To think it's ok to want to travel at 70mph on the motorway...

[JacquesHarlow]

...or am I now completely unreasonable, and the Highway Code is irrelevant?

Hear me out if you will:

I have done a LOT of driving in the past two weeks. M1, A1, A23, M25, M40, M6, you name it.

I am middle aged, F, live in Surrey, for what any of that is worth. I am also it seems one of the stranger folk...in that when I join a motorway, I drive at 70mph on the dot. I also stay in the left lane until overtaking.

AIBU for doing this?

It seems so, judging by the habits of hundreds of road users I encountered, who come onto the motorway and automatically slide into lane 3 of 4, or lane 2 of 3. And sit there for absolutely ages, at around 60 mph.

I kid you not, 60mph.

It's maddening. I am driving at 70mph, in lane 1. It is clear in front of me.

Next to me is someone doing 60 mph. I know this because I am coming up on them quickly. I cannot however undertake them - this is against the Highway Code.

So I indicate, check it's clear, move out to lane 2 behind them. I then look to move to lane 3 to overtake.

Only I can't move over to lane 3, because there is someone doing 60 (or maybe less), right alongside them. Not overtaking, just cruising next to them in their own little lane.

So I indicate again, move out to lane 4. Where of course it takes me 30 seconds or so to overtake, at which point someone is barrelling down on me wanting to do 80mph in their private fast lane. (I'm fine with this, I assert my right to overtake legally etc).

So that's three lane changes to overtake two cars who due to their speed (and the highway code's rules) should be sitting in lane 1.

Why do people do this?

I notice that when I've brought this up years ago on here, or when I've spoken to folk in real life, people often say

"It's more dangerous to do all that 'weaving about' than stay in a lane"
"I'm not going to get trapped in a lorry sandwich"
"People join constantly on motorways and I don't want to have to move over"

OK, great.

So you're going to make me change three lanes, just because you want your own little personal bubble on the motorway, and are happy to be a rolling roadblock?

I think middle lane hoggers are not only selfish, but actually dangerous.

But AIBU?

I have also done some mway driving recently and found the same. I do not undertake.

But chatting to some people about it, they suggested fuel economy as a reason for 60 speed. Cruise control and most economical speed.

My car doesn't have cruise control and it doesn't tell me whether my driving is fuel efficient, so I hadn't even considered this!

But yeah, always go back to the inner most lane, even if you're cruising.

Unfortunately, lane discipline on the motorway is not something that is always taught. I think it’s slightly better now, although my dds’ instructor wasn’t interested in giving them a (paid for) lesson after they passed their tests. So very often, kids teach themselves how to drive on the motorway. Unless they have a parent / mentor there to tell them what to do I think a lot of people are ignorant and have no idea what to do.

You don't need to overtake them. The definition of undertake is if you use the left lane to go past someone in the middle lane then cut back in front of them. Just keep moving along at your pace in your clear lane, no need to overtake them at all. For reference I work within the police.

Lane discipline seems to be getting worse! Too many drivers seem to pick a lane and then stay in it no matter what. I agree it’s maddening.

Lot of people around on the motorways at this time of year that are not professional drivers/used to the motorway network who are going on holiday.

The "sunday driver" thing is real.

People get in a lane and then grip the wheel tightly going slowly forward at constant speed and are too scared to change lanes at all.

As above, you don't need to fanny about changing over lanes in this situation. Just go past them.

Yup, I'd just stay in the left lane at 70mph.

I have no issue with people driving at 60mph on the motorway. But I do have an issue with anyone using the right hand lands for anything other than overtaking. Middle lag hogging is the worst.

It's illegal to hog/ cruise in the middle lane .
Last week on the local news a reporter was out and about asking people about this and 89% didn't know . Said they like to cruise at @ 60mph in the middle lane .
They should be cameras capturing and giving them fines.

That’s really helpful to know from a police perspective. I do just carry on like this but feel a bit nervous doing so. Agree with you OP, middle lane hogging is dangerous and just really bad driving.

It's absolutely legal and fine to do this, it's just called progressing within your own lane. Undertaking is completely different to this.

Me too. It's more dangerous moving across multiple lanes and back again than it is to stick at 70mph in lane 1.

UK motorways have become the battlefields of chavs driving at 80s or 90s on right lane or middle lane hogger driving at 60 MPH. Be careful with what you do. NEVER overtake from left, avoid extreme left lanes(hard shoulder opened up due to traffic congestion), never compete on the roads. From my driving experience, what I can say is that people who do all above, may reach home/office a minute or two before you but their productivity is no different to mine. So, it s a waste of time, energy and fuel.

Sadly, i have observed more and more women trying to compete with men on merc, bimmer, VW and audi for speed, lane and priority.

