Motorway driving questions and musings...

[Pinkneonballoon]

I've recently done a lot of motorway driving alone so I've had a bit of time to muse on a few things....

The 50 limited zones for roadworks with the average speed check cameras. Do people know something I don't? As in they don't actually don't monitor your speed? Just loads of people don't stick to the limit. Or maybe I don't understand how they work and you just have to be doing 50 when you go past a camera?

Also middle lane hogging. I know people have talked about it on here a lot, but I think it's so common I'm now starting to wonder if it's a thing about how people were taught to drive? Like did rolling along in the middle lane used to be a thing? I've been driving for 20 years and although it wasn't part of my test it was made clear you move over if poss. But I'm feeling this must have not always been the case can anyone comment? As it's so common!

Anyone's thoughts or answers would be great!

MLH is an absolute EPIDEMIC now. Is it my imagination but has it hit considerably worse since the pandemic?

I do think a lot of the lane hogging is down to all the smart motorways as people don't know what to do with an extra lane. So think that lane 2 is somewhere to just sit. The thing is you should always be alert and scanning ahead so hopefully you'll notice any breakdowns that haven't made it to a safe spot, but the idea that you could end up with a breakdown in front of you is unnerving and could be part of it. So perhaps smart motorways plus post pandemic driving......? Annoying whatever the cause is!

I agree with this. Slow lane is usually doing less than 70, fast lane is going way over 70 so I do use the middle lane a lot or I'd be changing lanes every minute or so. As long as you don't do your entire journey just coasting middle lane I think it's more sensible as some people just don't look when changing lanes. I've had several near misses recently when someone has pulled out of the slow lane without indicating/looking properly.

Do you mind if I ask your age? Just I've never been taught to refer to the lanes as fast and slow. I wonder if this type of thinking is what leads to keeping in the middle lane?

Also a minute is quite a long distance at 70mph. And tbh yes I do think that's what you're supposed to do.

All this talk of changing lanes being dangerous feels a bit wild to me with a big gap and indicating it's safe. Also other people might change lanes dangerously but if you're just moving into the left lane and do so safely how does this effect you?

We have 50mph speed restrictions on a motorway around here (West Midlands) but with average speed cameras, which appear to be more effective.

I agree about the middle lane driving. It's lazy driving really and especially infuriating for HGVs who normally only have two lanes of the motorway. Not sure what can be done about it though, the police have more than enough to do.

I was on the M23 the other day and one car was being a complete menace -trying not to be a MLH. Pulling out into too small gaps, zooming across two lanes at a time, returning to the left-hand lane for about 30 seconds before pulling out again to overtake another vehicle. It really was dangerous.

I think a lot of how people drive will depend on which motorways they use and how often. My "local" is unfortunately the M25. That frequently has two solid lanes of HGVs which won't let you return to the inside lanes, even if you need to exit the motorway. Many people don't like the inside lane as this is usually an exit lane at most junctions so again you have to force your way into a stream of unhelpful HGVs if you don't need to leave the motorway.

Rarely are you able to go at 70 on the slip roads, as motorway traffic is often reduced to 40-50.

Many people are completely baffled by having 5-6 lanes of traffic if only used to smaller motorways.

I stopped doing 50 in average speed roadworks when I figured all the lorries were doing 56, I now set my cruise control at 55 and have never had a ticket (I do a lot of motorway driving). Also re ones in suburban areas, where I am there's a stretch of road with 30mp average speed and 4 roundabouts, the bit between each roundabout is separate so you can effectively get 3 tickets on one stretch of road.

@GiddyGladys it wasn't a 'random sign', your DH was on a smart motorway in a variable speed area, the gantry's display a reduced speed limit that you have to stick to temporarily.

Also to the PP's saying people seem to speed through variable speed limits on the motorway, it's because not every gantry has cameras. On some stretches it's as little as 1 camera for every 10 gantries so when you drive a route regularly you know which ones have cameras and which don't. I'm not condoning speeding but sometimes the variable speed limits in place do not match the traffic at all (looking at the m62 where some are always set to 50 even at 2am) so I will admit I do just slow down for the cameras in situations like that!

Also have to agree with everyone about people joining the motorway too slow, this is becoming so common and is so bloody dangerous.

If you are on the M4 when it is busy, then the middle lane is the only viable one. The inside lane is full of lorries, caravans etc. You might get a stretch where you can pull in but you then have an awful time trying to get back into the very busy middle lane. I suspect that's why lots of people coast in the middle lane in that situation.

For the 50 miles an hour, I always go into the inside lane. If I stay in the middle lane, drivers behind me get very annoyed that I am sticking to the speed limit!

I often drive on a very busy parts of the M6 (which bit isn’t 🤷🏻‍♀️) and M62 and there are loads of lorries. This causes a lot of people to be in the middle lane. If you pull in behind lorries you often end up stuck because the middle lane is too busy to pull out into so I think people are often reluctant to keep trying to change lanes as regularly as they should do.

Agree with PP that there are increasing incidences of simultaneous over and under taking of the same MLH. So dangerous and nothing you can do as an observer apart from ease off the gas slightly. There does seem to be a massive amount of drivers too scared to join at speed especially on dual carriageways, they carry on regardless at 40 odd leaving the original lane occupant having to make potentially dangerous adjustments. I am surprised that the poor drivers are often younger, why are they so unconfident?

