Middle Lane Hoggers - I hate them!

scubaian

matttye wrote: »

It's strange how they can be completely oblivious to their own driving yet take offence at yours, but I have experienced similar things when undertaking hoggers.

I saw one lady start waving her hands around in exasperation when I undertook her. To be fair to her though she wasn't an average middle lane hogger, she had just moved out to overtake a truck on a dual carriageway WAY too early, so I undertook her then overtook the truck. As I went past her there was easily about 10 car lengths between her and the truck.

With all respect - depending on her speed it sounds like she timed her overtaking about right?

2 seconds @ 60 mph = about 50 meters i.e. just over 10 car lengths.

matttye

scubaian wrote: »

With all respect - depending on her speed it sounds like she timed her overtaking about right?

2 seconds @ 60 mph = about 50 meters i.e. just over 10 car lengths.

I'm not being precise obviously. I could tell by her speed it would be a good 10 or so seconds until she actually came alongside the truck. I was doing about 80mph, she was probably doing around 55/60mph.

almillar

I have not seen anything in the highway code about not ever making someone slow down, as this would make it almost impossible to drive anywhere unless you can be sure there is never someone who wants to go faster.

The Highway Code says something along the lines of 'you should not cause another driver to alter their speed or direction'. This is unavoidable of course in some situations like a single carraigeway where you're doing 50 and someone comes up behind at 60, but you're a lane hog if you don't move over in the situations described above.

Iceweasel

scubaian wrote: »

With all respect - depending on her speed it sounds like she timed her overtaking about right?

2 seconds @ 60 mph = about 50 meters i.e. just over 10 car lengths.

I have to agree - 10 car lengths is the Police Training advice.

My warning to all these folks who advocate undertaking is that one day they will undertake an unmarked police car.

I don't think you will get far telling them they were hogging the middle lane.

If you encounter a line of traffic in lane 2 you are faced with 2 legal choices - join the queue and become an unwilling hogger - or overtake in lane 3.

In my book if there is a line of vehicles in lane 2 only the lead one is the hogger - the others are waiting for him/her to move left.

So you could easily find a marked or unmarked police car in lane 2.

Of course I would agree that they ought to be dealing with the hogger at the head of the queue.

Iceweasel

UsernameAlreadyExists wrote: »

My book is different to yours then.

OK then, perhaps I haven't made myself clear - a line of vehicles in lane 2 and a whole load of faster vehicles in lane 3 making it difficult to enter lane 3 due to the small size of gaps between the vehicles overtaking.

Tilt

Iceweasel wrote: »

In my book if there is a line of vehicles in lane 2 only the lead one is the hogger - the others are waiting for him/her to move left.

And mine's different also.

The drivers that are "waiting for him/her to move left" are acting like sheep and are as bad as the "leading hogger". BUT of course some of those following vehicles may be prohibited from using lane 3, such as HGV's or coaches.

Personally I would of thought that with today's CCTV/ANPR technology, prosecuting these incompetent drivers will soon become common on the motorway network.

Cornucopia

People are falling into the trap (again) of cherry-picking from the Highway Code. ALL the rules apply. Nobody should be hogging lanes, and no one should be speeding.

You cannot justify even more bad driving (tailgating) because you haven't understood and accepted ALL the rules

Iceweasel

Tilt wrote: »

And mine's different also.

The drivers that are "waiting for him/her to move left" are acting like sheep and are as bad as the "leading hogger". BUT of course some of those following vehicles may be prohibited from using lane 3, such as HGV's or coaches.

Personally I would of thought that with today's CCTV/ANPR technology, prosecuting these incompetent drivers will soon become common on the motorway network.

Or like me in a 2.8tonne Sprinter with a 2tonne trailer - using a tachograph - max speed 60mpg and prohibited from lane 3.

Not often fully freighted - but the actual weight doesn't determine the rules.

I've a margin of 4mph over the big trucks oftern can't use it.

Same max as a caravan - but I've got a load more rules to follow - and rightly so.

If I'm in lane 2 doing around 57 to 58mph waiting for the queue to clear I have the correct space between me and the next vehicle - so there is no way I'm tail-gating.

I often give up and run with the big trucks at a steady 56mph - but a true 56mph is often more than the queue in lane 2 with their high-reading speedos are doing.

It is seriously difficult to drive legally in those conditions and I can well understand some folks frustrations leading them to undertake.

sinizterguy

!!!! em. Just go past them in whichever lane is safe to do so - whether that is on the left or the right.

There is no specific offence of overtaking on the left.

Strider590

sinizterguy wrote: »

!!!! em. Just go past them in whichever lane is safe to do so - whether that is on the left or the right.

There is no specific offence of overtaking on the left.

It's true, the actual offence is in deliberately changing lanes in order to do so.