People not knowing how to use motorways properly.

acstokes

to the best of my knowledge, assuming lane 1 on a motoway is clear and can be safey moved into and driven in, a driver is deemed to be causing an unnecessary obstruction by sitting in lane 2 or 3 when other vehicles are trying to overtake and under the road traffic act, said driver can be issued with a fixed penalty notice by the police as they are in breach of road traffic law.

stephen77

I am a Big HGV driver. I can not go into lane 3 to over take the middle lane driver is doing 50mPH and the left hand lane has been free for ages. I do not want to under take them as that is illegal.

so how do I get passed?

I am not really a HGV driver.

fluffnutter

mattyprice4004 wrote: »

Small vent: why do people not know how to use a motorway?

It's simple: You stay in the leftmost lane until you need to overtake something, you do so, and then go back in the left hand lane.

The amount of idiots pottering along in the middle lane today is unbelievable, and when they're 'flashed' out of the way they seem to take offense as if I'm in the wrong.

If something that simple throws someone, they shouldn't be on the road.

Taking this as an example, I don't particularly feel comfortable following someone who's doing a significantly faster speed than the traffic in the nearside lane but who's taking the above advice to the letter and so keeps lane hopping between the inside and middle lanes, inevitably always pulling out straight in front of you (who is doing a steady and reasonable speed in the middle).

If you're keeping up quite happily with the speed of the traffic in the lane you're in, stay in it. Don't weave in and out.

davidlizard

Alternatively, chew up some motorway miles by playing the "circle" game with them - overtake them, pull into lane 1, slow up slightly to let them pass and repeat. Sometimes 2 or 3 other drivers might join in going round and round them.

(Yes I am joking before someone points out this is a bit childish).

Usually the CLOG (Centre-lane owners group) member is oblivious to anything happening around them. They are focusing on a point 20 yards in front of their bonnet or the lights in front and only come out of this trance when the GPS tells them to get off the next junction or Radio 4 starts going out of tune. So flashing lights/waving etc will have no effect whatsoever.

Pound

warehouse wrote: »

Personally I stay in the left hand lane and undertake, and I couldn't give two hoots what the motoring nazi's on here think about it.

I undertake sometimes to get past people who won't keep left.

Sometimes when the motorway is congested the hard shoulder will be opened but people would rather crawl along at 40mph in lanes 1-3 whilst the hard shoulder is empty. I'll just get onto the hard shoulder and undertake the lot of them. It would argue that this is legal since undertaking is allowed when the motorway is congested.

Evilm

stephen77 wrote: »

I am a Big HGV driver. I can not go into lane 3 to over take the middle lane driver is doing 50mPH and the left hand lane has been free for ages. I do not want to under take them as that is illegal.

so how do I get passed?

I am not really a HGV driver.

The issue about undertaking is a little strange. You can legally undertake as long as the lane you are in allows for that speed. Undertaking becomes illegal when you are dodging in to the lane and then back out again to get around someone.

Wikipedia puts it better as :

Many countries consider undertaking dangerous and therefore designate it a driving offence, however most countries make the distinction between involuntary undertaking (passing centre side vehicles in heavy traffic) as opposed to the deliberate attempt to pass a slower moving vehicle for one's own benefit.

United Kingdom - The Highway Code discourages undertaking on motorways with some exceptions (rule 268): "Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake". Undertaking is permitted in congested conditions when frequent lane changing is not recommended.[4] On other roads, the Code advises drivers "should only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right" (rule 163).[5] Rule 163 uses advisory wording and "will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted", but may be used in evidence to establishing liability in any court proceedings.[6] On all roads, undertaking is permitted if the vehicles in the lane to the right are queueing and slow moving. Undertaking in an aggressive or reckless manner could be considered Careless Driving or more seriously Dangerous Driving, both of which are legally enforceable offences

chewynut

Eurgh, people like the OP are what has made me wait four years just to be bugged/nagged into starting driving lessons.

I'm dreading when I pass my test and end up on the roads by myself, nevermind the motorways. If some stupid racerboy or someone like the OP came racing up behind me flashing his lights like a disco, I wouldn't have a clue what to do. I'd probably slow down out of panic.

stephen77

Evilm wrote: »

The issue about undertaking is a little strange. You can legally undertake as long as the lane you are in allows for that speed. Undertaking becomes illegal when you are dodging in to the lane and then back out again to get around someone.

Wikipedia puts it better as :

i could have reworded it to a scernio so the left hand lane had a one or two vechiles moving in a little quicker than the centre lane but still slowier than the lorry was doing. So left in a postion of the middle lane driver clogging the road.

I find this often happens with a few vechiles going past the car in the left hand lane leggally like the highway code says

stephen77

chewynut wrote: »

Eurgh, people like the OP are what has made me wait four years just to be bugged/nagged into starting driving lessons.

I'm dreading when I pass my test and end up on the roads by myself, nevermind the motorways. If some stupid racerboy or someone like the OP came racing up behind me flashing his lights like a disco, I wouldn't have a clue what to do. I'd probably slow down out of panic.

then probably best you do not pass your test

There will be times when it is boy racer, however their are many times when its some one doordling in the middle lane who are not over taking or going with the flow of the traffic. They are in the world of their own and its not a boy racer, just some one going no faster than 70mph.

These are often the same people who will go at 50mph along a normal main road then when you enter a small village with a 30mph, they carry on the same speed.

Dave_C_2

stephen77 wrote: »

... just some one going no faster than 70mph.

70 mph being the national speed limit!

Then in reply to the OP there is also this from the highway code:
114

You MUST NOT

• use any lights in a way which would dazzle or cause discomfort to other road users, including pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders

As an aside I have observed that new cars under 2 years old are forbidden to use the left hand lane of the motorway

Dave