Yeah I understand this and I think if the left lane is busy with lorries this isn't really the lane hogging I mean. As I get you there's no point dipping in quickly to then get stuck. If you are 'passing' the lorries just on a continual basis then that's proper use of the lane.

I've noticed a 'thing' on the 4-lane M25.

The far left lane is for lorries & leaving/entering the motorway.
The 2nd lane is now what the left hand lane used to be on a 3-lane motorway.
The 3rd lane is now the 'middle' lane.
The 4th lane is the far right overtaking lane.

I admit to driving this way in busy traffic as there are just too many lorries to feel safe in the far left lane.
I realise some PPs will be saying I shouldn't be in the 2nd lane but at times in the far left lane you feel like you're taking your life in your hands.
If there is a junction & people want to move out of the far left lane then I go into the 3rd lane then move back again.
Obviously if the far left lane is empty then I'll move into it.

On a 3-lane motorway, I drive in the left hand lane & move into the middle lane to overtake or if there's a junction.

It's not perfect but I do try to stay as left as possible but want to avoid being a filling in a HGV sandwich.

As a previous poster mentioned, speed cameras are generally set at 10% of the speed limit + 2mph, so a motorway roadworks camera would normally trigger at 57mph. DH once challenged a ticket on this basis and got away with it, but did receive a snotty letter saying the ‘rule’ was just ACPO guidance and not all forces used it, so it is a risk to rely on it.

I generally set the cruise at 54mph, when it is quiet, during roadworks to be on the safe side.

I had to drive during lockdown (keyworker, it was for work) and you got MLH even then! Totally empty motorway, and you’d come up behind somebody sitting in the middle lane despite nothing on the horizon in front of them in any of the lanes.

Speed limit - it depends on the road, I was on the M3 yesterday, 50 variable speed limit, everyone was doing 50. They obviously know the cameras are on and working. It was impossible to change lanes as all 3 were doing 50 and there was too much traffic to change lanes.

The most dangerous roads around here are the A roads, few speed cameras and two lanes. I have been passed on several occasions by cars going so fast you cannot even see what make they are, often racing each other. Terrifying

Middle lane hoggers should lose their license. Terrible driving, I wish they could be fined on the spot!

When you're in a fixed 50 mph section and all three lanes are moving at the same speed, I think some of the arguments about middle lane hogging are redundant. Different if someone in the middle lane sits there at 40, which is seriously annoying, but doesn't seem to happen much.

Why is there no 'like' button on MN?

I think the M25 is slightly different from many motorways as the left hand lane is often a filter lane for the next junction (or will soon turn into one) so it’s sometimes understandable that people aren’t using it as much.

I think it’s also good practice to move into lane two when approaching a slip road that joins the motorway if you can see it’s busy. But once you’re past the junction, move over as soon as practical.

Should clarify I'm not talking about middle lane hogging in a 50 zone. Two seperate issues. As yes all doing the same speed so no lane changing.

Middle laners: I am O-60 and no it was never ok. And I always look at them in irritation and do not find that older people are more guilty. Be careful if confirmation bias.

50mph average speed sections: Massive sections of our publicly funded ‘motorways’ are now reduced to this on the M20 to allow for the lorry park down one lane. Grrrr. But the new ‘smart’ motorways do have loads of working cameras because if their lethal nature, so don’t risk it. I hate driving with one eye on the speedometer so often peg my speed to a lorry as they have ‘limiters’ that accurately set their top speed.

Also, the ‘leeway’ is not the law. Don’t rely on it for cameras on ‘smart’ motorways, or in London where the Met’s guideline is only a 2% leeway (I think, it has varied between 1-2%).

I end up in the middle lane for longer than I'd like sometimes because:

There might be a car in the inside lane that means my stopping distance is shorter than the car in front of me in the middle lane.

There is a slip road joining the motorway and I can anticipate that cars on the inside lane are going to have to move to allow the slip road cars to join.

My lane position is always based on speed of road, behaviour of other cars on the road, stopping distances, slip roads on and off and possible risks.

As soon as I think it's safe/reasonable I'll return to the inside lane.

This being the case some of these choices are subjective and can be based on how powerful (or not) your car is and how effective your brakes are! (I'm sure you've seen top gear tests that show the difference in braking!)

Maybe some of these drivers have a whole different set of algorithms running through their driving choices?

In any event it's not worth getting annoyed at the behaviour of other drivers in the road as that affects your own ability to drive.

(One of the gantry noticeboards near me proclaims "FRUSTRATION CAUSES ACCIDENTS")

So I try to stay chilled out and really concentrate on being a safe, aware, considerate and defensive driver.

I have noticed a lot of very elderly drivers (like 60+) pottering along in the middle lane on motorways recently - I think they all stayed at home during Covid and are now venturing out again but have lost their driving skills somewhat.

None of them have the slightest idea what's behind them, how to use their mirrors or how to judge the road ahead. It's a real shame but I think regular re-testing wouldn't be a bad thing.

I also think lots of old people only wear glasses when driving, so even if they have the correct prescription they are used to only looking 6 inches in front of themselves (from all the time not wearing them) and therefore don't see things coming.