to ask you about driving on the motorway?

[RoastitBubblyJocks]

Can anyone explain motorway driving etiquette to me? I shall give some scenarios that I wonder about.

Say there are 2 lanes. Inside lane, or lane one, is full of cars or lorries doing 56-60.

Lane two is moving at 70mph ish.

If someone tanks it up behind you at 80, should you take your foot off the accelerator/brake in order to slot into the slower lane and let the fast car past?

If there are 3 lanes, Lane 1 doing 60ish (eg lorries etc), Lane 2 doing, say 70mph, if a car comes up behind at 75-80, who should move? Me, therefore having to brake to get into the slower lane? Or the other car into the outside lane?

Or should they go into Lane 3 to overtake?

If there are two lanes, inside doing 56-60, me in lane 2 doing 70 or just over, someone comes up behind me at 80, should I move in even though they shouldn't be going so fast?

DH says if you are driving correctly on a motorway you shouldn't ever need to brake (unless there is an incident to avoid, obviously).

Can I clarify that I'm not talking about middle-lane-hoggers on an empty motorway. I'm talking about medium traffic than is freely flowing.

Last summer I drove for about 75 miles at 55 mph in the centre lane behind some idiot male driver who refused to move over to the left to let me overtake. We had been camping and I was towing a trailer so could not use the outside lane. I was legally allowed to drive at 60mph but that idiot held me up. I could have illegally used the outside lane but I like my clean licence.

Stay where you are, let them use the third lane if they need to overtake!

roastit No, that's a stupid idea. Ignore them, don't make them think you're brake-testing them. Plus, a determined tailgater won't back off, if they think you're brake-testing them it will annoy them more. Just either maintain your speed or move over if you can. Deliberately blocking someone is asking for trouble.

Just because you see someone else doing in excess of 70mph does not mean you are required to obstruct them or make their progress difficult. If they want to do 90+, let them past, you are not the police and it's not your place to make them do 70.

But Zombie in talking about when there is nowhere to go, either you brake and try and get in between lorries in lane 1 or you continue in lane 2 at your 75 ish speed, or you allow yourself to be pushed along the road faster and faster.

If someone can undertake you, you are in the wrong lane. Otherwise I agree with the majority of posters.
Weaving in and out of lanes is faster - proved on Mythbusters

I am so glad to not drive. Have been a passenger on and off for 50+ years.

Very rarely, I acknowledge, it would be handy, but for the most part, with the costs and the risks and the damn idiots (not you on MN, the other drivers, of course), some with no insurance and no sense, it's a risky thing to be doing.

Let me enjoy my next 30 years not needing to drive (perhaps getting a driver though if my business booms) and I'll be happy.

Anyway, drive safely, and have a great Christmas and 2015.

If I am overtaking and someone wanting to go faster comes behind me then they have to wait until I have finished overtaking before I pull in. I don't brake or pull over and slow down. The fastest person doesn't get to inconvenience everyone else. Sometimes the road is too congested for people to speed along. Once I have finished overtaking I pull in

If I am actively overtaking and there are cars in front of me I continue to overtake. If I was overtaking in lane 3 and there are no cars in front of me I would move in if there was a gap in lane 2 and back to overtake afterwards if lane 2 was for example moving at lower than 70mph and I would be overtaking again.

Once I have overtaken I move back in to lane one or the inside lane depending on the traffic and whether a slip road is coming up - eg if there is a slip road coming on in less than half a mile I might stay in lane 1 to let traffic enter the motorway and if I see traffic coming on while I am on the inside I might look to move in to lane 1 to allow the traffic on.

roastit Perhaps I haven't explained what I meant properly. I'm not for one minute suggesting you should brake and slot yourself into a gap if someone comes up behind you. You carry on at your speed, you're not being pushed into going faster - they can go past you if they want to go faster.

Thanks, Zombie. I sometimes do let myself be pushed, because at the time the aggression they seem to have behind me makes me feel I'm in the wrong. But the faster I go, they still sit right on my bumper! So it's maybe not my speed that's the problem, probably just that I'm female and have the audacity to be in front of them.

I will try and stic k with overtaking at my speed then pulling in when safe.

Merry Christmas everyone!