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Original poster

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

419 replies

hell091727 · 07/05/2023 20:32

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!

OP posts:
OdeToBarney · 07/05/2023 22:30

itsgettingweird · 07/05/2023 21:23

That's not my general experience with lorries, I find them usually to be good drivers, vans not so much

I drive around Britain a lot as ds is an athlete.

I find it's generally the M3 and M1 that's worst for lorry drivers.

But they certainly swing out very quickly and that does mean on the M1 a lot of drivers who don't like going above 60 are in lane 3 of 4 to avoid having to lane hop around lorries.

It's because it takes them so long to get back up to speed if they have to slow down because the vehicle in front is going slower. When they're already speed limited to 56mph, they won't want to go any slower than they already have to. But I completely agree it's dangerous and irritating.

DDad is an HGV driver and he's taught me so much about driving. He can't bare HGV drivers who use their lorry as a weapon. Equally he (and every other HGV driver, I imagine) cannot fathom the idiots that get right alongside a lorry on a roundabout. Do they want to be squished? 🤦‍♀️

ApplePie20 · 07/05/2023 22:30

MargotBamborough · 07/05/2023 22:22

I know I'll get flamed for this.

But I don't think the rule makes any sense.

When I'm on the slip road trying to join the motorway, I'm actually bloody glad if everyone except the lorries is in the middle lane. I don't know how anyone would actually be able to join the motorway if everyone stuck to the left hand lane except when overtaking. Or what the point of there being more than two lanes would be.

Moving over to the middle lane to allow cars to enter the motorway isn’t middle lane hogging. It’s exactly what the farthest 2 lanes are for - to allow the flow of traffic via overtaking and merging. As long as the cars already on the motorway move back as far left as possible after the slip road, they are driving safely and legally.

rewilded · 07/05/2023 22:30

think there will always be disagreement on how big that gap should be to make it worth pulling in. And if you pull across to smaller gaps than someone else, you might think they're thoughtlessly hogging the middle lane, but really they've just decided on a slightly bigger gap than you as the benchmark for moving back over. Similarly someone who moves into smaller gaps than you may view you as a bad driver hogging the middle lane.

Come on, it is obvious when to pull across!

MargotBamborough · 07/05/2023 22:31

TheodoreMortlock · 07/05/2023 22:27

No flames. What should happen is that if you are joining the motorway and someone approaching sees you coming down the slip road, they will judge their speed and yours, and either

  • assess that they will pass before you get there and there is room behind them, and maintain their speed to allow you to slot in behind,
  • assess that they will not pass before you get there, but that they can safely reduce speed slightly to allow you to slot in in front, or
  • indicate and move out to the middle lane to allow you in. Which can only happen if the middle lane isn't full of middle-lane-hoggers.
Show quote history

Or, if they are in the middle lane to begin with, there is already space for me to pull out and I don't need to rely on them to do any of these things.

I know what the rule is. I just think it's stupid and unrealistic.

Myknewname · 07/05/2023 22:32

OnSusansFloor · 07/05/2023 21:49

@Burnamer I'll join you in the middle lane 🫣
I don't make a habit of it or do it deliberately, but it's not uncommon for me to move into the middle lane in order to overtake, and then get distracted or zone out and stay there until someone behind me has to move across to overtake me - but then I do move back into the inside lane. I'm usually driving at 75-80 though.
I know it's dangerous to be driving "zoned out", especially at those speeds, but I'll suddenly catch myself lost in thought and have to consciously snap my attention back to the road. I don't know how to pre-empt the zone outs. It was worse when I worked shifts - driving home after a 14-hour night shift I would sometimes pull into the drive with no recollection of the journey home at all. It was terrifying.

Omg! One you are speeding and if that's not bad enough, you admit to allowing yourself to be distracted or zone out! You are responsible for driving safely, if you know you zone out then you should not be driving. So irresponsible and dangerous.

HecticHedgehog · 07/05/2023 22:32

kitsuneghost · 07/05/2023 22:10

Depends how quickly you want them to,pull back in.

The left lane is rarely free for very long before you approach another lorry.
Some of the desperation to get back in the left to the point of nearly causing accidents just so you don't get called names is ridiculous.
If you are overtaking a vehicle every min or 2 then you are best staying put.

If a vehicle is two mins away from you it won't even be in sight. That's no excuse for middle land hogging

RavenclawDiadem · 07/05/2023 22:33

I am in Scotland, there are no smart motorways and roads like the m74 are much quieter than many southern motorways. Still lots of middle lane numpties.

