If you drive in the middle lane, hogging it, when there is absolutely no need to - why?

[hell091727]

Please stop driving on the motorway and go re-read the Highway Code.

It is dangerous, lazy, and completely disrupts the flow of the traffic.

I have just driven 200 miles and the amount of drivers who just don’t know how to drive is astonishing. And the motorway wasn’t even busy!

It's absolutely terrifying to think of someone driving on the motorway over the speed limit and zoning out. Unbelievable.

I think some people need to learn to tell the difference between overtaking and middle lane hogging. Happens more frequently than I'd like when I'm passing a string of lorries on the motorway and I get someone coming up behind me flashing and gesticulating. I'm going at the speed limit and there's literally nowhere I can go, my options are to continue what I'm doing, slam my breaks on and drive at 60 behind the train of lorries or break the speed limit. Middle lane hogging =/= "this person is overtaking but they're preventing me from breaking the speed limit".

If there are no slow moving vehicles in the left hand lane then sure, the person definitely needs to go get some more driving lessons.

Thats fine its what you are supposed to do. When I know a slip roads is coming up and potential for cars to be joining if I can I always move over early. Once I'm passed it and its clear to do so I move back over.

It is frightening how many middle lane hoggers are defending themselves on this thread! I do think there needs to be more education about motorway driving in general.

In my view, a big issue is all these people pulling over before an uncoming slip road. Most of the time it is unnecessary and traffic joining the motorway will be able do so without any fuss. Most of these nervous drivers pull out at the mere sight of a car on the slip road rather than being able to judge and adjust speed to suit. By pulling out without significantly speeding up they cause terrible traffic congestion which in turn causes accidents as everyone else tries to avoid them.

I think because the volume of traffic on motorways has risen exponentially in the last 15 or so years, I don't think a test pass should include a pass for motorway driving anymore. It should be a separate entity nowadays. Most of the awful motorway drivers are the ones who only want to pass to potter round their home towns 99% of the time but then do a motorway drive and haven't got a bloody clue what they're doing.

I'll be shot down for this but I do wonder also if some drivers that have passed their tests in other countries are common offending middle lane drivers. And they often make the worst lorry drivers.

Surprisingly enough, you do.

They are the ones who think lanes are designated on the basis of slow, medium and fast speeds. They also make protest about not wanting to drive between lorries, even when those lorries are driving about half a mile apart.

It's amazing the justifications people will offer for their poor driving skills.

And don't get me started about the (even more dangerous) drivers who don't know how to use slip-roads properly. They are an absolute menace.

The stretch of the M8 through Glasgow is an interesting one. Couple of junctions join/leave on the right which is unexpected... There's various bits around M80/M8/M77 where you want to get in the correct lane for where you're going fairly early on or you will have to cross several lanes of traffic, some of it trying to do the opposite of you.

Eg Kingston Bridge if you want M8 you need to be in lane 4 I think - it's the second from the right anyway... 2 and 3 are for M77 and 1 is for the exit to ?Tradeston

The only time I'll be in the middle lane on a quiet motorway is if it's very wet and the inside lane has bad truck ruts, in which case I will sit in the lane that has a half decent surface

make 'protestations' sorry

You're the one who seems to be unable to differentiate, by your own definition @MargotBamborough is not a MLH, she has clearly stated many times she uses the middle lane to overtake and will pull back into the left when it's clear. So why you keep insisting she is a MLH and a danger to others is beyond me.

@Easterbunnywashere to be fair the slip roads I am talking about are the ones with three lanes joining the motorway, where the left hand lane then becomes an off ramp, the vast majority of road users do move over because its the most sensible option, it keeps the flow of traffic moving at a regular speed. Everyone sensible gets back to the left past the off ramp and once past any slow moving joining lorries/horseboxes/caravans etc , it only takes a few minutes max. Anyone who isn't happy travelling at the speed limit can utilise the other overtaking lane. The ones who seem to cause most drivers to brake are those hurtling down the outside lane who suddenly realise their exit is approaching and they need to cross three lanes of traffic to get to it !

I wonder if anyone would admit to being a right hand lane hogger ? Those who use this lane for the majority of their journey ? they usually tailgate anyone else who is using the lane for the purpose of overtaking, flash and gesticulate madly, at anyone who dares to drive at a speed under 90mph.
I once saw a male driver do it to unmarked police car on the M62, he was really tailgating and driving aggressively, they moved out of his way and then as he sped off, put their little blue flashing lights on and pulled him over.

Except the highway code says if you see cars joining you should move over.

If its a busy motorway sometimes you cant so then yes you have to judge it all but still the highway code says those already on the motorway have right of way and its those joining who have to so the judging and slow or increase their speed to join.

If its a quiet motorway in most cases I will wait to see if anyone is joining before moving over only because I know the lane next to me is clear for quite some miles behind me as its quiet. So no need to move over early as I know I can move over later on.

I drive on some of the worst motorways (M25/M1) it is especially bad around the airports, lorries in all lanes on the M1, people weaving in and out of traffic on the M25,people braking suddenly for no reason(my driving instructor said to try not to brake constantly on a motorway, slow down by easing off the accelerator). Middle lane drivers are a nuisance but so are people who sit on your arse when you're doing the speed limit, or people who don't leave a stopping gap behind you (that actually scares me more than someone driving in the middle lane).

I've also been a passenger in a 70mph crash and it's truly one of the most terrifying things.

I've come to the conclusion that I want to get where I'm going in one piece so I drive sensibly. If the road is clear (very rare on either M1 or M25) I will happily get up to 70, I don't want to be stuck behind a lorry so overtake but go back to the left.

Yes, I’ve noticed this too, all four lanes going at around 70mph. Nobody overtaking or cutting in. I’m on the m3 and m4 a lot.

@FurAndFeathers you're not the traffic police either so I'll drive in whichever lane i fancy

The US way is much better - undertaking is allowed, you pick a lane and stick to it.

I mostly drive on the M25 - the lanes are chockablock. There's no way anyone can move right, overtake and come back to the left lane.
And mostly advice is to stay in lane.
If I drive elsewhere I need to remind myself to keep falling left.

You realise I’m not actually responsible for making the law right?

sure drive illegally to spite me if it makes you feel better 🤷‍♀️

it doesn’t exactly make you look the competent smart driver you appear to think it does 😂

@SoTired12

then why is she repeatedly posing in a thread about MLH with irrelevant examples of ‘overtaking’? And why is she unable to recognise overtaking as a manoeuvre despite repeated explanations?

if you RTFT I’ve actually pointed out to her several times that what she’s describing is overtaking. But she won’t accept that. Probably because she’s just looking to goad I suspect

no one cares if she knows how to overtake (though she’s explicitly said herself that she doesn’t overtake). It’s not what the thread is about.

We’re talking about MLH. If she keeps choosing to insert her experience of an entirely different manoeuvre in an attempt to tell us how wrong we all are then it’s both irrelevant, goady and confusing.

frankgu · Yesterday 21:35

I've driven before on the inside lane that was moving faster as it was clearer than the outside lane. It stresses me out as undertaking is so dangerous but not sure what to do.

That's not undertaking, it's perfectly legal to do the speed limit in the left-hand lane, if traffic on the right is going slower.

I've got to say that I'm shocked, but not surprised that so many people think that you merge onto dual carriageways and motorways from slip roads, or that people on the carriageway should slow down to let them in.

I've been in situations where aggressive drivers have, or have tried to force their way in, when it wasn't possible for me to move right.

Much more so when I'm on my motorbike.