First conviction for middle lane hogging

[KeyboardDemon]

Click for the story.

Finally, something is getting done about this.

[excalibur2]

A bit confusing e.g. the speed limit is 50 mph and you are doing 55 mph in the middle lane..then do you still have to pull over to the inside lane if empty as everything passing you on the outside (or inside) is breaking the law.

[KeyboardDemon]

A bit confusing e.g. the speed limit is 50 mph and you are doing 55 mph in the middle lane..then do you still have to pull over to the inside lane if empty as everything passing you on the outside (or inside) is breaking the law.

To put it simply, the middle lane is there for overtaking, if there is an empty lane to your left, ie you're not overtaking then there is no reason for you to be in an overtaking lane.

It does tend to get a bit more complex then that, there are times when I've pulled into the middle lane, overtaken the slower vehicle then seen that a short distance ahead I will need to overtake again, now if I can see that there is no traffic behind me I might decide to stay out in the middle until I've passed the next slower vehicle. If there is traffic behind me then I will make a judgement call on whether or not I should pull in and risk getting 'trapped' behind a slower vehicle or if by staying the traffic behind me can safely get past if it's moving faster then I am. If I stay when I could have moved, I run the risk of impeding the flow of traffic, and ultimately it shows a lack of awareness of what's going on around me and that's when it becomes dangerous, that's the reason this guy was prosecuted.

[filbert]

A bit confusing e.g. the speed limit is 50 mph and you are doing 55 mph in the middle lane..then do you still have to pull over to the inside lane if empty as everything passing you on the outside (or inside) is breaking the law.

Perfect example of middle lane hogger

[Saracen]

A bit confusing e.g. the speed limit is 50 mph and you are doing 55 mph in the middle lane..then do you still have to pull over to the inside lane if empty as everything passing you on the outside (or inside) is breaking the law.

As I understand it, it's a judgement call, by both you and traffic cops, which they will have to be able to justify in court.

A lot depends on what's "reasonable". I suspect that if you sat permanently in the middle lane at 55 in a 50 limit, with the inside lane clear, and did it for miles, yes you could be done. But you're not obliged to pull over the instant there's a gap you'd fit into, in a stream of sliw moving traffic meaning you'd have to slow down, just because someone behind you wants to break the speed limit.

In other words, this is neither intended to clear the way for speeders, nor to allow someone to sit permanently in a lane despite an inner lane being clear, just because they're doing exactly the speed limit.

Drive reasonably, considerately, pulling over where the road is clear and it's reasonable to be expected to do so, and you should be fine.

Bear in mind that prosecutions for careless and/or dangeroys driving have historically been dependent largely on the basis of the opinion and testimony of police officers. These days, with overhead and in-car video and those same prosecutions will often have CCTV footage of the alleged aberrant behaviour.

And if we're talking about motorway lane hogging, increasingly there'll be such overhead camera footage. So drive reasonably and considerately and we didn't ought to have a problem. The guy that was done was doing it for, as per that report, many miles.

[shaithis]

As much as I like this I do worry if there will be the usual spate of incidents caused by unsure drivers.

[Jowsey]

I think due to it's fundamentally subjective nature that prosecutions for this will be low volume high awareness affairs.

You'll probably hear about someone getting done for it because they drove 15 miles in the middle lane for no reason whatsoever and then everyone will become a little more aware of there position on motorways. But other than that I think this will slide into the shadows and become a 'weapon' in the 'arsenal' of the 'oppressive police' who only work to 'fine upstanding citizens just going about there business'. My opinion may have slipped in there...

[BobF64]

What made me frown was

Traffic police said six drivers were forced to brake and swerve to overtake the vehicle

Surely, that says as much about those 6 drivers as it does the "lane hogger".

Last time I came up behind a slower moving vehicle on the motorway, I slowed down in plenty of time, then over took as soon as I was able.

[excalibur2]

Well the last time I looked at the highway code the middle lane was the fast lane and the outside was for overtaking...so 55mph in a 50mph zone isn't that fast enough in the middle lane. Also some motorist scared of being caught in the middle lane will be bobbing in and out of the slower traffic from the inside to middle lane....which is very dangerous. IMO the motorist that should be fined are the ones hogging the centre lane well under the speed limit.
And another small point is:- the surface on the inside lane is rough on quite a few roads and causes noisy driving and doesn't do your tyres any good but the outside lane lane can have it's problems as every time I've had a chipped or smashed windscreen I was on the outside lane coincidence well...................................................

[KeyboardDemon]

I think due to it's fundamentally subjective nature that prosecutions for this will be low volume high awareness affairs.

You'll probably hear about someone getting done for it because they drove 15 miles in the middle lane for no reason whatsoever and then everyone will become a little more aware of there position on motorways. But other than that I think this will slide into the shadows and become a 'weapon' in the 'arsenal' of the 'oppressive police' who only work to 'fine upstanding citizens just going about there business'. My opinion may have slipped in there...

