Lane hogging

[Stephen]

Lane hoggers


If caught (big if) just ban them for a month and make them do a driving course and test again. And if they refuse, then prosecute them.

[Keechy]

I totally agree with handheld 'phone argument - it's a big NO-NO.

You'd have loved the prat I've just seen - elbow on window sill, right hand clamping phone to right lughole, left hand on steering wheel with burning cigarette between fingers, crossing a staggered junction, takes left hand off wheel to flick ash out of open window.

I was sent this a few days ago

I looked over to my right and there was a woman in a brand new VW Golf doing 75Mph with her face up next to her rear view mirror putting on her eyeliner!

I looked away for a couple seconds and when I looked back she was halfway over in my lane, still working on that makeup.

As a man, I don't scare easily..

But she scared me so much I dropped my electric shaver, which knocked the meat pie out of my other hand.

In all the confusion of trying to straighten out the car using my knees against the steering wheel, it knocked my Mobile phone away from my ear which fell into the coffee between my legs, which splashed and burned "Big Jim and the Twins", ruined the phone, soaked my trousers and disconnected an important call.

BLOODY Women Drivers!!

[Dark Knight]

I travel on average 700-1000 miles per week with my job and there is very little that surprise me on the roads these days

mind you Mr Kane's, subversion of this thread ,to have another dig at smokers, takes some beating, Bravo sir a fine attempt

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Darknight:

Whilst smoking is not banned in private vehicles, company vehicles are the workplace and are enclosed (there aren't many open top company cars vs the thousands of saloons, vans and lorries that are enclosed).

I see what I see with my own eyes - and driving, using a mobile, smoking and littering the street often go hand-in-hand. The act of lighting a cigarette whilst driving is a distraction that should be avoided in any vehicle.

[Dark Knight]

Dear Mr Kane

I would be interested to see your supporting evidence, that smoking contributes to lane hogging, which is after all the topic of the this thread.
so perhaps you can enlighten me as to how you reach your conclusion that smoking is a factor in lane hogging?
I put it to you ,that your attempt to try to include smokers in yet another wholly unrelated topic, is yet another way to disparage smokers and to try to garner support for your anti smoking stance.
I would again ask for you to support your rather feeble accusation with fact not conjecture and bigotry

DK

[haveabeer]

I have always used the inside lane when i can i think its common sence driving i use the inside lane until such time i need to overtake i adjust my speed to allow overtaking and pull back in when i have past the vehicle or vehicles
Lane hoogers are like a mobile road block

[ChesterfieldJohn]

My brother in law used to be a motorway policeman on the M1 and M18 and one night pulled in a woman who was driving in the middle at approx 55mph and asked her why and tried to explain the correct way to drive.
She said that she liked to have reflective studs on either side of the car.
He explained that all lanes had these, to which she replied :-

' yes but on the inside lane they are red on the left and I don't like the red ones'!!!

He didn't tell me what his reply was.

John

[The Tinker]

I wonder if the sat navs will be reconfigured as when driving up the M4/M25 it clearly repeats - keep right, keep right etc etc - my boss never left the middle/outside lane when we regularly had meetings that way.

[The Monocled Mutineer]

Dark Knight:

I am not answerable to you. It is my understanding that back seat moderating is not acceptable on this site.

Related topic discussion is a common feature in any forum including this one. it therefore follows that issues such as use of mobile phones whilst driving were introduced by me which I presume as an illegal activity you would not have an objection to, which I presume is true given that you do not appear to have objected to me introducing that related topic to the main theme.

Commentary therefore regarding other illegal activitys when driving is thus fair given that smoking in the enclosed work place (which includes company vehicles) is an offence both by the smoker and by the employer.

It is my general observation both as a driver, as someone who spends a considerable amount of BST outside my home right on a busy lane (30 mph zone) that acts as a 'rat-run' to a small town, it's London-bound train station and the A34 and as one who co-ordinates a Community Speed Watch team that often those drivers who continuously flout the Highway Code often flout multiple provisions of the code and other ordinances such as smoking laws in the public place.

