To think it's ok to want to travel at 70mph on the motorway...

I agree with the earlier comment that no one teaches you these things! Why is it not part of driving lessons to learn how to drive on the motorway, and then prove what you’ve learned during your test?

To be honest when I qualified at 17/18, I just assumed the three lanes were like swim lanes: slow, medium, fast. So I drove in the middle to avoid getting stuck behind caravans and trucks on the left, and racers on the right. I imagine many people start driving on motorways with the same ignorance/assumptions!

The speed limit in other countries is irrelevant . It is 70 in this country and so needs to be adhered to.

This is a fairly simple concept .

I think motorways can be a bit of a free for all because it's not covered in a test, and there are a lot of areas where motorway driving isn't needed so lack of experience. I passed my test and never had to drive on a motorway for around 10 years! Even now, I rarely drive on a 3 lane section of motorway. Most are 2 lanes so to all intents and purposes, just a dual carriageway with extra rules. And there are no smart motorways up here. So I would be like a learner all over again if driving down south!

Ultimately, bad motorway driving is a combination of a lot of things. Aggressive driving, timid driving, not being fully conversant with the UK Highway Code around which lane to use for overtaking, not paying attention to type of traffic on the roads such as lots of HGVs that can only use two lanes, bad weather conditions, simply not paying attention. My OH spent his working life going to motorway accidents, he’s seen some sights no human being wants to see. Mainly caused by one or more of the factors above.

Aggressive? Why, don’t be stupid

Timid? Simple, have a motorway lesson, or at the very least go on at quiet times and build your confidence up

Don’t hog the wrong lane, keep as left as you can, paying more attention at junctions.

Busy with HGVs? They are slower than cars and often cannot use the outside right lane, so don’t drive into the back of one!

Bad weather? Slow down in rain, fog, low blinding sunshine. If you cannot see a long way ahead, don’t be a prat.

Not paying attention? Link your phone hands free, set your Sat Nav before setting off, strap the kids in tight, strap the dog in where it should be, and no, mirrors are not for applying make up or checking your pout on the move!

None of it is rocket science, and the Highway Code is there to keep everyone safe.

It's the people that join the motorway going up the sliproad at 40 that infuriates me too!

I'm so glad there are some other people on here that can interpret it correctly. There are others that are absolutely adamant I'm just the tea lady at the police station and don't have a clue what I'm talking about, it's depressing!

I see the opposite. People driving at 80 or 90 getting annoyed at me for driving 70. Particularly on the M25.

Always male, always German cars. Make of that what you will.

I hate driving on motorways so I don’t anymore ( although I am a good driver in towns, just don’t like motorways it uses a totally different part of my brain somehow!) but I do know to keep to the left lane on motorways except when overtaking or making room for someone to enter at a junction. So even “ crap” drivers do know this..
Many many people are forced to drive because public transport in the uk outside London is so so bad. So maybe campaign about that?

So OP you are saying if someone was in the outside lane doing 60 then nobody is allowed to pass at all as that would be undertaking and there is nowhere to go on the other side. That's obviously ridiculous

Just drive past them in your inside lane. The problem is theirs

just stay where you are-youre not speeding they are in the wrong lane going slower

You beat me to it

@JacquesHarlow driving faster than the person in the middle lane is not 'undertaking'. You've completely misunderstood the Highway Code.

This is a worringly clueless post. I mean yes, people travelling at 80/90 are definitely driving dangerously

I take issue with this. The 70 limit is arbitrary number. In many countries the limit is just over 80 mph. Are the drivers driving at the limit in those countries driving dangerously too?

If you get hit whilst moving up the inside of anything who do you think the insurance company will blame? You are making an unexpected manoeuvre in their blind spot, good luck arguing thats their fault.

Impatient people cause accidents, not inconsiderate drivers.

I drive an old car 20 plus years old. The number of times I get overtaken dangerously when driving at the speed limit is unbelievable

usually BMWs merch and any form of SUV. I was driving a horrible trusty country road at the weekend late at night doing 45 to 50. Theoretically 60 but loads of villages where it dips to 30 some horrendous bends and some idiot was sitting on my tail dazzling me with lights on full beam. I thought I know this road better than you mate and sure enough even I had to brake hard when a stag and deer jumped out in front of me. Would have hit or if doing 60 If I see someone driving a road like that slowly I don't know I assume they are local and know there's something dodgy ahead so they are slowing and adjust my speed.
But hey they have a newer car so they know better

that's good to know. We're a while away from this so I'd have been doign all the research nearer the time but will keep this in mind.

