Middle lane - how did you know?

[Graasspp]

Who taught you to stay left unless overtaking on the motorway?

How did all these utter counts not learn this?

For me it was my dad who told me.

Aibu to wonder how this ignorance prevails daily?

I'll be honest I wasn't really following rhe conversation, I just read the last message 🤣

Sorry!

Out of interest, do those aggressive drivers ever undertake you?

If they do, then you should've pulled in (because if there is room enough for someone to undertake you, then there was room enough for you to have pulled in).

If they don't, you're probably OK.

Audis can't use lane 1 ... they think.

I work on the assumption that it's not actually "undertaking", rather progressing in your lane when other lanes are travelling slower. It's common sense that the more dangerous manoeuvre is to swing two (or three!) lanes to the right, then two (or three) lanes back again.

I travel regularly on a 4 lane motorway and other than the lorries, it's like I have my own personal driving lane in lane 1. More often than not the middle lane hoggers are in lane 3, so I just continue on in lane 1. If someone is hogging lane 2, I take a bit of a view. If I can get to lane 3 easily then I will go round them the "right" way, but if it's busy I just carry on as I am.

I consider "undertaking" as being the deliberate act of getting past someone by going in to lane 1 to pass them (so going from lane 2 to 1 to go around them, rather than you were already in lane 1 and came across them).

Not sure if the police would agree, but I've never had a ticket or insurance claim in 27 years of driving.

I'm going to speak in partial defence of middle lane occupation, because I have seen an awful lot of emergency braking done for those who desperately move back asap when they've completed their overtake.

Because it is also part of the highway code that your manoeuvres should not cause another driver to change speed or direction. With safe stopping distances in consideration, plus the level of congestion on the roads, it's feasible to spend a long time in the middle lane legitimately.

I definitely get cut up a couple of times every time I'm on the motorway by someone desperately trying not to be a middle lane hog.

Yes, I posted my experience a few pages ago about the cops pulling over a car doing exactly the same speed (85mph) as me, but in the middle lane, while I was in the inside lane.

EDIT That was to the person/s wondering if it’s an offence to hog the middle lane.

No they don’t! Because I’m driving properly and there’s lorries on the inside going under 60, while I’ll be doing 70+

im not ‘probably ok’ - I’m driving correctly. It’s the twats driving up my backside who are driving dangerously

This! Lane awareness is shocking. You pull out and move in.

Middle-lane drivers give me the rage. I'm a fast driver but always return to the left-most available lane when I've finished overtaking and there's room to move in. This avoids 'zoning out' and keeps you alert on long journeys. I drive to Italy every year and just reverse the process, keeping right when space is available. People who think changing lanes every ten minutes is stressful shouldn't be driving, never mind on motorways.

Or should that be move out and pull in? In any case, the first / slow lane is the inside.

@Discointhekitchen I completely agree with you.
I was overtaking a middle lane hogger, I went into the outside lane, made sure there was space and made to pull back to the left and then to the inside lane. In the meantime, some idiot had undertaken the middle lane hogger and pulled in front of him/her, just as I was indicating and they blasted me with their horn as if it was my fault! They then proceeded to drive slowly in front of me as I returned to the left lane being really intimidating.
You can't reason with stupid

@TenderDandelions you are correct, you can carry on your way and 'undertake' if someone is slower in the right hand side lanes. I checked the Highway Code as a result of this thread 😃
I guess it's common sense though, something in short supply!

If you are in the left hand lane (lane 1) and the flow of traffic in your lane is travelling faster than vehicles in lane 2 then you can pass them, you are keeping up with the flow of traffic in your lane.

Drive defensively, think ahead and be aware of your surroundings at all times, if a car in lane 2 is indicating to pull into your lane then ease off to let them in.
If in lane 1 with a slip road joining it, pull over into lane 2 to allow traffic to join the motorway safely then pull back over to lane 1 after you’ve passed the slip road junction.

Phew! When I saw someone had tagged me in a post, I was expecting a roasting. It is AIBU after all!

The biggest problem with common sense is that it isn't all that common!

Middle lane hogging can significantly reduce the capacity of a lane. Motorways are built to accommodate up to 1900 vehicles per hour, but when drivers hog the middle lane, it can cause the capacity to decrease by more than a third. Despite the UK government investing billions of pounds to increase capacity on the roads, this effort is negated by the act of lane hogging by members of the public.

@Flyhigher if changing a lane every 10min is too much effort then what about using indicators?! That must be a chore for you too?!
I bet you are the driver that parks their car across two parking bays in my local supermarket?!

(Having previously seen it online) I left a note on a badly parked 4WD that said “IF YOU CAN’T EVEN PARK IT PROPERLY SHOULD YOU REALLY BE DRIVING YOUR HUSBAND’S CAR?”

Insulting to both sexes.

Seriously, get your driving licence revoked.
No one should be "zoning out" when driving a car!!

Because the people behind have to make more maneuvers to over take or potentially undertake (which is legal as long as you are not speeding and switching lanes to get through traffic.
The 2 middle lanes are overtaking lanes. If your not overtaking, move over.

I was on a non smart motorway yesterday and you're right - there was no change.

I saw it on the M1 so am wondering if it's a smart-motorway-only thing. My friend and I were on our way to Bedford at the time.

I'm often looking out for road signs and trying not to get lost. So be kind instead. Life is too short

to be fair if you want to look at road signs you should be in the inside lane anyway. Lorries often obscure the signs if you are in the next lane(s) over.

I'm a fast driver but always return to the left-most available lane when I've finished overtaking and there's room to move in

Isn't the piece in bold the key piece of info here?

Often there isn't room but people just get the hump that someone is in their way and they've either got to take their foot off the gas slightly, or move over to overtake.

@enchantedsquirrelwood it's not a smart motorway thing. It's any motorway merge. You will see it on them all.

I was on the motorway today and it's probably the worst I've ever seen. Lane 3 was packed. Was driving DPs car so was on my best behaviour.

Be kind?!

Be a better driver!

Pootling mindlessly in the middle lane? You sound like a dangerous driver.

I genuinely don’t understand this point. There are no restrictions on changing lanes in the vicinity of bog standard motorway junctions. I did about an hour on the M40 and then M4 today and unless it was separating into a different motorway (like when the M40 interacts with the M25), the lane markings don’t change. They simply don’t and you are free to
change lanes at will.

And I hate the guys who go cutting in front and then go into the left lane. Especially if both lanes are quite empty.

They're making a point about you hogging the middle lane.