Thry have started to put messsges on the digital boards saying KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING which is all you need to understand. Keep left. None of this slow/medium/fast nonsense.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 07/05/2023 22:34

Moving over to the middle lane to allow cars to enter the motorway isn’t middle lane hogging. It’s exactly what the farthest 2 lanes are for - to allow the flow of traffic via overtaking and merging. As long as the cars already on the motorway move back as far left as possible after the slip road, they are driving safely and legally.

Yes, this is just good, safe, courteous driving - it's anticipatorily overtaking.

Some people seem to think that the left lane is 'the lorry lane', but there are legitimate occasions when lorries will quite correctly use the middle lane when they need to; they just don't stay in it for the next three miles.

ApplePie20 · 07/05/2023 22:34

MargotBamborough · 07/05/2023 22:31

Or, if they are in the middle lane to begin with, there is already space for me to pull out and I don't need to rely on them to do any of these things.

I know what the rule is. I just think it's stupid and unrealistic.

Show quote history

Then the motorway system would grind to a halt if 33% of it wasn’t used save for entering and exiting the motorway.

rewilded · 07/05/2023 22:36

If you are sat in the middle lane you are less likely to be engaged in the motorway driving conditions. Moving lanes correctly makes you safer as it keeps you mentally alert and aware of your surroundings.

WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll · 07/05/2023 22:38

Thry have started to put messsges on the digital boards saying KEEP LEFT UNLESS OVERTAKING which is all you need to understand. Keep left. None of this slow/medium/fast nonsense.

Sad that they should need to tell people such obvious basic driving; but this will probably not work very well anyway, owing to the Fundamental Law of Signs: the only people who bother to read them and act (if necessary) are the ones who didn't need them in the first place; the people they're intended for will always just ignore them.

whynotwhatknot · 07/05/2023 22:38

This thread is so frustrating

SocialLite · 07/05/2023 22:39

What annoys me though, is when you're going along in the left lane, quite happily, and an extra lane is created to your left. So you move over, and carry on driving. A couple of miles down the road that suddenly becomes a peal off lane for an exit – so you have to pull back out again. A little bit further along the road and a new left hand lane appears, so you pull back into it… And repeat.

Why can't they just make up their minds how many lanes there is going to be on any given stretch of the road?

You also constantly end up with people who didn't realise the left-hand lane was turning into a peal off lane suddenly veering out at the last second, creating a huge risk, and usually without even looking.

HecticHedgehog · 07/05/2023 22:40

Whichnumbers · 07/05/2023 22:28

But in all seriousness it's dangerous. My experience is they go 50mph in the lane meaning anyone coming up has to go across 2 lanes behind them and then back over 2 lanes. That increases the chance of accidents.

Highway Code 268 suggest not to weave in and out of traffic,

Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

This assumes all lanes are equally busy. The point is middle lane hoggers continue to hog the middle lane when the inside lane is free. If the inside lane is empty you're not keeping up with the flow of traffic in that lane because there isn't anyone in front of you. So you shouldn't be undertaking.

Lightningrain · 07/05/2023 22:41

I can’t believe so many people are admitting to this (being a dangerous driver and breaking the law).

Why do you think there is a 3 point penalty for middle lane hogging if it’s sensible or safer?

I drive thousands of miles a month for work and some of the most dangerous driving I’ve seen has been on motorways.

People drive with blinkers on. You should be anticipating what’s around you so that you can pull into the middle lane for traffic merging onto the motorway when there’s space to do so (especially HGVs who struggle to get back up to speed).

Of course you don’t need to pull back in if there’s a line of slow moving traffic in the first lane and you’re making good progress past them but if there’s a decent gap you should do so. I’ve often seen lorries almost undertaking oblivious drivers in the middle lane because they’re matching their speed and it’s so dangerous.

HecticHedgehog · 07/05/2023 22:42

It's ridiculous to expect everyone to stay in the inside lane on a 3-lane highway. I agree that keeping the rightmost lane relatively free is sensible but not all crowding up in one lane and popping in and out on principle.

Yet they manage this perfectly well in other countries.

SurreyWifi · 07/05/2023 22:42

Whilst I’m here. Can I make a plea to people to try and keep a constant speed?

Middle lane drivers IME tend to stay behind the car in front and when they pull in, speed up to the car in front in the middle lane and copy their speed.

This makes it difficult to anticipate overtaking as people are constantly speeding up and slowing down. I’ve overtaken the same person 4/5 times because of this within a few miles Confused

Lightningrain · 07/05/2023 22:42

SocialLite · 07/05/2023 22:39

What annoys me though, is when you're going along in the left lane, quite happily, and an extra lane is created to your left. So you move over, and carry on driving. A couple of miles down the road that suddenly becomes a peal off lane for an exit – so you have to pull back out again. A little bit further along the road and a new left hand lane appears, so you pull back into it… And repeat.

Why can't they just make up their minds how many lanes there is going to be on any given stretch of the road?