Yours sincerely

[Frank Manning]

I used to have business contacts in Teeside, and found it most frustrating driving back down the A19 when trucks would occupy both lanes as one tried, often in vain, to overtake the other. They were seemingly oblivious to the tailbacks they caused.

Speed is a very subjective thing I find. I am hoping to take the IAM exam soon, but am frustrated that in the name of "making progress" they often exhort me to go much faster than I consider safe, often on winding country lanes, and always do 70mph when it is legal to do so. My observer says, "once you pass, you can do as you like, but you have to demonstrate that you CAN drive fast". Many of the examiners are former class 1 police pursuit drivers, and it crosses my mind to remind them that there are no 'blues and twos' on my car.

[Quizzical Bob]

I used to have business contacts in Teeside, and found it most frustrating driving back down the A19 when trucks would occupy both lanes as one tried, often in vain, to overtake the other. They were seemingly oblivious to the tailbacks they caused.

Speed is a very subjective thing I find. I am hoping to take the IAM exam soon, but am frustrated that in the name of "making progress" they often exhort me to go much faster than I consider safe, often on winding country lanes, and always do 70mph when it is legal to do so. My observer says, "once you pass, you can do as you like, but you have to demonstrate that you CAN drive fast". Many of the examiners are former class 1 police pursuit drivers, and it crosses my mind to remind them that there are no 'blues and twos' on my car.

In Germany many two-lane roads restrict HGVs to the inside lane to prevent blocking.

[Mo2013]

I dislike lorries and trucks taking up two-thirds of a three lane motorway. It takes so long for one of them to pass the other, other drivers are left with literally one lane.

[Delboy]

I don't know about hogging the middle lane, but they were playing cricket and football on the notorious M25 yesterday, M25 the worst motorway in the country.
Last year when we were going on holiday, it had a 50 mile tailback, taking drivers 4 hours to negotiate, luckily we were on the other side,

http://metro.co.uk/2013/08/17/stranded- ... 5-3927699/

[Not so ancient mariner]

It could be worse. You could be queueing to get across the border between Spain and Gibraltar. There you really are stuck between a rock and a hard-up place!

[Kendhni]

... or waiting for a self service check out at Tescos

[jay-ell71]

I am trying to understand what "middle lane hogging" means..........

........ I have joined the motorway and moved into the middle lane as the inside lane is full of HGVs and elderly Fiestas and Micros doing between 50 and 60. I travel at 70 or so. There is a gap in this traffic, but I can see there are more HGVs etc. a little further along. If I move into the inside lane, and fill the gap, as soon as I reach the slower traffic I will have to try to move out again, so I don't do that. I stay in the middle. I would not keep going in and out of the traffic lanes unless it is obvious that the road is clear ahead. Is this lane hogging? ............

I am sure one of my fellow forumeers will be only too pleased enlighten me on this.

[Quizzical Bob]

I am trying to understand what "middle lane hogging" means..........

........ I have joined the motorway and moved into the middle lane as the inside lane is full of HGVs and elderly Fiestas and Micros doing between 50 and 60. I travel at 70 or so. There is a gap in this traffic, but I can see there are more HGVs etc. a little further along. If I move into the inside lane, and fill the gap, as soon as I reach the slower traffic I will have to try to move out again, so I don't do that. I stay in the middle. I would not keep going in and out of the traffic lanes unless it is obvious that the road is clear ahead. Is this lane hogging? ............

I am sure one of my fellow forumeers will be only too pleased enlighten me on this.

It is. It's a question of degree, if there's a sizeable stretch of clear inside lane then you should move into it.

[jay-ell71]

I was afraid you were going to say that. So, it is better, safer, to weave in and out of the inside lane, every time there is a gap. If I saw someone doing that I would be very wary. It is, as you say a matter of degree, and a suitable gap for one driver might be considered unsuitable by another driver.

I still believe that "hogging" is driving well below the permitted speed in any of the motorway lanes. And tailgating is just plain rude.

