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?

You’re not wrong, it’s also dangerous and the Police are cracking down on it.

Correct.

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.

That suggests the issue is with passing the car with a 20mph differential in speeds, it does say that passing the car whilst remaining in your own lane is fine, as long as you pass them gradually - presumably no more than a 10mph differential.

The ruling would be dangerous driving due to undertaking.

This is the problem with our roads - people on this thread are TELLING me to undertake in these scenarios, on the basis that all that 'weaving about' into other lanes is more dangerous.

Yet it is clearly more dangerous to contravene the road conventions and move past someone on the left.

Why are so many people afraid of overtaking in this country? It's like a national disease or something.

In this situation I honestly just stay in the first lane and maintain speed, I don't see it as undertaking if I'm maintaining the speed I was already at and the car in the second lane is driving slowly and hogging the middle lane

I would see it as undertaking if I was behind the slower car in the second lane, moved into the first lane to get past them, and then moved back into lane 2 in front of them

If you go past traffic on your right there's a danger they will suddenly pull in leaving you with a possible collision. If they are already driving sloppily, don't expect them to use their mirrors. Or indicators.

No such thing as undertaking. It’s overtaking from the wrong lane.

I drive a very small car and people - okay mainly men - seem to have a real issue with me overtaking them. Driving back home on the M5 a few weeks ago there was a middle lane hogger doing 60mph but every time I went to overtake him, he’d speed up and not let me past. Utter arsehole. Managed to get past in the end, he promptly tailgated me until I got off the motorway. Pathetic little man.

Whilst YANBU for being infuriated (I am too, having also done a lot of motorway driving this weekend), YABU for thinking that you cannot undertake in those circumstances. You can.

You would sound your horn while simultaneously dropping back quickly so you didnt crash into them (or them into you)

I do wish the police would clamp down a bit on middle lane hogging, although I know they’re overstretched these days of course. I think middle lane hogging is really quite dangerous as it causes bottlenecks and forces other drivers to compete to get into the outside lane.

I don't think it's any worse now than it was 10 years ago, expect you do have more cars on the road (so more idiots)
Certain people have always hogged the middle lane and it's bloody annoying. I'd be worried going past someone in the middle lane on the left because there's a risk they will change lanes and not sure who would be at fault if you crashed.

I believe it's wrong to keep moving faster on the inside lane than vehicles to your right. I think that what OP does is correct. The drivers not moving to the left as default are in the wrong.

It's not likely to be safe to overtake on the left (undertake). Drivers are bad enough at using their rear-view mirrors, they certainly won't be checking their passenger-side mirrors for maverick undertakers before they pull in. When they suddenly remember they should be on the inside lane and move over, they won't expect to find you zooming up from behind them.

What you've defined is not 'undertaking' it is progressing at an appropriate speed in your lane, as it says 'slow down to a speed at which you’ll gradually move past the car.' which is exactly what you'd be doing moving past at only 10mph more than the other vehicle. If you sped past in the left lane at 100mph that wouldn't be ok, if you sped past and then cut back in front of the other vehicle that wouldn't be ok either. Its common sense.

I’m happy to overtake - I’m not going to sit behind lorries. I’m happy to go all the way over and back but I drive on the motorway a lot and at this time of year it is full of people who do it once a year for their holidays often with over packed boots limited their vision.

Hahaha what you've quoted agrees exactly what with I've said! Have you even read it?? This thread is hilarious.

The Highway Code is quite clear. The only exceptions are slow moving traffic or congestion, which bowling along at 60mph is definitely neither of those.

Quite the opposite in my experience, I feel like I'm going too slow doing 70 because so many are rushing past me doing 80/90+!

Yesterday I saw a car shoot down the fast lane, I was doing 70 and they were gone in a few seconds with a little boy about 6 or 7 hanging out the window with no seatbelt on.
Same journey coming out of roadworks where it changed from 50 to 70 a car nearly ran into me trying to undertake another speeding car in the fast lane.

The problem slow drivers where I drive is usually a massive truck doing 51 to over take another truck doing 50 causing all the speeders not paying attention to hard brake.

Too slow is as bad as too fast imo, 60 on a motorway in the middle or outside lanes is shockingly bad driving.

Keeping at 70 in lane one and passing slower people in lane two is not undertaking.

The HC says do not overtake on the left.

Please explain what that means?
I was always taught if you are going faster than the car on your right, you indicate and pull out when safe to do so to go round the slower moving vehicle. Do not pass it on the inside.
Which is what the HC says?

"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"

This bit. Absolutely fine to progress in your own lane without overtaking.

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.

Key part being

"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. "

You are of course absolutely right.

But you can’t tell some people.

I definitely agree you’re better off doing this than risking undertaking as you’d be screwed if they did then decide to pull in to lane 1 suddenly. And of course you’d be declared at fault for undertaking.

I think the potentail clash between what @Honestlynotsure said and the bits of rulebook quoted just means that it would be unacceptable to be tearing along in lane 1 at 90mph on an empty motorway, and to zoom past the 60mph person in lane 2 with a 30mph+ speed difference between you. But passing a middle-lane hogger on the left is acceptable if you slow down a bit so that the difference in speeds is only a few mph.

I do sometimes pass a middle lane hogger on the left. If the road ahead and behind is clear enough I prefer to performatively pull out to the right, overtake them neatly and then indicate and pull over into the left lane again to demonstrate to them how it is done. Sometimes they get the hint and pull over into the left and I feel I have performed a public service.

That's because a lot of the motorways are two lane only for significant distances and if you hog the outside lane stopping people getting past then you are likely to get someone driving at 80 mph 2 feet off your back bumper flashing their lights at you.