Lane hogging… just WHY??

[2023user]

I’ve just got home from holiday and drove on the M1/M25.

It was 1.30am in the morning. The motorways were fairly empty but there were still a few cars.

4 lanes. And guess what? Not a single car in the outside lane!! Most cars in the second inside lane (so third lane out of 4). I honestly couldn’t believe it.

How do people not understand how to drive properly on a motorway, especially when it’s SO empty? It’s not only frustrating but very dangerous.

There was a similar thread about this very subject recently. When the middle lane hoggers came on a lot of them confessed that they believed that on a three lane motorway it was a slow, medium, fast speed system. Most of them were completely bemused by four lane motorways and sat in lane 2 or 3 as they were the medium speed lanes. Completely bonkers thinking and a few did say they would reread the Highway Code!

So I've just done a trip to Yorkshire and back, using the M3, the M25 and the M1. I saw very few genuine middle lane sitters. But I think my definition of one is a bit different to a lot of people who seem to think if you don't pull in the second you've passed someone, even if you need to pass someone else in 30 seconds' time, you are middle lane sitting. I did see some virtue-signalling undertakers, who seem to think it's much better to drive right up the bottom of someone and then try to pull over at the very last second. No, that is not good driving and shows a complete lack of foresight.

People do tend to stick to the second lane. As I said, this is due to a number of factors - on the M25 lanes disappear regularly to form slip roads, and on the M1, the "inside lane" is often the hard shoulder which is pressed into use when the road is busy, but people don't like it because it constantly changes. It's poor design, rather than poor driving in my view.

The bigger issue is the behaviour of the lorry drivers. A lot of lorries doing 59 mph overtaking a lorry doing 58mph and blocking two lanes. Also going into the third lane on a four lane stretch so you get a row of three of them. And even more of a concern, they don't even seem to be limited to 60 anymore - is that a post-Brexit thing? They also don't stick to speed limits when it is 40 or 50 - presumably their employers pay their fines, but aren't they worried about points on their licences?

Certainly motorway driving is very stressful when lorries are around! It was much better yesterday when there weren't many of them.

I drive on the M25 several times a week. Lanes do not 'disappear regularly to form slip roads'. You travel many miles between a lot of the junctions. When the inside lane is going to turn into an exit road there is ample warning for drivers to make their way into the next lane in preparation. Absolutely no need to stay in the second lane in anticipation.
There are already many piss poor excuses for bad driving on this thread.

I love driving at night because there are fewer cars and if there are any lane hoggers it's easier to get past them.

Fines were introduced for lane hogging but not sure how many were issued. Don't think it's worked. Lane discipline on motorways is worse than ever, drives me bonkers.

@lieselotte disagree, lorry drivers are usually good drivers imo. They overtake then return to lane.

People are bone idle basically and think of noone but themselves. The quality of driving on city motorways is even worse especially coming off slip roads.

I am often baffled by people cruising in the middle lane well below the speed limit

Even if they are cruising at the speed limit, they should move left.

Lorries are limited to 56 mph (actually 90 KPH due to it being an EU rule) still.
It will seem like 60 to you because almost all car speedos are optimistic (i.e show an higher speed than actual).
As for the 50 limits in roadworks, they will sit at their limited 56 still as they won't get nabbed for 56 in a 50 - that's just a silly side effect of the limiters being set in KPH and our speed limits in mph.
Most lorries are automatic and have cruise control, so they set the cruise to max (56mph) on the motorway and sit at that.
I know it's annoying when they are overtaking at tiny incremental speeds - but their boss isn't going to be happy if they keep on speeding up and slowing down to let others pass. Pretty much all have black box recorders and they are judged on the data produced.

Driving is so bad now, people are basically like zombies and have no consideration for anyone else. It got particularly bad after covid. Just last week I saw three people driving with dogs on their laps, ridiculous and dangerous!

The worst thing for me are all the slow drivers, and like you said lane hoggers so traffic is about 20mph than it should be, gives me the rage!

I think people should all need to sit their driving tess again! If you don't have the confidence to drive at the speed limit, stay off the road!

Why does it bother you? There was a lane left for overtaking, so overtake.

People are so impatient to shave a couple of minutes off their journey. I sit in the left lane wherever possible, but other drivers never get me worked up, nor do I care what they do (unless that drive too closely or aggressively)

Lorries are limited to 56 mph (actually 90 KPH due to it being an EU rule) still.
It will seem like 60 to you because almost all car speedos are optimistic (i.e show an higher speed than actual).
Since 2018 in England and Wales - but not Scotland - goods vehicles over 7.5 tons are permitted to do 60mph on dual-carriageways and motorways

Pretty sure that speed limit change actually came in in 2015 so was pre-brexit.
Anything over 12 ton GVW is still limited to 90kph by fitted limiter. Some operators even set the limit lower to save fuel.

@2023user which lane were you in? Were the people in the middle lane doing 70?

If the left lane was empty there is no excuse for not moving over, but that applies to you too.

If your reason for wanting other people to move over is so you can speed past them at 75+ then you are in the wrong too.