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 think the answer is you look at the prevailing conditions, the amount of traffic and the speed everyone else is travelling at and you adapt your driving accordingly. To say you are going to drive at 70 no matter what the conditions are like or the speed other people are driving at is ignorant, arrogant, and leads to accidents.

Can you stay off the M25 and M1 for the next few weeks please.

But that’s not a rule in the UK. The UK has the same rules as Australia with regard to joining a motorway.

Middle lane hoggers doing 60mpg do my head in.

They can drive on motorway with instructor now before passing my dc did. I just had one optional lesson on a motorway after passing. With smart motorways etc then maybe an online course every few years would help.
There’s a few places I drive regularly that people are always in middle lane. One they have added a new junction and motorway goes to 2 lanes so people have adopted habit of being in middle lane on that stretch.

No I’m travelling in the middle lane, and use the outside lane to overtake

You are mistaken. You are not obliged to move out of the way of traffic joining the motorway in the UK. Generally speaking, most people do if they can because they like to help. In my experience, they do the same in the Australian states I have driven in.

You do see some idiots slow down as they progress down the slip road rather than match their speed to the traffic in the inside lane. I saw one on the M5 last week that came to a complete halt at the end of the slip road and sat there forlornly indicating. An accident waiting to happen.

It’s very unlikely that two cars in lane 1 will be closer together than the length of your car. So what you do is speed up to match the speed of the car you want to get in BEHIND, and pull into the gap between the two cars. You’ll be travelling at the same speed as the car in front but too close, so you GENTLY (without braking) let a gap appear in front of you. The car behind you does the same.

edited to add that one reason for leaving lane 1 clear is to allow joining traffic to get on.

Isn't motorway driving one of those problems (like the prisoner's dilemma or the tragedy of the commons) that is insoluble even if everyone behaves with perfect enlightened self interest?

Cars in lane 1 can't pull out to overtake, say, a lorry because of cars in lane 2 (they're in the way, irrespective of speed). To avoid this problem, they spend longer in lane 2 thus becoming the problem themselves.

Sometimes (I'm looking at you M25) it gets so bad it inverts and lanes 3 and 4 fill up with slow moving traffic, whilst I bowl along in lane 1.

Eventually I catch up with a lorry and have to decide whether to take my life in my hands by overtaking. Is this the moment when I get sideswiped by someone in lane 3 who's suddenly woken up but, regrettably, forgets he has a blind spot on his nearside??

Come and try the M5, it’s a car park for most of the summer. It’s hugely entertaining watching people switching and weaving between lanes to get ahead, only to find you passing them on the inside some miles on.

But you are undertaking, surely. In terms of, you're going past in their blind spot and they won't expect you to be there. Cue screechy noisy crash. Just because you're not switching back into the middle lane after going past doesn't make your manoeuvre safe.

Yanbu

At least 20% of drivers on motorways seem to have no clue what the rules are. Or why.

People keep talking about the Highway Code, but a lot of the Highway Code is guidance not law. They advise against overtaking on the left because it is potentially unsafe (the driver to your right might not be aware of you), but it isn't de facto illegal.

To meet the threshold of illegality the driver performing the manoeuvre would have to be driving dangerously or carelessly. @JacquesHarlow sounds like she is in control of her vehicle, driving sensibly and within the speed limit. Highly unlikely she would be considered to be acting illegally.

I also use motorways every day. And notice same thing. I have noticed someone driving in lane 3 with 1 and 2 empty. I think its lazy driving so they don't have to change lanes but it's more dangerous to have to change extra to get round them, it also infuriates people which makes them make stupid decisions

You go past their blind spot on the right too. The driver in lane 2 should be checking mirrors. What if I matched there speed next to them, should they not look then either?

Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a light up rear display, so that once you are safely past you could give a bit of help…….😁

”Thanks for hogging the middle lane”

“Thanks for getting off your phone”

”Indicators can be a useful driving tool”

Another one for Dragons Den!

Are motorways a mandatory part of the driving test? If not, why not? The number of people who are totally clueless about the use of lanes and getting on and off is bizarre (because it’s not that complicated).

And middle lane hoggers, I just don’t get it at all. I can’t actually get my head around what they’re thinking.

https://www.driving.co.uk/news/the-wrongs-of-undertaking-does-being-branded-a-careless-driver-fit-the-crime/

I always think this. Mine would be on the passenger side and as I go past it
would light up " who are YOU overtaking?"

It would be hard to make them a mandatory part of the test as there are large areas of the country which aren’t local to a motorway.

The M5 ends in Exeter and there is no Motorway West of there.

Yeah, fair point, I’m just spoiled in the north west - they’re everywhere!

I’m North West too so I know exactly what you mean, it’s easy to take for granted just jumping on the Motorway even for short trips!

I prefer to go at 55-60mph on the motorway but will hog the inside lane. Still got harassed by faster drivers even though lanes 2, 3 and 4 were completely empty

@Chester23
You go past their blind spot on the right too. The driver in lane 2 should be checking mirrors. What if I matched there speed next to them, should they not look then either?

You should check your blind spot whenever you move lanes on a motorway but because drivers are seated on the right hand seat of their vehicles then blind spots are more of a problem to the rear left of your car than your rear right. Surely that's obvious. It's much, much worse for vans and trucks.
Again, surely that's obvious and surely you know that.

Add in the fact that drivers are much less likely to expect to be undertaken then that seems like a good enough reason not to ever undertake (unless in slow moving traffic where you are all moving with the traffic as described by previous posters)

Also undertaking (in most cases) goes against the Highway Code.

Middle lane hoggers are annoying and having to overtake them is annoying but I'd rather be annoyed than put myself and other drivers at risk.

I find a lot of motorway users ridiculously impatient and think if everyone gave themselves 15 minutes extra time driving would be a lot less stressful all round. I've made a few drivers extremely angry by moving over to let joining traffic from the sliproad enter the motorway.

As far as I know, you go at 70 in the slow lane to keep the traffic flowing unless you have no choice because your stuck behind someone driving at 55.