@mrshoho a lorry being limited is slightly different in that if they're travelling at lower speeds, they have more time to brake anyway. But if you're travelling at 70mp, there are times when it is safer and better to briefly speed up rather than to slam on brakes. And in fact, that's where average speed can be helpful - you can do the quick thing you need to do, but drop back down to a cruising speed of 69 mph or whatever.

IMO, on a busy motorway, when all lanes of traffic are doing various speeds, the more dangerous manoeuvre is to go all the way round them. If your lane is travelling at a consistent speed then you're just continuing on your journey.

On a quiet motorway where the middle lane hogger is the only one there, I'd drive round them and pull back to lane one, perhaps pointedly.

You are meant to match the speed of the traffic on the road and fit in with them when you join, if once joined you want to go faster and vehicles to your right are slower you move in behind them (at their speed) and wait for your opportunity to move out and past before pulling back in to the lanes on the left. But yes hoggers are a PITA but at a junction many will automove out a lane as people do join very fast and seemingly without taking into account the traffic already on the road. I get a bit sick of impatient joiners who weave lanes fast and the rest of the traffic has to slow as they are unpredictable therefore impacting what speed everyone can go at. Drivers already on the mway shouldn't have to adjust what they are doing for joiners, joiners should slide in - although again this is hampered by people driving too closely so all in all it seems everyone needs to take a look at their driving and smarten up - me included sometimes

I know it's not really feasible and i know how annoying being behind a lorry that takes 10 minutes to overtake a slightly slower lorry because he can't go faster is. But I hate those high speeding drivers who think they are king of the road. The black boxes have helped with younger drivers and also the parts of the motorway that have average speed cameras. It's always much calmer along these parts.

This. I just stay where I am. Sometimes it gives them a wake up call and they move over. Mostly not though - they just carry on oblivious.

I too am happy at 70mph, driving in lane 1 unless I'm overtaking something.

Believe it or not, I'm also a BMW driver and I know how to use my indicators too! There are some good BMW drivers I promise! I've been driving for 28 years, never had an accident, never made an insurance claim (other than a windscreen here and there) and have never had points on my licence.

I am beginning to think I'm a very rare breed indeed!

I saw a video that Surrey Police put out a couple of years back where they pulled someone over for middle lane hogging on the M25, gave him a warning and a chat about how he should be driving, then they let him on his way. He didn't build up speed on the hard shoulder, just pulled straight out onto the motorway and back into lane 2! Needless to say they pulled him over again and gave him a ticket instead.

Learner drivers can now drive on the motorway. The law changed on this in 2018, partly due to some of the issues discussed on this thread re new drivers having no idea how to drive on motorways.

www.billplant.co.uk/blog/motorway-driving-for-learners/

Pass plus is available, I did it with an instructor to cover motorway driving and help my insurance cost when I passed

Middle lane hogging is so annoying, I agree. A lot of people go even slower than 60 and just sit there.

Recently in Portugal I noticed they have minimum speeds on some stretches of road, especially for over taking lanes on hills which I think is a great idea. Often there are stretches of single carriage way where it splits into two lanes so you can overtake slow moving vehicles and you get one car who pulls doing the same speed as the lorry who makes no effort to overtake at a speed which would be worth it....meaning the 10 cars behind are unable to overtake by the time it goes back to one lane again.

I think Cruise control just means people switch off and stop paying attention to the road....I've even seen men driving along the motorway way with something playing like a video on their phone. It's so dangerous.

And it's the same process on dual carriageways which are taught.

I think some depends on where you live/learn though. We're in south London. Most of my DDs lessons were on 20mph roads, with some 30s. We have some 40mph dual carriageway but the chances of being able to go above 25-30 on them is very slim due to congestion.
So she has passed her test, told she can drive on the motorway, with never having driven at more than about 35 mph.

It is if they are to your right and the road is clear ie not in heavy moving traffic

There’s an old myth that driving at 56mph is most economical, but I don’t think it was meant to be applied to motorways.

I’m a fairly regular user of the M25 and come across an abundance of 56ers sitting in lane 3 of 4, or 4 of 5, at times when the rest of the road is relatively clear (like Sat evenings). Then you get those who see the M25 not too busy and treat it as an opportunity to hit 85/90mph in the fast lane. In those situations it’s not easy to find a space to drive at 70 and I have little/no confidence in the 56ers to check their blind spot before lane-changing if I’m passing them on the left.

There does need to be more deterrents for lane hogging and speeding, as it shouldn’t be hard to drive legally and safely at the national speed limit.