to expect people to stay in the left hand lane unless they're overtaking?

[spiralqueen]

Had several long drives this last week and am getting increasing irritated by the numpties who insist on getting into the middle lane as soon as they get on the motorway (or even worse the outside lane) and resolutely stay there even though it would take them a month of sundays to reach the nearest car in the inside lane let alone overtake it.

Having to go right out to the outside lane and back to the left hand lane time and time again to get past them is such a pain.

Wish I could have an electronic sign I could flash up in my rear window saying "who the feck are you overtaking?" but no doubt it wouldn't make any difference.

grrr

I think it's illegal isn't it? (Undertaking I mean).

It is dangerous though - I've seen a couple of near misses due to undertaking (but have to confess I have done it on occasion when really vexed)

Middle laners are a pain too if you tow anything - not allowed to overtake them as a car towing can't go into the outside lane at middle lane hoggers. My BIL does this as he says its safer than moving lanes all the time.

Its great watching a CLOD move into the inner lane when you have undertaken them and the penny has finally dropped!

At least the majority of drivers do not undertake or hog the outside lane. I've been living in Oz for four years now and it still scares me on the motorway - there are just as many people undertaking as there are overtaking. And the outside lane on a dual carriageway is just as good as the inside lane (apparently!). My DH takes his life into his hands every day as he motorbikes to work. When I came back to the UK last year for a holiday - I found the politeness great. People seem to think ahead about not just themselves but others on the road. GO BRITISH DRIVERS - I MISS YOU!!!!

youngvister - it isn't illegal if you are driving at the speed limit and the lane next to you is going slower than you are, which is inenvitably what happens with this new crazy middle lane driving fetish! If you are lane hopping - i.e moving from the middle lane to the inside lane to go past a car and then straight back out into the middle lane then that is illegal.

Stick in the inside lane and the let 'em get on with it, that's what i say. I guarentee you'll get there quicker than they do

hmm interesting debate about it here including some information from the house of lords where the question was debated!

It seems as if you are allowed to pass on the left in crawling traffic or if the right-hand lane brakes sharply and you don't have time to brake to match their speed. Ie it has to be involuntary (more or less) on your part and due to congestion.

Moving into the left hand lane to deliberately pass a vehicle to your right is illegal, even if you stay under the speed limit and stay in that lane by the looks of it - at least there is no specific law about it apparently but the police treat it as careless driving.

Am quite confused with this thread, maybe the motorway (M1) I drive on is different to the ones you guys use (tho not sure why that would be).

Anyway, M1, your choices:

1. Drive in inside lane in minuscule gap left b/w 2 fuck off great lorries, do 50 mph, don't dare brake or you'll be flattened. Hope lorry in front doesn't brake - likewise.
2. Drive in middle lane at speeds of 60-70mph, using inside lane to overtake when one fo great lorry decides to creep past another (usually uphill).
3. Bomb down inside lane going above legal speed limit and flashing lights at anyone who dares get in your way.

I usually drive in the middle lane - would happily move to inside lane if it would be possible to stay there at a reasonable speed (ie over 50) for more than 30 sec without having to overtake another lorry. But it isn't.

So shoot me.

wb, you're allowed to stay in the middle lane if there is slower traffic to your left.

It's people who cruise along at 50 with miles of empty lane to their left, preventing anyone from over-taking but refusing to pull in in case - god forbid - some distant lorry doing less than 50 should appear on the far distant horizon and entail them pulling out again.

Yeah, can see that would be annoying but honestly I'd love to drive on a motorway that empty.

well I mainly drive on the M25 and North Circular so it's quite rare I admit!

Middle lane hoggers should be banned from driving.

As should people who overtake on the inside (unless traffic is crawling). It's DANGEROUS, YOU DUMMIES! People pulling over from the outside lane can't see you, dur-brains, and if a middle lane driver is needs to pull over they might not see you either. I know someone who was involved in a really nasty crash because of some eejit overtakigon the inside.

The other people who should be banned from driving are those who:

a. wait until the very last minute before moving over when one lane is about to close and then expect other drivers to let them in
b. people who zoom down the hard shoulder when traffic is queuing to get off at a junction

I reckon that b is probably a subset of a. In fact, I'd send them to jail too.