You also constantly end up with people who didn't realise the left-hand lane was turning into a peal off lane suddenly veering out at the last second, creating a huge risk, and usually without even looking.

There are signs well in advance for filter lanes. It just proves that people aren’t paying sufficient attention if they’re suddenly taken by surprise.

OdeToBarney · 07/05/2023 22:44

SocialLite · 07/05/2023 22:39

What annoys me though, is when you're going along in the left lane, quite happily, and an extra lane is created to your left. So you move over, and carry on driving. A couple of miles down the road that suddenly becomes a peal off lane for an exit – so you have to pull back out again. A little bit further along the road and a new left hand lane appears, so you pull back into it… And repeat.

Why can't they just make up their minds how many lanes there is going to be on any given stretch of the road?

You also constantly end up with people who didn't realise the left-hand lane was turning into a peal off lane suddenly veering out at the last second, creating a huge risk, and usually without even looking.

Because some junctions carry more traffic and so more space is needed for the traffic to join and exit the motorway? Just read the signs and change lanes accordingly, it's not difficult!

Allodole · 07/05/2023 22:50

I don’t understand drivers who enter the motorway and then immediately move into the middle lane when there is no need to do so. It’s like the thinking is that inside lane = slow speed, regardless of the conditions. I see this every single day.

But I have to say my experience of motorway driving is that I spend most of my time in the middle lane overtaking a stream of slower traffic in the inside lane. Moving back in where I can, but I never seem to be there too long before I hit the next string of slower moving vehicles. Rinse and repeat for the whole drive, with the odd spell in the outside lane where the middle lane is going below 70.

whyisitalwayswindy · 07/05/2023 22:57

I was thinking this exact thing about middle lane hoggers last night. I drove 2 hours on the motorway between 9 & 11pm so it was quiet i.e. the stupid people hogging the middle lane could have easily moved into lane one (the left hand lane) as there was only an occasional lorry there, and yet there they were, determinedly sitting in the middle lane. I get so exasperated at having to pull across all the lanes to get round them and back across.

And the absolutely ridiculous responses from the posters who do it (credit for admitting it) prove that they do not fucking care nor understand how motorways work or the Highway Code.

I drive that route regularly and at that time of night, there is no excuse. Pull over!!!!

Crikeyisthatthetime · 07/05/2023 22:58

Pringleface · 07/05/2023 21:51

This is exactly the problem though. People who are inexperienced, people who are lazy, people who incorrectly think they’re safer in the middle lane.

The Highway Code isn’t hard to understand and if you look ahead while driving, it’s not hard to work out when to move lanes.

Are you going to continue driving like this for the rest of your life?

Show quote history

Until they dismantle smart motorways. HTH.

carpool · 07/05/2023 23:01

We travel most weeks on a motorway. My husband tends to move over to the outside lane as soon as possible and stays in it most of the way. The road is usually pretty busy and there are often variable speed limits in place (60, 50 sometimes even 40) due to congestion. There is traffic in all four lanes and which lane is moving fastest is often pretty random. No-one changes lanes unless they have to (leaving the motorway, being told not to use particular lane by overhead gantry). If we all lined up in the inside lane there would be a traffic jam that could stretch from Lands End to John O'Groats. If traffic is flowing freely and someone comes up behind us obviously moving faster (some idiot doing 90) then of course we pull over to let them pass, that is just basic courtesy of the road which we could all do with a bit more of. And of course you should be checking the rear view mirror regularly so you see them coming up. If the road is genuinely empty then yes of course use the inside lane but in my experience that is rarely the case.

Backtonormalatlast · 07/05/2023 23:05

Even more annoying on A road and everyone trundling along at 30mph for bloody miles and absolutely nowhere to overtake…these drivers cause accidents!

FiveShelties · 07/05/2023 23:06

carpool · 07/05/2023 23:01

We travel most weeks on a motorway. My husband tends to move over to the outside lane as soon as possible and stays in it most of the way. The road is usually pretty busy and there are often variable speed limits in place (60, 50 sometimes even 40) due to congestion. There is traffic in all four lanes and which lane is moving fastest is often pretty random. No-one changes lanes unless they have to (leaving the motorway, being told not to use particular lane by overhead gantry). If we all lined up in the inside lane there would be a traffic jam that could stretch from Lands End to John O'Groats. If traffic is flowing freely and someone comes up behind us obviously moving faster (some idiot doing 90) then of course we pull over to let them pass, that is just basic courtesy of the road which we could all do with a bit more of. And of course you should be checking the rear view mirror regularly so you see them coming up. If the road is genuinely empty then yes of course use the inside lane but in my experience that is rarely the case.

Do you move straight over to the outside lane @carpool?