To overtake on motorway left hand lane?

[brasty]

DP says I am. But I hate when you are on a busy motorway, and someone is sitting in the middle lane, and will not move to the left hand lane, even though it is empty. While at the same time the right hand lane is packed with cars, making it hard to pull out into the right hand lane and still leave decent distances. So I have occasionally just overtaken the middle lane hogger in the left hand lane. I know the Highway Code says you should not, but sometimes it seems the safest option.

I am doing a long motorway drive today. After this thread and the other one I am thinking of going the scenic route and avoiding the motorway altogether. People don't seem to know what they are doing.

that you think it’s ‘not safe’ to overtake in the land you’re meant to use, but claim not to understand why it’s not safe to undertake. Which is illegal for a reason.

You shouldn’t be on the roads.

Yes, it is utterly reckless and dangerous.ive witnessed many a near miss where people decide they will "just nip" into the slower lane to undertake

Move to the left lane and stay there till you're a reasonable space ahead of the middle lane hogger. It's the zig zagging that's dangerous and illegal. I do a lot of motorway driving and have never had to follow a middle lane hogger going at 50 for 20 mins. It just doesn't happen.

OP do you move into the left lane, pass the hogger then move in front of them? Or do you do as cheesypastatonight describes?

What I'm interested to know is if all those saying why undertaking is dangerous slow down in the left lane (where general driving is supposed to be done) to ensure they don't undertake a middle land hogger.

Also I'm interested to know why on this motorway all the drivers seem to be in the rightlane. There seems to be no one on it observing the Highway Code!!

It is not the best example but this video shows what can happen. From 14:01 on car dash clock.

The problem is that cars moving back into the left lane don't check their blind spot. If you are in it when they move, they will hit you.

I witnessed a great deal of lane hogging and undertaking when I was en route to ds's university. Frankly I have never seen much undertaking round these parts, but further north... it was rampant! And so dangerous. As others observe, a middle-lane user might just be moving in and will not be expecting a car to roar past (or into them) on the left-hand side.

And as for middle-lane hoggers... sadly they are nearly always older drivers, grasping the wheel for dear life and staring straight ahead. Invariably flashing them does absolutely no good as they never look in the mirror. If they do move into the inside lane, they usually pick their moment, such as at a junction where cars are just coming on. Some people are lethal enough in the Waitrose car park, let alone on a motorway!

@charolais total digression but we took the 395 up from coming through Death Valley to the tioga pass and it was some of my favourite driving of the trip :) easy two lanes!

@wanderings I am continuing to polish my halo because no, I don’t do any of those things :)

@tizzydongue if you are in the left hand lane and the flow of traffic means you undertake a car in the lane to your right, that’s ok. It wouldn’t make sense to slow down. Weaving in and out of lanes, and overtaking on the left is not ok.

And as for middle-lane hoggers... sadly they are nearly always older drivers, grasping the wheel for dear life and staring straight ahead.

That's not been my experience. They seem to come in all ages, races, etc. I applaud them for their equality if not their utterly shit driving.

Yes I agree op - it's like having to wait at red traffic lights very tedious. As we are all in a hurry and dawdlers annoying maybe we should all just abandon the rules of the road that we don't really like. What could possibly go wrong?

Agree with Yorrick. The only common feature I see from people who are determined to stay in the middle lane, is that they are completely unaware of their surroundings and paying zero attention to the traffic around them. Increasing numbers of them are also on their phones as well.

It's illegal. So obviously not appropriate or safe.

Perhaps you need a refresher course OP?

I agree that middle lane hoggers come in all ages.

THere is jo ‘type’ for middle land drivers - old, young, whatever. My taxi drive rback from the airport was sitting in the middle lane at 70 all the way irrespective of what was going on, people were flashing him and undertaking. Asked him to move over and he said it was more fuel efficient in the middle lane! Dick face.

If I’m in the left lane, it’s clear ahead and here is a persistent middle lane driver I don’t bother moving out two lanes only to cut back across two lanes but hold my speed in the left lane.

Brassy, you need to move to the USA where this is the norm (and apparently legal).

As others observe, a middle-lane user might just be moving in and will not be expecting a car to roar past (or into them) on the left-hand side.
When moving to the left shouldn't you check your middle and left mirror? If there's not enough space for the manoeuvre the you shouldn't signal or make it?

Wouldn't this also means if you check your mirror you would see a person on your left travelling faster than you are? Then you'd wait till they have passed before you check your mirrors again and signal and move over when safe?

I'm quite a new driver - but I'm fair sure this is they method. Mind you I usually stick to the left lanes and only overtake when necessary.

Okay thanks for all the comments, I am quite wrong.

I am not a nervous driver and every time I am on the motorway, happily overtake. I do not weave, I am not going to flash or tailgate. And signalling to get out does nothing in these circumstances.

A few commenters know the conditions I am talking about. People in the 3rd or 4th lane, who are driving very fast, and are dangerously close together. No I am not going to pull into an imaginary gap. This is not a lack of confidence, but good driving. And as I have said, it is a very occasional that it is so bad, but it does happen - yes agree with comment about Newport Pagnell being one such place.

But I will just accept driving slowly until the traffic eases off so I can overtake in the right hand lane.

If you are a middle lane hogger be aware everyone hates you and are tutting away in their cars.

Agree they are all types. But all fall into two camps either bad drivers so unaware, or selfish arrogant gits like silvers taxi driver who know but don't care.

My taxi drive rback from the airport was sitting in the middle lane at 70 all the way irrespective of what was going on, people were flashing him and undertaking. Asked him to move over and he said it was more fuel efficient in the middle lane! Dick face. 70mph is the speed limit.

No, it's dangerous! What if the middle lane guy decides to move over to the slow lane?? They'd hit you.

Just flash at middle lane guy to move over, or pull out to fast lane and overtake.

To a pp, by definition a middle lane hogger is not overtaking cars in the inside lane.
If you've undertaken then you'll be unlikely to be pulling back into the middle lane anyway because the left lane is clear. On the rare occasions when it isn't it will be no different to normal motorway driving in that you check that no-one else wants to go into that lane.
Middle lane hoggers and people who don't indicate are the scourge of motorways.

And I have NEVER undertaken a lorry.I wait. Lorries don't hog lanes anyway, you just have to wait for them to overtake.

Our daily commutes really are the most dangerous part of most people's lives.

The UK has a huge population in relation to the size of the land. This means the roads are busy.

I can't begin to imagine how many lives would not already have been needlessly lost if everyone could stick to the Highway Code

OP - yabu (as, sadly are so many others on this thread).