What speed do you usually do on the motorway?

[StuntNun]

When driving on the motorway I drive at 70 mph when traffic conditions allow. I'm frequently overtaken by cars going faster than me. So who are all these people driving at 80 or 90 miles an hour and why don't they worry about getting a speeding ticket or being pulled over?

It depends on lots of things, such as:
The road and traffic conditions.
The weather.
The visibility.
The gradient.
Whether I have a time deadline.
Whether I want to economise on fuel.

On a clear dry day, with good visibility and not too much traffic I might do 80 (85 if it's downhill) if I have a full tank and need to cover the miles quickly.

In other circumstances, I might be doing no more than 50.

The middle and outside lanes are NOT for overtaking you dangerous suicidal twat!

Ooh, someone doesn't know how to drive!!

Unless overtaking, you should be in the inside lane.....

At least this thread has explained who the twat that sits in the middle lane for no reason is....

can guarantee that me driving at 85 on a deserted motorway at 22:00 is safer than a harassed parent doing the school run at 08:30 with a car full of boisterous kids

What do you know about other drivers around you? At any time? Medical conditions, lack of sleep, tiredness and yes boisterous kids. The speed limit is put in to make sure every accident is not a fatality at least. Imagine a three lane motorway section of a mile where one lane has a truck going at 60, second lane has cars going 70 and outside lane has cars constantly diving above 80-90. Now imagine just one thing goes wrong on that road section.
Then compare this section of road with one where everyone is doing 70, with a hardly a few in the outside lane for overtaking.

Then tell me which of these examples is likely to have more fatalities if something goes wrong.

Really? So what do you do when you are stuck behind a car in third lane doing 60? Or a lorry?
This thread explains a lot.

Curly if lorries are overtaking you, you are very unlikely to be doing as much as 60 (unless they are only overtaking you downhill). That really is very slow for a car on a motorway.

Santaclause have you actually taken your driving test?

'That's absolute bullshit! The middle and outside lanes are NOT for overtaking you dangerous suicidal twat! ONLY the outside lane is for overtaking. ONLY!'

Here's the Highway Code section on motorways Rule 264:

You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past. Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking.

'That's absolute bullshit! The middle and outside lanes are NOT for overtaking you dangerous suicidal twat! ONLY the outside lane is for overtaking. ONLY!'

What are you talking about? Do you even have a driving license (I hope not)

santa

What absolute bullshit.

HTH.

@SantaClauseMightWork are you sure you wrote that correctly?

Unless overtaking you should be in the left.

It's middle lane hoggers like you that cause endless problems!

How else do you think I drive my car?
Have you read my other posts? I live in a place where I have hardly come across that ideal third lane on motorway. Hence the second lane. if you are not breaking the speed limit in second lane, what wrong with everyone moving at speed limit? Like I said above, speed limit is there for a reason: to avoid fatalities or minimise them in case of accidents.

You don't just sit in that lane if you're doing the limit. Get past the slower drives and get back in the left.

With only two lanes sitting there holds things up even more!!!

I do that. However, nearly every driver with experience of motorways around London knows the number of lorries and slow cars. yesterday, I barely drove 10 minutes in the third lane for this reason. Drive for nearly 50 minutes. Traffic is moving in the second lane at least. I know it is not what the book says. But at least I am not going to cause fatalities? Somebody upthread posted calculations about velocities and speed limits. That is what I was taught too.

I am no saint and have done my diving mistakes. But thankfully none had anything to do with speed at least.

I hate middle lane hoggers with a passion. It's dangerous

I hate middle lane hoggers with a passion. It's dangerous
What would you do in the situation I posted above? It is a genuine question.

And I do see people regularly doing 80+ despite having enough space in the third and middle lane. So there really is no excuse for breaking the speed limit.

In fact, I call the situation I posted above (70, stuck in middle lane due to third lane going 60 or less) "driving according to conditions".

Are you calling lane 1 (the leftmost) the third lane?

You were very clear saying that ONLY the outside lane was for overtaking. That is incorrect.

Anyone who is not overtaking should move to the left hand lane. It's people sitting in the bloody middle lane who cause the traffic to slow and back up. If people followed the lane rules, motorways would move much more freely.

I haven't read the third page yet so someone might have beaten me to this but @SantaClauseMightWork, if you're not trolling on purpose then you need to go and retake your driving test. If you're in the middle lane and not overtaking then you should pull in to the left/inside lane. Goodness me.

Ah have caught up with the posts now. I'm deducing from @SantaClauseMightWork's posts that perhaps English isn't her first language. For example, we don't have "third lanes" here. Santa, if you did indeed learn to drive abroad then I suggest you have a read of the Highway Code and perhaps have some refresher driving lessons, because it's clear that you don't understand the rules of British roads.

Santa I hope to fuck I never have to drive anywhere near you

I hate middle lane hoggers with a passion. It's dangerous

I agree, up to a point. But there are circumstances where it's actually a lot less dangerous to stay put and not keep weaving in and out of the lanes constantly.

When the motorway is busy and there is almost constant traffic in the left lane and middle lane, it's safer to continue in the middle, rather than pull into the left only to pull out again 20 seconds later.

I did my longest ever motorway drive today and honestly I was probably the only person actively moving back to the left lane after overtaking in the middle to the extent where I wondered whether I was doing something wrong! At many points the middle lane was full of so many hoggers that it was stuck at about 60 while the "slow" lane moved much more freely! Makes no sense.

There was also a guy deliberately doing 45mph in a convertible too 🤷🏻‍♀️

I try to stick to 70-80. Sometimes I end up doing 80-90. 85 feels about right to me so I fo make a conscious effort to go slower.