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?

Yes absolutely you need to plan well in advance. Not a driving instructor but taught my son to drive and would often spot test him as to what was the car behind.

There are very few drivers bowling past at 80/90, long stretches of the motorway are smart and covered with gantry cameras.
People have to remember if the speedo reads 68-70 actual speed is more likely to be substantially lower.

I did that when I used to do "observing" for Institute of Advanced Motorists. It was one of many "tricks" we used during observed lessons to keep the driver on their toes and ensuring they were observant. Another good one was asking "what road sign have we just passed?" The first time we did either, the driver hadn't a clue, but after a few times of asking, they were getting it right every time. They're good habits to get into, to actually look at other things rather than being blinkered at staring at the car ahead.

I always told drivers that the IAM was about two main things. One being the mechanical side of how to drive, i.e. the "system" or order to do things, not braking during cornering, etc. The other was all about observation and planning, not just planning for yourself, but also planning (or forecasting) what other drivers may do around you and being prepared for them doing crazy things.

One matter that we highlighted was the problem of cars joining a dual carriageway or motorway. Usually, there's an exit lane about quarter/half a mile before the entry lane, so when you see an exit, you can "assume" there'll be an entry a bit further on, so you need to be planning to move over to the next lane on the right "just in case" some muppet comes storming down the slip road into your lane. Not necessarily actually moving over, but at least thinking about it, looking for a space, maybe accelerating/decelerating to put yourself alongside a space, just in case you have to.

We did a lot of practising on motorways as motorway driving is part of the IAM test.

@taxguru
All excellent skills to have. The most difficult I find, is attempting to predict what other drivers will do.

There's a junction near where I live and I would say 1 time out of five the driver will pull out. My son was taught at that junction to expect someone to pull out on you. It should really be a 40 mph that stretch but is Max speed and there are always accidents.

I always told drivers to treat every other driver as an incompetent idiot and prepare for them doing the stupidest thing you could imagine.

Also told them never to assume anything. Don't assume someone indicating left will turn left, never assume someone not indicating won't suddenly turn off. Don't assume the pedestrian will stop at the kerb rather than walking in front of you. Never assume the driver approaching red traffic lights will actually stop. Etc Etc.

Basically to paraphrase an American TV character (can't recall who). "Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best".

When our son was learning to drive a few years ago, the first thing the instructor said to him was assume everyone else on the road is an idiot! My son thought it funny, but he soon realised it's actually a good thing to remember!

No because that’s inconsiderate to people behind.

A speedometer indicating 70mph with an actual vehicle speed of 64mph would be within the legal tolerance. It does go some way to explain why some people sit in the outside lane at 65, stubbornly refusing to move left to let following traffic pass.

Re the pulling out of a junction, just taking the foot of the accelerator will massively reduce stopping distance if need be. You don't have to drive slowly everywhere and don't have to be constantly braking to "prepare" for the idiots, something simple like foot off the accelerator and "covering" the brake, i.e. foot over the brake pedal ready to press it, will knock many feet off the stopping distance if it comes to that, reducing both thinking distance and stopping distance if you're prepared for it. If they stop and don't pull out, then it's foot back on the accelerator and you just carry on as before with virtually no loss of speed and no time added to the journey. Simple things can make a massive difference.

If they're not actively overtaking, they should move over, regardless of speed. The right hand lane is for overtaking, not for cruising. Speed doesn't really come into it. They're either actively overtaking or they're not.

Agreed, but some people seem to have the mindset that they are driving at the 70 limit so why should they move over to let people past.

Only they aren’t actually driving at the 70 limit.

I wouldn’t say they’re covered with cameras, there’s the odd one here and there. It’s very easy to spot them.

DP and I cover about 100000 miles a year travelling the length and breadth of the country. The gantries are on all the main motorways.
Very few drivers are bowling along at 90 some on this forum talk like it's 1995.
Plus the M1 is now basically roadworks from Sheffield to Northampton and beyond.

You don’t think there are cameras on all the gantries do you?

I came to say the same. It’s only undertaking if you are behind them and use the left lane to pass them and then move back over.
if I’m in lane 1 (note it’s not called a slow lane) and I pass a car doing a lower speed than me in lane 2 (not called a fast lane) the. I can legally do so. The lane 2 driver is in the wrong. You should move the left hand most available lane unless overtaking and, if over taking you should move back to the left lanes as soon as it is safe to do so.

I live in ROI and it happens every night I drive home (2 lane motorway)

You obviously don’t use the m3 and m27 then,, the motorway I spend most of my time on. Theres a bunch between j3-4 around the farnborough area, and then not a single one until you reach the edge of Bournemouth. And I regularly see drivers doing 90+, especially on the bit between Basingstoke and Winchester. See this website to see what I mean…

www.scdb.info/en/karte/

Yes they do.

That's a really fast bit of road. I was quite impressed to discover my car can do 90...

Don't go east on the M27. You will find many miles of roadworks, to which they have just added a contraflow.

Well to be fair the southern end of the m3 for years had average speed cameras in place around Eastleigh/Winch for the lane widening works, but they’re now gone, and yes, the Portsmouth bound section of the 27 is now average limit too.

We drive to New Milton often.
There aren't many people driving at 90 mph or above on any UK motorway. In fact, there is a decreasing trend in driving speeds across all networks.

You are allowed to undertake if you do so in a safe manner if there is traffic in the other two lanes. As per the rule above this is classed as staying in lane during congestion. If you are able to drive to cross two lanes to overtake then you should do so.

See I think this is a design flaw in the UK highway code.

In the parts of the US I have driven in (where to be fair it helps to have more lanes) the inside lane is mostly only used for entering or exiting the freeway. Then you move out to the other lanes as needed. If you stay on the inside lane you are likely to find yourself leaving the freeway when you didn't mean to, as lanes often peel off at exits.

In the UK the inside lane is still a series of hazards (people entering and exiting and big trucks) but you are supposed to drive in it.

So if the inside lane is not completely empty but also not fully congested then you either have to break the speed limit so you are always overtaking or play a kind of continuous game of chicken against the hazards.

Which doesn't seem like a good rule.

Learners are able to drive on a Motorway only with a Fully Qualified Instructor ie: not a trainee and only in a dual controlled car. Once the law was changed, I used to take my learners on the Motorway regularly. However, we are lucky to have 2 junctions serving our area. Ideally, once they have passed their tests ALL newly qualified drivers should have Motorway lessons but atm they are voluntary. It would be very tricky to enforce this especially in remote island areas

I drive on motorways a lot and am so fed up with cars driven by unconfident drivers who stick in the middle lane.
Who force everybody to work out strategies to drive at 70 mph! Whether overtaking, undertaking or weaving between lanes.
I've never heard of anyone actually prosecuted for middle lane hogging.

This!