[Quizzical Bob]

Yes, if you're chopping and changing lanes all the time then that is perhaps excessive. Another problem is that many people in the middle lane are half asleep and not aware of that poor bugger in the inside lane who is slowly catching up the lorry ahead of him and slowly cruise past with glazed eyes.

[oldbluefox]

If you are weaving in and out of the inside lane then that is excessive but if it is possible to move over that is where you should be.

QB, I find it really annoying when I'm in the inside lane, catching up with slower traffic and some numpty sits on my rear quarter with an empty road ahead of them. Either overtake me or move over to allow me to overtake. As you say, they are half asleep and not aware. They are usually the middle lane hoggers who get onto the motorway, choose the middle lane and sit there until such time as they want to get off.

[Romig1]

It's long overdue that middle-lane hoggers are penalised for their inconsiderate ways - most of which could be described as "driving without due care and attention" IMO. I think that part of the problem is that some people see a wagon in the distance in the "slow lane" and think there isn't enough gap to warrant pulling into it...without allowing for the fact that the wagon isn't actually stationary and is probably travelling at 50mph - thereby meaning that the closing speed is only 10-20 mph - meaning that the effective gap is larger than it appears.


Yesterday I drove about 100 miles on the motorway, and noticed a large increase in people pulling over into the slow lane. In fact I only witnessed one middle-lane hogger all day! Hopefully, this improved lane discipline will continue once the story is not fresh in people's minds?

[david63]

Erm, a wagon doing 50mph - that must be a figment of your imagination, they have speed limiters on that prevent them going that slow

Yesterday I drove about 100 miles on the motorway, and noticed a large increase in people pulling over into the slow lane. In fact I only witnessed one middle-lane hogger all day! Hopefully, this improved lane discipline will continue once the story is not fresh in people's minds?

That's because they were all behind you waiting for you to get over

[Manoverboard]

But will it stop the idiots on motor bikes weaving in and out of the lanes or will they all be wiped out by other idiots in cars thinking that they need to be forever in the inside lane even when it makes absolutely no sense to do so ?

Some drivers will surely drive on the basis of avoiding a " But, what did I do wrong Officer " type discussion which could in turn lead to some nasty accidents.

Perhaps we need a return of ye olde ' Driving without due consideration for other road users ' clause ?

[Delboy]

It's long overdue that middle-lane hoggers are penalised for their inconsiderate ways - most of which could be described as "driving without due care and attention" IMO. I think that part of the problem is that some people see a wagon in the distance in the "slow lane" and think there isn't enough gap to warrant pulling into it...without allowing for the fact that the wagon isn't actually stationary and is probably travelling at 50mph - thereby meaning that the closing speed is only 10-20 mph - meaning that the effective gap is larger than it appears.


Yesterday I drove about 100 miles on the motorway, and noticed a large increase in people pulling over into the slow lane. In fact I only witnessed one middle-lane hogger all day! Hopefully, this improved lane discipline will continue once the story is not fresh in people's minds?

If that's the case, then there is going to be even more traffic using the slower lane, and those drivers, who drive at the maximum legal speed providing conditions allow, will have even less opportunity to move to the inner slower lane, without having to weave in and out.

I always drive with the flow of the traffic on a motorway in the lane that is a appropriate to the speed I am travelling at, and which for most of the time is at the legal maximum speed, obviously unless conditions dictate otherwise, and always with due care and consideration for other drivers.

Have just been out driving on an 'A' road, 2 lanes both ways. I will drive on the inner lane and move out to the fast lane, when approaching slower moving traffic, will then move back in at the first opportunity, again normally driving at the maximum lagal speed conditions will allow.
However when I move out to the outside lane , and may have to wait for a while before its safe to move back in, even although I may be travelling at 70 mph, there will always be a number of cars coming up from behind wanting to overtake me and dissappear into the distance. The same applies to both the middle and outside lanes of a motorway.

[Delboy]

If as it would appear a large number of posters mainly stick to the inside lane on a motorway, and only pull out to the middle lane, when overtaking slower traffic on the inside lane. When do you use the outside lane, or lanes in the case of a 4 lane motorway, or don't you use them, preferring to stick wherever possible to the slower inside lane .