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'll add to this people who join the motorway at 30mph. The slip road is there for you to build speed to match the flow of traffic, not to just pull straight onto the motorway at a snails pace.

and tons of congestion on what could be otherwise clear roads.
Surely it’s because of too many cars?

Come to Germany OP...no speed limit on the Autobahnen.

That will get you 3 points on your licence if you're caught. It's an illegal maneuver

You say yourself that both of these lanes are going at an inappropriate speed. So the only difference is between you skipping between 3 lanes or 2.

Obviously you should take the route of least resistance. Which is the two lane option.

I'm not sure why your screaming high way code. Surely you realise you can't have everyone driving in lane 1. So yes you do pick the most appropriate lane for your speed and then overtake.

Honestly bizarre thinking. Just use common sense and try to fit in best you can without causing chaos.

I agree with this, but I will admit to always being slightly nervous that there won’t be a gap for me to pull into. Not everyone does what they are supposed to do and moves into lane 2 in order to let traffic join from the slip road. Sometimes lane 2 is too congested and the traffic in lane 1 can’t get in (esp if Lane 1 is all lorries), other times the person in lane 1 is just not paying attention.
Does anyone have any tips for that scenario?

Google it. You can only undertake in slow moving traffic, and it doesn't mean changing lanes. The RAC website says you can be fined for under taking a middle lane hogger.

Your theory tells me that you accept middle lane driving if someone 'picks a lane for the perceived speed' and sticks to that lane on the basis it is 'moving faster' than the others.

And yes of course 😂

Honestly I don't know why you can't envisage the chaos that would unfold if everyone drove as your suggesting.

The best thing I was ever taught in driving was drive as if you expect to meet yourself. It's not a bad motto.

I also find many people hog the outside lane of the dual carriageway too. Everyone is so desperate to be in the outside lane all they do is clog it up and then it goes slower than the inside lane.

I don't think motorway driving is that different. The concept is the same, if you're not overtaking, you dont need to be in lane 2/3/4 (joining/exiting aside).

I travel at 70mph on the motorway because that is the speed limit.. just like I wouldn’t travel at 20mph in a 30mph zone.

I get some people don’t like travelling as fast especially in smaller cars, so they absolutely should not go anywhere near the fast lane.

the slip lane is to adjust your speed so you can slip into lane 1 - the necessary speed can vary depending on road conditions so it is up to you to figure that out and adjust. So if it's full of lorries going at say 55mp, you get your speed up to about that and slip between them then wait for an opportunity to continue moving out again.

Yes I agree! And talking of safety for those who feel they are safe, superior motorway drivers. Do you leave a stopping distance of 24 car lengths when you are doing 70mph? That's what we should all be doing in an ideal world.

Are you travelling in the outside lane at the speed limit? Because, as has been pointed out on this thread many times, that is inappropriate unless all the other lanes are full with people travelling at lower speeds.

Scary to think so many people think it's ok to undertake unless in the already mentioned case where the traffic is all travelling at the same congested pace and where it is SAFE to do so. It is not typically safe to undertake as the cars you are undertaking will not be expecting you to do so and you will be in their blind spot. People are stupid if they think that it's safe and it worrying that people with police links think it's ok.
Would anyone seriously think it's safe to undertake a lorry?
I'd rather overtake the middle lane hoggers by overtaking them normally. It's hardly a hardship and much better than causing an accident.

It perfectly clear in the Highway Code. I don't understand why people are confused.

It strikes me that a motorway driving simulator would be a great thing to build and offer to the public in places where nervous drivers could go in and practice, with simulations of middle lane hoggers, aggressive overtakers flashing you, rain, darkness, complicated lane changes etc. you could start off with a test in which you drive as you normally would then it could tell you what you did right and wrong and have a virtual instructor talking you through it.

I might take this to Dragons’ Den…

Well Honestlynotsure i do appreciate your input, whether you do actually work for the police or not I am not convinced.... do you really? I have taken notes of your advice and will present them if I ever get pulled up for continuing my pace when alongside one of these dimwitted drongo's that should never ever be allowed out on a motorway. I drive around 45k per year and detest dumb drivers.
although i will admit my cruise set speed is 77mph on the speedo which takes me away from the above mentioned drivers who think it good to drive between 63 and 74 on the middle lane - or lane 3 out of 4 which seems to be the new middle lane magnet.
Why oh why is motorway driving not a part of learning to drive? Beggars belief that a 17 year old with 12 weeks of driving around town can jump in a car the day they pass their test and drive 300 miles on a motorway.

But what if there are no gaps? You’d have to stop. As someone else said, the safe stopping distance gap between vehicles is not there to move into.

@Uglyandgrumpy I imagine you'd be more like to get stopped for your speeding

There is virtually always a gap. In Australia absolutely no one moves over and you get quite confident at either speeding up or slowing down to pull into a short space at speed. In some 20 years on the road I’ve never come up short merging onto the motorway.

Neither have I, to be fair (driving since 1990), but it always worries me!
Why don’t people move over in Australia?

There are road rules? I just thought it had become a free for all. I get the most fuel economy from my car at around 60mph but I'd never sit hogging the middle lane.

I passed my test 35 years ago next month and the standard of driving is appalling not just on motorways. Just yesterday twice within 5 minutes I was approaching a t junction when a vehicle turned right on my side of the road. The first one was so close on my side of the I recognised the driver, it was my sibblings bil.

I hear you Op and my husband is one of the middle lane hoggers. It drives me insane.

I openly admit I break the law on occasion by overtaking in the slow lane . There are often massive stretches where on the two outside lanes are used (M40 is bad for this). I'm always interested to see that people then do start using the inside lane as if they've been reminded.

Good and bad lane discipline seems to be catching. The worse the lane discipline is up ahead the more other drivers follow suit.

No it's not

Every driver, regardless of speed, is unreasonably to just sit in the middle lane (or outer lane, as I've seen some do). All lanes other than the inside lane are for overtaking, and overtaking only. But plenty of people drive like twats, so I'm not surprised.

No, 77 on the speedo is circa 74 in real life which is a tiny bit over the limit but so much safer due to bad drivers who are unaware of watching speed, it is forced upon me.