penalty points are being introduced for middle lane hoggers?

CaptainFlashheart – Member
Guess they don’t know how to overtake though.
I suspect they do. I also suspect that they keep left unless overtaking as well, and pull back in to the inside lane.

POSTED 33 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

No doubt they do it to annoy you, funny thing is it works, lols.

I’m still trying to work out why the OP isn’t having a pop at the nasty drivers in the overtaking lane who clearly were not allowing him to overtake. Bullies! 😕

There is a middle lane?! shite, i need to pay more attention.

Our motorways would work far more efficiently if people knew how to use lanes properly.

And people who overtake then SLOW DOWN or can’t maintain a steady speed. I don’t care if it’s 50 just be consistent!

If you don’t like someone doing 70 in the middle lane, try overtaking in the outside lane maybe?

I generally use the lane farthest left as is suitable, but not if this means passing something, pulling left, then 2 seconds later having to pull out again – its all about common sense.

As much as middle lane hoggers (when lane 1 is empty) – oh and btw, sod all this overtaking lane nonsense, its lanes 1, 2 & 3 – the ‘I must make a point of being over to the left’ drivers are far more dangerous. They seem so eager to make a point, that they clear your front bumper by a few inches before violently swerving across and then have to pull straight back out again – effectively constantly swerving between lanes 1 & 3.

Oh and setting cruise control at 75 really opens your eyes as to how erratically some folk drive. They insist on coming past at 80, pull in and sit at 70. Frustrating, as you are holding a sensible and steady speed, but somehow feel like a prick for going past them again.

I have so much to say on this subject that I’d rather transmit it into the brains of everyone in the UK, than type it here. Once I’ve completed my brain-transmit-machine I’ll be back. But in the meantime…

And people who overtake then SLOW DOWN or can’t maintain a steady speed.

OI! No! I’m on cruise control. I’ve been closing in (in a non-predatory fashion) for the last half mile. Eventually, I pull out into the right hand lane and ever-so-slowly I overtake. Except suddenly, I’m not overtaking. Because YOU’VE BLIMMIN’ speeded up again haven’t you? You just don’t like being overtaken!

The root of the problem is that some of us like to drive at the speed limit; some of us like to do the speed limit + 10%; some of us want to get to the next hotel condiment association’s convention at 90 and some of us are 110 years old and want to do 40 on the motorway. We only have three lanes and a good number of drivers are (sorry mods) utterly retarded, lacking in manners and common sense.

All this before we even get back to indicating on roundabouts….

EDIT: I spent a few months earlier this year driving round Kuala Lumpur and vowed that I’d never complain about UK drivers again. But that warm, fuzzy feeling dissipates…

I’m from South Africa and don’t have clue what your on about!
When on the freeway drive as fast as the car will go whatever lane your in.
Hard shoulder is special emergency lane for when your in a real hurry or want to drop people off.

Don’t know why policeman won’t take money from me…

luckily we don’t have to cycle in these places, but impatience is a cause of much issues in this context, of course there will always be poor/inattentive driving,but this a a very recent human phenomena, mass car culture, where the effort required to go places is minimal.

You guys need to calm down a bit, take a chill pill. The slow lane is full of lorries and the fast lane is full of headcase speeders. The middle lane is a comfortable place to be – whack on the cruise control, make good progress until a mile before your exit, and then pull off. Simples, and no road rage necessary.

andyl – Member
Middle laners really, really annoy me.

But about a year ago I was feeling especially self-righteous about what an awesome driver I am in my silver Audi/Skoda/Mondeo estate and how stupid everyone else is, so I decided to tailgate two girls and flash my lights at them while fantasising about how I’d like to do violence to them

I was an HGV driver for twenty years and middle lane hoggers were a pet hate.. So were the people who undertake, drive too close, flash their lights, go round shouting and screaming at everyone else who don’t meet their Perfect driving standards, and generally going around acting like traffic police…
It’s all part of the rich tapestry of stress and anger on the roads…

Except your speedo probably over-reads by ~10%

No it doesn’t. It over reads by at most 10%. Very few speedos will actually over-read by 10%, because then if it was very slightly off (eg.10.1%), you’d fail the MOT. In my 12 year old VW golf, a bit under 72 is 70mph, ie. well under 3% over-reading. On a more modern car, it may well be more accurate, although they have to allow a very slight flexibility for tire wear I guess.

Where’s the zen?

