To expect people to drive in the correct lane on the motorway?

[Sidge]

Drove back from Yorkshire today - 250 miles, most of it on the M1.

Couldn't believe how many people seem incapable of driving in the correct lane - often there was a virtually empty inside lane, then the traffic was all stacked up in the outer two lanes.

What's that all about? Is it because there's a lorry about a mile and a half ahead that you might have to pass in a couple of minutes, so they just sit in the middle lane instead to save having to actually steer the car?

Or is there an invisible force field surrounding the inside lane that only certain cars can break through?

Grr, bloody idiot drivers.

And don't get me started on how many knobheads still use their mobiles whilst driving...

[Blaah]

Lorries overtaking. Well, yes they are all on limiters, but one man's 60mph is another's 61mph.

When you're travelling all day that extra 1mph can make up enough time for a cup of tea.

[Blaah]

And dirving at 60mph on the middle lane of an empty motroway is perfectly acceptable.



Just make sure you pull over into the inside/nearside/slow lane when you see someone coming up behind you.

Ahh!. That does rather assume that you use your mirrors.

[SueW]

I'm with Califrau - US motorways scary with all that undertaking and overtaking. Don't remember being horrified in Virginia but CA .

[Blaah]

Oops. Driving.

[gibberish]

We were driving back from England in the summer and came across a numpty driving at 60 in the far right fast lane - the other two lanes were empty (tis true I tell you). dh drove behind him for about 5 minutes, flashing and signalling for him to pull over. The idiot just sat there until there was a queue of about 10 of us driving behind him! We all had to undertake him... Unbelievable. Driving tests should be compulsory every 10 years or so.

[winestein]

Doodle, I love your innocence The best thing about dual carriageways is that you can safely overtake people who think that the speed limit is 60

I am genuinely interested though to see if people can accurately define a dual carriageway. Can anyone here give their definition?

[gibberish]

Doesn't there have to be a barrier between the lanes for it to be a dual carriageway? I mean, just a line on the road isn't enough. I think...

[OrmIrian]

A dual carriageway is a road with more than one lane going in each direction with a barrier between them. I think

As for middle-lane hoggers..... I think of them as people who insist on sitting in the middle lane whilst the outside lane is empty. Rather than people who are in the middle lane when there is slower traffic in the outside lane. Which is what seems to exercise people on here - basically anyone who has the nerve to go slower than they do and be in front of them .

Bearing in mind that (unless the law has changed) 70mph is actually the legal speed limit on the mway.

[winestein]

Both of you are near as damnit.

The flow needs to be seperated by something - but not necessarily a barrier, it can be a grass or paved verge - but they don't necessarily have 2 or more lanes in opposite directions as you can have single lane dual carriageways.

I was curious because some people think that 4 lane single carriageways are dual carriageways

[Vikkin]

This thread reminds me - Twenty years ago my sister was pulled up by police on the M23 for driving in the middle lane at 2am when the inside was clear. She told them she was worried to be in the inside lane in case a rabbit ran out and she killed it. They waved her on.
Wish the Old Bill had been on the A3 @10pm Monday night when the old fool in front of me saw imaginary give way lines across it and stopped(!) just before a slip road to let traffic on. And I mean stopped totally.
God, you've got me started. I'm off.

[Phelia]

Why does everyone get so cross with lorries? They have as much right to be on the motorway, and overtake, as anyone else.
I drive a lorry regularly and don't see why mine should always have to go at 40-50mph (which some heavily laden artics do, PARTICULARLY up steep hills) just so that middle lane drivers can stay in the middle lane with their minds in neutral. Yes, it does sometimes take me longer to overtake than it would in a car, but that is why they build motorways with three or more lanes, so that those who wish to go faster than me and the artic I am passing are not held up.

[LazyLinePainterJane]

To me, a middle lane hogger is someone in the middle lane who is not making any progress compared to traffic in the inside lane.

[OrmIrian]

Yes that sound right lazy

[vnmum]

i think people should come and drive on the autobahns in germany and they might learn a few things. apart from around slip roads or other potential hazard areas or if it is wet then there is no speed limit. yes people do drive very fast but the vast majority have good lane discipline and even on the 2 lane autobahns there doesnt seem the problem of lane hogging. when we drive back to the uk we get so infuriated with the bad driving of the majority of people on the motorway.

there may be no speed limits on the autobahns but germany also has one of the lowest death rates by RTAs in europe so they must be doing something right. i think it is that the germans actually use their rear view mirrors which it seems alot of brits dont. (i am a brit by the way).

the on ething germany doesnt have is yellow boxes and they are buggers for blocking up junctions and traffic lights, which is also irritating