I drove the entire length of the M6 south on Sat. then north again last night.

A lot of the southern end is smart motorway, so no hard shoulder, I think people avoid lane 1 because of this.

But yes, you are right, too many drivers ignoring the lane to left of them which they should move into. Not sure why; poor driving awareness? Fear of moving lanes? Laziness??

That causes too many cars in the outside lane all nose to tail which is mad because this ends up making the busiest lane the fastest.

Are you a Road Traffic Officer or work within Britain's motorways?

I strongly contest your post, as a lot of articles online from motoring organisations suggest otherwise:

If there’s a car in lane two travelling at 50mph and you’re in lane one travelling at 70mph, it’s not acceptable to undertake that car at undiminished speed. Overtake it on the right-hand side or, if that’s not possible, slow down to a speed at which you’ll gradually move past the car.

Undertaking in an unacceptable manner is considered careless driving or driving without due care and attention. You could get caught by a police patrol or enforcement camera or be reported by a member of the public with dashcam footage. The minimum penalty for an unacceptable undertake is three points on your driving licence and a £100 fine.

So which is it @Honestlynotsure

If they are driving at 60 then I see your point. I've been doing motorway driving more as my husband's illness means he has been unable to so I've become the main driver. I don't enjoy it and never have. I've noticed on some motorways like m25 the left lane often zones off so I was having to move across to the next lane and when it's really busy it's not always easy to get across, so now I go in to that lane ASAP as I know it's not going to branch off. I do drive at 70 although most of the time there's speed limits in place so I stick to those and it becomes the slowest lane at various points anyway. I find the erratic drivers weaving and tailgating dangerous. They don't get any further ahead either. I'm normally in very heavy traffic but if it's a clear motorway I stick to the left and let the boy racers speed ahead.

Middle lane hogging seems to be a real issue lately. Maybe because the motorways are so busy now and they are not confident about changing lanes (a possible reason, not a justification). I'm just back from driving in France and lane disciple was so much better. Everyone was in the right hand lane unless overtaking. And almost every car travelled within 10kmh of the speed limit so basically all cars were going at one speed and all lorries at one speed, which made it a lot easier. But they were also a lot less busy. The drive back from Dover was so much more taxing than hours and hours on French motorways.

Rule 268
Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

Not sure which bit of the police you work for, but the Highway Code says this should not be done unless in congested traffic (I assume when all lanes are queuing).

I agree.

I hate driving really fast, but I don't disgrace myself on the motorway and NEVER hog the middle (or outside) lane. I know the rules!

But I do think people should be able to drive at 60 on the inside lane. Not 35, sure - and I've come across this! Find another road if you want to do that. but surely, 70 is the speed limit, not the minimum you can do? Surely it's a more economical speed than 70 +?

I promise I'm not a person who gets in people's way or holds people up on motorways, but I really hate high speed and I don't think the idea of a motorway was to make everyone drive at the speed limit ....was it??

Rule 268
Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

I like this rule, and use it.

If you are going to travel at 60 you should be in the left lane unless you move to let someone merge then get back over.
That allows everyone else to use the motorway properly and the nutters to do 95 down the “fast lane”

But I'm not "competing" with anyone?

The mentality of competing is so bizarre... do you actually believe @OssomMummy1 that certain German marques deserve to drive faster and that it is wrong for us women to try and drive at 70mph?

I am just a bit staggered here...

I drive to the speed limit because I am using the motorway to make progress. I thought (I am clearly wrong) that the Highway Code and Britain's motorway police (wherever they are) would support me in keeping to lane 1, then overtaking when I encounter a slower vehicle.

Instead I am reading that actually I should undertake them, and risk a FPN and £100 fine.
Or I should stop trying to 'compete' with the German premium marques, and stay in my lane, looking to my right to see what Audi Man and BMW Chap would like me to do in terms of speed.

I would agree but I wonder what would be the ruling if the idiot in the middle lane decided to pull into the left lane as I was passing?

There's a couple of places near me where entry slip roads become an extra lane. But it seems 90% of the middle lane hoggers are also unobservant. They are in a desperate rush to get out of the lane they incorrectly think is a slip road ending, and straight over into what they think is lane 2, but is in fact lane 3. Where they sit at 65 overtaking nothing. Madness.

Although at least it's then pretty safe for me to go past them in lane 1 with lane 2 empty as a buffer.

I agree with you, but this is not the reality of UK roads right now.

Yesterday I saw a Kia Sportage, driven by a guy in his 40s, sitting in lane 3 of the M25 at 60mph.

Oblivious to the cars behind him which were moving around 1 by 1, refusing to move over even though he was flashed (which I realise is 'wrong' driving behaviour, but good lord everyone knows it happens).

I could list dozens upon dozens of similar incidents. Men, women my age, young women.