Where’s the zen

Stuck on the M25 screaming at the old lady in front for not closing the 6ft gap between her Micra and the Audi in front…

it was very slightly off (eg.10.1%), you’d fail the MOT.

Nope.

For MOT purposes, you’d fail if it wasn’t fitted or “clearly” not working. No requirements for accuracy. And prior to this year it wasn’t on the test at all.

On a more modern car, it may well be more accurate

I’ve checked most things I’ve driven over the last *handwave* ten years against a GPS unit. At 70mph I’ve yet to see a speedo reading of anything other than 75-80. My almost 4yo Mondeo shows about 76-ish at 70.

And people who overtake then SLOW DOWN or can’t maintain a steady speed. I don’t care if it’s 50 just be consistent!

Another pet hate of mine but you see this one on all roads, especially single-carriageway A-roads. Drive along the straight bit (or the occasional dual-carriageway sections) at 70mph+, slow down to 35 for every corner. 👿

On motorways you get it from middle-laners. I’ll have the cruise control on doing a nice 70mph, undertake someone who’s doing 55 in the middle lane, a minute later they come screaming past at 80 then 2 minutes down the road, I’m having to pull out cos they’re back in the inside lane at 60. That happened for about 15 miles once with the same car, I never touched the cruise control in all that time but the other driver was up and down between 50 and 80 the whole time.

I’ll have the cruise control on doing a nice 70mph, undertake someone who’s doing 55 in the middle lane, a minute later they come screaming past at 80 then 2 minutes down the road, I’m having to pull out cos they’re back in the inside lane at 60

I’m convinced that some drivers just want to drive in front of me, slower than me.

I had a Range Rover playing this game on a fairly quiet M6 at the weekend. Came steaming up behind me as take-off speeds, so I got out of his way as he approached. I was doing an indicated 80 so actually about 73mph, and he passed at what I’d guess was another 30mph at least on top of that. Caught up with him a few miles later, and passed him without fuss, still on the cruise control. Rinse and repeat for miles. Sometimes, when in front of me on an otherwise empty road, he’d dab the brakes for no discernible reason (I wasn’t tailgating, btw, mostly he was on his own in the middle lane). Bizarre.

I’ve got a say it winds me up too.

Its not like people are being asked to compose an opera, or solve world hunger is it?

I mean how hard is it to drive in the lane that’s furthest to the left?

So the people who can’t perform this unbelievably simple feat of co-ordination and spatial awareness are either skull crushingly stupid, lazy beyond belief or the kind a people who care nothing for their fellow man.

Either way they all need to be eliminated

I think at least part of it is, many just don’t know any better. It’s not part of the test and barely touched on when people are learning.

I’ve heard people refer to lane two as the “cruising” lane before now and this whole legacy “fast lane / slow lane” business doesn’t help either. Sure, some people are stupid, some are arrogant, some are nervous drivers too scared to change lanes, but I’m convinced that some sit there simply because they think that’s where they’re supposed to be.

konabunny – Member

You guys need to calm down a bit, take a chill pill. The slow lane is full of lorries and the fast lane is full of headcase speeders. The middle lane is a comfortable place to be – whack on the cruise control, make good progress and bugger anyone else around you until a mile before your exit, and then pull off. Simples, and no road rage necessary.

FIFY

Based on my experience of driving back from Snowdonia to Surrey last night I can say.

Outside lane is for driving at between 80 and zero
Middle lane is for driving at 70 to 30
Inside lane is for undertaking

I would guesstimate 60% of traffic was in outside lane, 35% in middle lane and 5% inside lane.

Most congested part of the drive was M40, much worse than M25. Seemed to me the 60 and 50 limits really work in easing congestion, encourages the traffic to spread out and actually use all the lanes.

I had a Range Rover playing this game on a fairly quiet M6 at the weekend. Came steaming up behind me as take-off speeds, so I got out of his way as he approached.

See, if you’d been in the middle lane, you wouldn’t have been blocking his way and needed to pull over.

I think at least part of it is, many just don’t know any better. It’s not part of the test and barely touched on when people are learning.

I’ve heard people refer to lane two as the “cruising” lane before now and this whole legacy “fast lane / slow lane” business doesn’t help either. Sure, some people are stupid, some are arrogant, some are nervous drivers too scared to change lanes, but I’m convinced that some sit there simply because they think that’s where they’re supposed to be.

You might actually be right although the chances of an information campaign about lane discipline are probably zero

1 lane for lorries, buses and economical drivers 60-65
2 lane for common folk who travels at legal speed limit 70-75
3 lane is executive express 75+

If so called speed demons can’t cut it and drive in executive express then tuff it out and drive nicely with common folk, you are not really that much better as you had thought.