I have to drive a lot of motorway miles for work and often come across people hogging the middle lane as they 'go about there business' doing a shade over 60mph while I am travelling at or around the speed limit. I then have a few options:

1. is to slow down to avoid 'undertaking them' though if they are travelling at less than the posted speed limit then I think I can still pass them in that situation, but would rather avoid it in case someone that's just overtaken the car in the middle lane tries to merge with left lane having passed that driver
2. is to change in to the third lane if I can get through the queue of traffic that's built up behind them so I can pass them and then get back into the left
3. (not my favourite option) is to get behind them, tailgate and flash them until they wake up and move over to the left where they should be

The way I see it, every driver on the road has a responsibility to do as much as they can to help all the traffic on the road flow freely, so if you are driving in the middle lane and you can see an empty lane to your left and a queue of traffic behind you, move over instead of blocking the lane you're in and the empty lane to your left. Staying there just forces everyone else to squeeze in to the third lane.

[Saracen]

What made me frown was



Surely, that says as much about those 6 drivers as it does the "lane hogger".

Last time I came up behind a slower moving vehicle on the motorway, I slowed down in plenty of time, then over took as soon as I was able.

I thought exactly the same. Having to brake rather than just eading up suggests poor anticipation of the road ahead, and having to "swerve" to avoid a "hogger", which by definition implies a protracted period in the same lane, is simply farcical, and strongly suggests a lack of due care and attention, at a minimum.

[KeyboardDemon]

Well the last time I looked at the highway code the middle lane was the fast lane and the outside was for overtaking...so 55mph in a 50mph zone isn't that fast enough in the middle lane. Also some motorist scared of being caught in the middle lane will be bobbing in and out of the slower traffic from the inside to middle lane....which is very dangerous. IMO the motorist that should be fined are the ones hogging the centre lane well under the speed limit.
And another small point is:- the surface on the inside lane is rough on quite a few roads and causes noisy driving and doesn't do your tyres any good but the outside lane lane can have it's problems as every time I've had a chipped or smashed windscreen I was on the outside lane coincidence well...................................................

Stone chips are caused by stones being flicked off the tyres of the car in front, these stones are usually lifted by the tyre and thrown out, they will move in a parabolic curve until they settle on the road again, the best way to avoid being hit by one of these tiny objects is to allow enough space between your car and the car in front as the simple laws of gravity dictate that a stone can't stay at windscreen height indefinitely.

[DanceswithUnix]

Well the last time I looked at the highway code the middle lane was the fast lane and the outside was for overtaking...so 55mph in a 50mph zone isn't that fast enough in the middle lane. Also some motorist scared of being caught in the middle lane will be bobbing in and out of the slower traffic from the inside to middle lane....which is very dangerous. IMO the motorist that should be fined are the ones hogging the centre lane well under the speed limit.
And another small point is:- the surface on the inside lane is rough on quite a few roads and causes noisy driving and doesn't do your tyres any good but the outside lane lane can have it's problems as every time I've had a chipped or smashed windscreen I was on the outside lane coincidence well...................................................

I don't remember there ever being a mention of a fast lane. IIRC there is an inside lane, an overtaking lane, and an outside overtaking lane. Feel free to post a scan from your highway code book though, would love to see that written down.

The surface on lanes changes regularly as a way of keeping drivers awake, the road noise is fine, your tyres are not being damaged.

Changing lanes is not dangerous as long as you are observant and follow the rules.

[DanceswithUnix]

Stone chips are caused by stones being flicked off the tyres of the car in front, these stones are usually lifted by the tyre and thrown out, they will move in a parabolic curve until they settle on the road again, the best way to avoid being hit by one of these tiny objects is to allow enough space between your car and the car in front as the simple laws of gravity dictate that a stone can't stay at windscreen height indefinitely.

At least he isn't tailgating, then they would be chipping the front of his bonnet as they haven't had a chance to get to windscreen height yet

[filbert]

Well the last time I looked at the highway code the middle lane was the fast lane and the outside was for overtaking...so 55mph in a 50mph zone isn't that fast enough in the middle lane. Also some motorist scared of being caught in the middle lane will be bobbing in and out of the slower traffic from the inside to middle lane....which is very dangerous. IMO the motorist that should be fined are the ones hogging the centre lane well under the speed limit.
And another small point is:- the surface on the inside lane is rough on quite a few roads and causes noisy driving and doesn't do your tyres any good but the outside lane lane can have it's problems as every time I've had a chipped or smashed windscreen I was on the outside lane coincidence well...................................................

I suggest you read it again, and maybe take some motorway lessons

[kalniel]

At least he isn't tailgating, then they would be chipping the front of his bonnet as they haven't had a chance to get to windscreen height yet

Which is of course why Audis with their aluminium bonnets drive so close

Well the last time I looked at the highway code the middle lane was the fast lane and the outside was for overtaking...

You've not read the UK code then?

https://www.gov.uk/motorways-253-to-...ine-264-to-266