to ask middle-lane sitters why they do it?

[Gentleness]

I'm not starting this thread to criticise or belittle at all, so please don't flame me. The audi thread just got me thinking about my constant mental battle to assume the best of other drivers. I have to, as I'm naturally a harsh critic and I don't like it in myself. But while I can think someone speeding is trying to get to their sick child, or someone dithering has had a bad scare, I struggle to understand the drivers who sit in the middle line on motorways. So, tell me why so I can train my brain to be kind!

[SashaSashays]

Exactly Kato, why are people so stupid. Overtaking is not difficult yet nearly every bloody time I get some twat doing it not just incorrectly but piss poorly.

I get very shouty.

[maddening]

Undertaking juney

[CommanderShepard]

Unless you are actively overtaking another vehicle you should be in the leftmost lane. Not hard to understand.

Some of you really remind me why I'm in favour of periodic retesting.

[FlouncingMintyy]

Undertaking, Juney.

[juneybean]

As I said in my previous post at no point am I in the middle lane, how am I undertaking. I am in the left lane constantly because it is clear, there's also a clown in the middle lane for no reason.

Is this illegal am I supposed to go from lane 1 to lane 3 in order to drive past said clown?

[FlouncingMintyy]

Since you are the expert, what do you define as "active overtaking" CommanderShepard?

Please could you word it in a way that makes it possible for the rest of us thickos to understand.

[whateveritakes]

Really annoying and it happens on dual carriageways when people sit in the right lane because in about oh 7 minutes time they might just about have overtaken that lorry on the left.

Noticeably in Europe everyone is very good about using the correct lanes. There are LOADS of lorry but shock horror you still have to pull in or overtake!!!

My other half is shocking for lane hogging (comes up with the same twaddle people on here) and was beeped by angry drivers all the way across the Continent!

[ivykaty44]

they should join safely by themselves

[http://www.theorytestadvice.co.uk/learn-to-drive/dual-carriageways.php this explains how]]

[Sparklingbrook]

Surely it's all just common sense and courtesy really? It is possible to think of other road users when you are driving believe it or not.

[FlouncingMintyy]

Undertaking is when you drive past someone to the right of you. What do you think undertaking is? It is dangerous because we are trained to look for vehicles directly behind us and behind us and to the right of us, but not for vehicles behind us and to the left of us. The middle lane driver could choose the exact moment you move into their blind spot to pull back over into the left lane.

[Sparklingbrook]

Undertaking is generally done to make a point sadly.

[maddening]

Yes juney you are meant to move In to an overtaking position - undertaking as in passing on the inside is illegal no matter where you come from - left lane/middle lane/mars

[GirlOutNumbered]

It's worse on duel carriageways!

[Sparklingbrook]

I do get the bit about them joining being their responsibility ivy, but I move over if I can because it's courteous. That would explain why nobody ever does it for me.

[juneybean]

Consider me educated

If it was a dual carriageway what would I be expected to do, slow down and hope clown moved?

[KatoPotato]

But what if I'm driving on the inside lane at 70 and meet a car in the middle lane that hogging at 50? do I have to go right into the third lane to overtake?

[maddening]

Yep slow down and hope they move - unless you have a monster truck in which case you can drive over the top of them (although I suspect that that is also illegal

[ivykaty44]

www.gov.uk/motorways-253-to-273/overtaking-267-to-269

juneybean - yes you are undertaking and you should move carefully to the middle lane and then the outside lane to over take the vehicle so that you over take on the right and not on the left.

active over taking is getting past a vehicle on the left rather than just sitting in the car in either of the middle or outside lane and just driving without actually overtaking vehicles unless they just happen to be there and you drive past them on the left.

[maddening]

Yes Katy third lane to overtake then move safely back to the left lane

[MurderOfProse]

juneybean - legally about the only option on dual carriageways with an outside lane hogger is to think of inventive swearwords. That's about your lot

[ChocolateCakePlease]

I don't like drivers who sit in the middle lane doing 65mph either but i do see the logic of sitting in the middle lane when they over taking a number of vechicles over a longer period. I actually thing drivers who dodge from the middle lane to the inside lane only to move back 10 seconds later is far more dangerous!

My biggest bugbear is drivers who sit in the inside lane and don't move to the next lane (if it is clear) to allow others to join the carriageway! Instead they sit in the inside lane whilst drivers joining have to slow right down to a stop to join which is dangerous. JUST MOVE OVER!

[KatoPotato]

I've literally never been in this situation (yet) but now I see why they cause so much aggro!

[Sparklingbrook]

Apparently there's no need Chocolate, the responsibility is for the joining driver to get up to speed and pick their moment to cut someone up.

[Sparklingbrook]

Or stop.

[BarbarianMum]

I'm a middle lane sitter on the M1.

Left hand lane: nose to tail HGVs doing about 50mph, fast lane: mad people doing 80mph, middle lane: everyone else including me.