Is it just me or is flashing someone because they’re not doing what you think they should be, entirely rude?

If someone flashes me I’m likely to slow down if anything..

lane 1 for lorries, buses and economical drivers 60-65
lane 2 for common folk who travels at legal speed limit 70-75 everyone who isn’t actually doing any overtaking or intending on overtaking in the next 20 seconds

FTFY

Is it just me or is flashing someone because they’re not doing what you think they should be, entirely rude?

Flashing someone is permissible ‘to alert other drivers to your presence’, as per the highway code. If someone is hogging the middle lane it’s a fair assumption that they haven’t seen you, otherwise they’d have moved over already, right?

If someone flashes me I’m likely to slow down if anything..

Then you, sir, are a nob. HTH.

1 lane for lorries, buses and economical drivers 60-65
2 lane for common folk who travels at legal speed limit 70-75
3 lane is executive express 75+

Just plain wrong

Lane 1 – For ALL traffic
Lane 2 for overtaking when you encounter slower traffic in lane 1
Lane 3 for overtaking slower traffic in lane 2 (which should only be their if lane 1 is occupied by slower traffic)

glitchy post

Lane 1 for lorries and buses
Lane 2 for the plebs
Lane 3 for the business core

Sums it up nicely

Then you, sir, are a nob. HTH.

I’m a nob because I won’t be bullied by other belligerent drivers, seemingly like yourself Cougar?

There is no divine right to travel at whatever speed you like regardless of the traffic conditions. Yes you can use your lights to make others aware of your presence but do you honestly think for one moment that the person you’re behind hasn’t seen you? I too get frustrated by people crawling along in the middle and outer lanes but then I’ve also had somebody flash me from behind whilst I was overtaking in the outer lane at 80mph , sit on my bumper as I was doing so, then so irate as to pull into the middle lane in front of me and slam on their brakes.

Regardless of how frustrating it can be I don’t see travelling a few seconds or feet from disaster the sort of place to intimidate or distract people.

I’m a nob because I won’t be bullied by other belligerent drivers, seemingly like yourself Cougar?

No, you’re a nob because you’re deliberately going out of your way to antagonise people.

If someone flashes their lights at you from behind, it’s because either they’re an aggressive driver or you’re a road hog (assuming they’re not trying to alert you to some other fault, like you’ve got a flat tyre or something).

Now, in the case of the former (as per the example you cite), fair enough, they’re just gits and you get them. The problem is entirely their own and there’s not much you can do about it.

In the latter though the car behind is going “excuse me” and you’re then going out of your way to be even more obstructive. To hell with the person behind you, and everyone else behind him, and the traffic flow in other lanes you’re also impacting by forcing people to unnecessarily negotiate around the car that’s slowed right down in the middle of a three-lane highway, I’m alright jack. Ergo, nob.

do you honestly think for one moment that the person you’re behind hasn’t seen you?

I’d suggest that it’s massively common on motorways, yes. It’s pretty readily apparent that a lot of people only see what’s directly in front of them.

Regardless of how frustrating it can be I don’t see travelling a few seconds or feet from disaster the sort of place to intimidate or distract people.

Yet it’s perfectly sensible to deliberately wind up people who by your own assertions are the most likely to turn into road rage candidates? You’re an accident waiting to happen.

Lane 1 for lorries and buses
Lane 2 for the plebs
Lane 3 for the business core

There is a lot agro from plebs pretending to be business core, poor them.

+1 RopeyReignRider

If someone is hogging the middle lane it’s a fair assumption that they haven’t seen you

If someone flashes their lights at you from behind, it’s because either they’re an aggressive driver or you’re a road hog

You’re an accident waiting to happen.

= “I am road etiquette warrior, see my lights of justice flash”

Cougar – ok whatever.

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!

Oh and slowing down when someone sits on your bumper or flashes you is a perfectly rational response given the speeds involved. If that further antagonises the person behind then in my mind they shouldn’t be on the road.

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

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 if you can’t go anywhere, and is often done by the sort of idiot who thinks that people should teleport out of their way even if it would mean driving straight into a lorry which you are next to.

If someone sits too close to you on your bumper, and you have nowhere to go, like when you’re next to a lorry, the only rational thing to do is gradually slow down and hope they overtake; the sort of idiot who tailgates will speed up if you speed up to try and get out of their way.