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?

One of my biggest pet peeves, I'm always ranting to myself "just move out of the way!!" I've perfected the best side eye death stare ever apparently, all thanks to motorway rages!

Ah so you must meet the same midlanders trying to get to the south coast I do.
Use all 3 lanes for Oxford! Idiots.
And always panic they are in the wrong lane when they come off the M3 onto the A34 on the way home.

i think educating is the best thing, go up behind them, flash and indicate for them to move over. They move over, creating a safer environment and they learn they are driving like an arse.

I think she means if she wanted to overtake someone in front of her eg a lorry.
She's not changing lanes if her lane is clear.

Potato I'm the southerner trying to get to Sheffield (usually but do go elsewhere).

I'm not sure those travelling north are any better than those travelling south

I'd say you're being unreasonable about this bit - I gave up years ago on the idea that the M25 operates like a normal motorway! You need to accept that most M25 drivers can't drive on a motorway and just go with it. Ime, the further from London you are, the better the motorway driving.

I think that what some people are defining as undertaking is just passing.

I’m totally with you OP.
And M25 heading north near Heathrow can be terrible for this.

My only strategy is to do “sarcastic indicating” - for longer than necessary when I have overtaken and am moving back left across numerous lanes in front of them. If the drivers are paying attention to the road, they sometimes respond. Many aren’t paying attention to the road - and don’t.

The solution is you drive in lanes 3+4.

Obviously that can change if things get quiet. But in the scenario you are describing where you are having to cross 3 lanes to overtake. Then yes that’s stupid and I call this performative lane hopping and it is incredibly dangerous.

Lane 3+4 is fine. You are travelling at speeds faster than 1+2. Hence 3. And when you need to overtake your using 4. This makes complete sense.

Another motorway peeve is when people pull into the gap you've left from the car in front but you and the car in front are driving faster than the left/middle lane so you have a nice flow, then bam someone thinks they can use your safe gap with no warning and no reason.

It's not a gap to let you in, it's a safe gap so I'm not tailgating and you have made me slow down now to create a new gap because you're already driving slower than me!

My language is abysmal when motorway driving.

It's not speed that's the issue, it's lane discipline. There's no problem with people doing 60 on a motorway as long as they're in the inside lane and accept that this means that they may have to sit behind the trucks limited to 56, or wait for a while to overtake them. I have noticed that lane discipline has gone to pot in recent years - not sure why. I think there has been a general downward trend in speed too, probably related to high fuel costs, but I think it's people unwillingness/lack of understanding re using the correct lane that causes issues rather than the reduced speed. I have seen a lot of people sitting at lowish speeds in the middle lane recently, going very slightly faster than the lorries but unwilling to pull in between them. I get that if there's a long row of lorries close together you might not want to pull in after passing each one, but if there's a decent size gap you really should. I was behind someone the other day who sat in the middle lane for miles even though there were big gaps in the inside lane. Lots of us overtook and then pulled straight into the inside lane but Mr/Ms Middle Lane Hogger seemed not to notice or care. Their speed was not an issue, the fact that they were in the wrong lane and seemingly completely oblivious to their surroundings was!

Drifting OT, but on most UK motorways, during the day and especially near cities, it's impossible to do 70 anyway. It only takes a relatively short stretch of say 60mph "for air quality" (M5 drivers know what I mean) and you have effectively made a 15 mile stretch of motorway 60mph.

50mph if you have a stretch of temporary roadworks.

And that is well before you consider the knock-back effect of a 40mph limit in a 30 mile long line of traffic as "smart" motorways get involved.

What worries me though is they've already demonstrated they don't know how to drive, so the likelihood that they'll randomly decide to move over and not bother to check their blind spot first is fairly high.

TBH @JacquesHarlow I'm surprised that you manage to maintain a steady 70mph along any motorway.

IME Lane 1 is often congested with lorries or slow moving vehicles which means you sometimes get stuck behind them doing 50-60.

It's also very evident that very few drivers stick to 70mph. I don't and I'm an experienced motorway driver doing 300mile+ trips.

To overtake you normally need to do 70+ for the reasons you've said. That even in Lanes 2 or 3, the speed is 70mph.

The Highway Code is that we should all use Lane 1 unless overtaking. Sadly very few people do this. I do believe though that weaving in and out is dangerous. Not many drivers look far enough ahead or 'read the road'.

They overtake one lorry, filter back into Lane 1, then overtake the next lorry 100 yards ahead, zipping in and out.

I’ve seen that described as “sarcastic overtaking” and I quite like doing it too, when traffic conditions allow. Bonus points if it coincides with someone impatient passing them in the inside lane at the same time. I average about 50% success rate in them pulling over afterwards.

I’m wary of passing in lane 1 mainly because of the danger of them suddenly realising they’re in the wrong lane and not noticing I’m there, particularly on smart motorways with no hard shoulder to move onto. I have done it cautiously when traffic conditions would make it more difficult to get out to lane 3 and back again. (And I would guess falls into the grey area of the Highway Code). I’m fine doing it when I’m in lane 1 and they’re in lane 3 though.

oh and I’m not a speed merchant. When traffic allows I stick my cruise control on at 72 mph (real speed 70mph), this is all people tootling along at 60-65mph in lane 2 and 3 because they can see a car in lane 1 a mile ahead and who haven’t looked in the mirror since they last reversed out of a parking space somewhere. Completely unaware of the traffic around them, which makes them the most dangerous drivers on the road IMHO.

On my local MWay you'd have to be in the middle or even right lane to travel at 70.

The left lane seems to be full of petrified or elderly drivers "taking the car for a walk" never getting above 55mph...generally stuck at 50.

Lots of 60mph drivers happily planting themselves in lane 2, oblivious to the fact that dozens of cars are having to overtake (or even undertake).

If you're scared of ever reaching 70 mph, maybe driving isn't for you!

I agree OP. Drives me mad! As for the ‘undertaking’ I had dd in the car and we were talking about motorway driving. I said that there was a bit of controversy about whether you could maintain your lane speed and pass the car hogging the middle lane on the inside lane. I said I would go round as that kind of driver may pull in with little warning as they are usually a bit shit. The car I was talking about then swerved back in with no use of mirrors or indicators rather proving my point!

Too many drivers don't look in their rear mirror. They have no idea they are 'lane blocking'. Oblivious to the road.

If someone is sitting behind you (and you're in Lane 2) you should move over to Lane 1 if it's clear.

Lane 2 and 3 are for overtaking.
Not cruising.

I think the problem is that you can pass your driving test without driving on motorways.

Too many people don't know or understand how to drive on very dangerous roads and I think mandatory lessons on motorways once you've passed your test would be a good thing to introduce.

Exactly! there doesn’t need to be ‘weaving’ in or out if everyone sticks to the rules. we’d all get there faster if we did. It drives me round the bend..pun intended

Another one absolutely nailing it. Totally agree

Having been on threads like this before, I'm quite surprised that we haven't had an influx of people saying, "but I am driving at the speed limit or below - it's a limit, not a target - so there's no reason why I should not be in the right hand or middle lane" which is what usually happens.

You only need to be looking forward to know your lane hogging though.

if there is no traffic in front that you are actively overtaking then move over. It really shouldn’t be something complicated.

I flash my lights at people to get them to pull
in to the left. Drives me nuts.

This!! I do this (keep driving I mean...not swerve round and undertake)