There, that's better.

actually according to the Highway Code a) are in the right

a. wait until the very last minute before moving over when one lane is about to close and then expect other drivers to let them in

The highway code states that you should continue to use all lanes up to the point of closure and then move over. But I agree it is infuriating when you've patiently queued and some arsehole whips up the outside and aggressively forces their way in .

B)s on the other hand are total tossers - there should be small spikes that come up from the hardshoulder activated by CCTV for this scenario.

Oooh nice idea youngvisitor!

I suppose it's because it is clear that everyone else has already pulled over and they have an attitude of 'I'm special, let me in' that annoys me. Argh.

well actually i see why you'd be annoyed by point (a) but it is thew attitude that everyone should "get in line early" as it were that leads to greater traffic jams and tail backs. if everyone just stayed in the lane they were in and used up all the available road and filtered in it would reduce the tail-back. i mean logically what is the point of leaving a stretch of road unutilised and needlessly making the two-lanes into one before it is necessary? if they had wanted you to make the two-lanes into one earlier they would have put the barriers up earlier.

i do know why it annoys people because it is the norm for people to ignore the highway code and form a queue before it is necessary (must be a british thing) so then those who do use the available lane look like they are trying to skip (which most probably are in reality, but if we all drove like this traffic would flow smoother)

You guys doing the undertaking - it's just dangerous. Motorway drivers do not expect to look out for a faster car coming up the left lane - so as long as you don't mind having a smash and testing all you and the other drivers' airbags to the max then possibly change your habits. The traffic cops will pull you for undertaking faster than they'll pull the gut for middle laning.

Yes, but it's the people who are pulling in at the last minute who are causing the majority of tailbacks in the first place and force people to wait longer.

It drives me mad the amount of people who are so damn inconsiderate to other road users. No you are not f*ing more important than me, We are trying to get somewhere on time too, so wait your bloody turn! Phew rant over

Woops X posted

You could try this, although I don't know how legal it is here in the UK
As for those of you telling me off for undertaking - I don't actively undertake, but if I am in the inside lane doing 70mph and there is a numpty in the middle lane doing 60mph I am NOT going to move out across 3 lanes to get round them!!!! I am always ready with the brakes, just in case, when I do that though.
The rules for changing lanes, whether it be out (to the right) or in (to the left) is: Mirror, Signal, Manoeuvre!! I drive up and down the M6 every day and the number of appalling drivers is frightening!! Using mobile phones while driving, no indication, indicating and moving out without looking (because you indicated doesn't automatically give you the right to pull out in front of me and drop my braking distance to 2 feet!!!), middle lane hogging, tail gating and the list of ineptitude goes on!! . Sorry, this is a long post - it is one of my favourite rants though .

On surburban roads (ie slower speeds) I wait until the last second to merge into one lane but on motorways I'm very in much in the school of Moving Over Early. It is true that the less people who move over later are using the roads more efficiently as infuriating as it is when you have to let someone in front of you who were miles behind you before. They've as much right to do that as you have to get in the right lane early though.

I agree with the poster who mentioned the M1 - I'd also add the M6 southbound into that.

Oops substitute 'more people' for 'less' .

it's been mentioned but..people who think indicating gives them right of way.the worst of the worst.

lillabet sorry but you are still undertaking. Another ploy (if there really isn't any reason for them to be sat in the middle lane is to flash you hedlights at them - not aggressively and not from three feet off their bumper) If that doesn't work, then yes, you pull out and round them, otherwise you too are one of the examples of bad driving. sorry

but it's legal undertaking if she is in the left hand lane and it just happens to be moving faster than the lane outside her. like when you are in a traffic jam and the left hand lane just happens to be moving faster.
it would be illegal if she was in the middle lane, saw the person in front was going slower than she'd like and then pulled into the left hand lane to overtake before pulling out in front of them again.

Absolutely Mq, it is the middle lane hogger who is acting contrary to the highway code in that case.

Only legal if both other lanes have significantly reduced speed and are congested. If the outside is clear and the middle laner is the only obstacle then its undertaking.