Anti-Social Driving/Tailgating fines

Idiophreak

Tinks74 wrote: »

If you find yourself on a motorway with nothing for a mile in front or behind does it really matter what lane you are in? You would not be causing an obstruction, annoyance or danger to any other vehicle.

I said if there was nothing *inside* you for a mile...There may well be a backlog of people in the outside lane trying to get past you as you totter along...

martinthebandit

Herzlos wrote: »

It's a good point about what counts as middle lane hogging.

I'll often stay out in the middle lane if there's a gap but I'm gaining on the vehicle in the left lane or can see it's going to be slow, on the assumption that I'll be pulling back into the middle lane very shortly and it's safer/easier to just stay in position. I'll do the same if I'm approaching a slip road too, in case anything is about to join.

Presumably both are fine, but where is the line?

Actually neither are 'fine' but hey, your not the only one who makes up their own rules

Retrogamer

If you're not overtaking other vehicles, then you should be driving in the left hand lane.

I seem to find people only drive in the middle lane because they're either lazy, selfish, or not competent at driving.

Lazy because they usually say it's annoying to pull out when people come off slip roads, or when they need to overtake.

Selfish because it means people driving in the correct left hand side lane need to cut to the middle, then the far right, back to the middle then back to the left for a simple overtake. You're forcing other people who drive correctly to perform a more dangerous overtake.

And not competent because i often hear from people about how it's dangerous when people join from sliproads and then they need to change lanes. This is what they teach you on motorway driving lessons. This is how you're expected to drive on the motorway. If you can't do it safely, then don't drive on motorways.

This video might get a few "lols" from people who drive correctly.
There is some swearing in the video though, so heads up.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5dL4DPm-DE

Tinks74

fivetide wrote: »

There have been a number of accidents caused by people driving in the outside lane when they don't need to though.

Loocal Lord Ahmed. Killed that guy on an empty motorway having slammed into a car that had come to rest in the central reservation.

If he'd been driving on the left (and not on the phone of course) like he should have been, he'd have missed it as accidents to the inside can go to the hard shoulder not bounce back into the carriageway.

I partially accept your point however in that unfortunate circumstance there was something on the road and it wasn't the situation described.

Tinks74

Idiophreak wrote: »

I said if there was nothing *inside* you for a mile...There may well be a backlog of people in the outside lane trying to get past you as you totter along...

Mea culpa, you did and I would agree.

However my point still stands.

Altarf

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Considerate driving requires that you don't act in a way to require other drivers to alter their speed or course.

In order to move to the left lane without either forcing the car you're moving in front of to slow down, or driving to close to the car ahead, the absolute minimum gap you should move into would be 4 seconds in good conditions so you maintain the minimum recommended 2 second gap ahead and behind. At 60mph a 4 second gap is 106m, or just over the length of a football pitch. Moving into anything less would have been inconsiderate to the drivers in the left lane.

Precisely. So unless it is a completely empty road, there is no chance of a penalty being imposed.

Joe_Horner wrote: »

My client made the judgement that it was better to slightly inconvenience the person behind him, who was being frustrated by his inability to exceed the speed limit, rather than forcing the drivers in the left lane, who were happy to drive at legal speed, to react to an inconsiderate manoeuvre.

And there is not a cat in hells chance they would ever consider imposing a penalty on someone who was travelling at or near (for those people who will moan that someones speedo is reading 1 mph out) the speed limit.

Aretnap

maninthestreet wrote: »

There is far too much subjectiveness involved in deciding whether a driver's actions are 'careless' or not to put the power into the hands of individual police officers.

Which is why the power isn't being put in the hands of individual police officers. In essence a fixed penalty is just an offer not to prosecute you for the offence you're alleged to have committed in return for a token sum and endorsement of your licence. Anyone who doesn't agree that they were driving carelessly can reject the offer and have it dealt with by a court - in which case they'll be in exactly the same position as they would be under the current system.

Retrogamer

Altarf wrote: »

(for those people who will moan that someones speedo is reading 1 mph out) the speed limit.

At an indicated 70mph speed on the speedometer, it might only equate to a real life 63mph on certain cars. My 1996 Peugeot 106 was one of them.

Often when i drive to work the left lane is empty, the middle lane is filled with people driving about 50ish and the outside lane is filled with people driving around 60mph. I want to drive at a real 70mph and i can't because the flow of traffic won't allow it, or some fool in the outside lane will be cruising about 65mph, thinking their doing 70mph and won't move to let you pass.

Altarf

Joe_Horner wrote: »

In order to move to the left lane without either forcing the car you're moving in front of to slow down, or driving to close to the car ahead, the absolute minimum gap you should move into would be 4 seconds in good conditions so you maintain the minimum recommended 2 second gap ahead and behind. At 60mph a 4 second gap is 106m, or just over the length of a football pitch.

To expand, the Highway Code suggest a 4 second gap between a heavy goods vehicle and the vehicle in front, so therefore not pulling in until 100m past them. In a car at 70mph to meet the 2 second rule you would need to leave 60m to the vehicle in front.

However there is no point (and it would be dangerous to do so) pulling in only to have to pull back out again, so if there is another HGV ahead that you would have to overtake, then it would only be sensible if you remained in the inside lane for say a minimum of 15 seconds. So if the next HGV is closer than 500m (440m closing speed over 15 seconds, plus the 60m), then it would not be sensible to pull over.

Therefore if the gap between HGVs is less than 600m (0.37 miles) in the dry or 760m (0.47 miles) in the wet, you would not be following the Highway code if you did pull in.

alleycat`

Joe_Horner wrote: »

No you're not.

Their own impatience (often at being prevented from exceeding the speed limit anyway) and their lack of self control in the face of that impatience is what "forces" them to make that manoeuvre.

I'm not advocating sitting forever in the middle lane, but people often start showing aggression long before there's a genuinely reasonable gap available to pull into. That's not only inconsiderate in itself, it also becomes dangerous when they tailgate or try to undertake as a result.

No I'm not what?

I am specifically refering to instances where i'm in lane 1 @indicated 70mph, catching "lazy bum" in lane 2 (when lane 1 is empty ahead) and then having to go out to 3 and back 1.

I don't sit behind, flash, or generally carry on at the person in question.

I've got better things to do with my time than try have an accident and i specifically don't want to drive near somebody that has no awareness of their surroundings.

I know a few people that are "lane 2 sitters" and most of the time they do it is, in their own words, because they can't cope with traffic coming on and off slip roads and/or are afraid of larger vehicles.

It has very little to do with getting "shoe horned" into lane 1 when traffic is heavy.