Middle Lane Hoggers - I hate them!

nobbysn*ts

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Quite possibly. My point was that, in at least some cases, the "middle lane hog" is probably just making a different decision to the driver behind about what's a safe gap to pull into.

Given that the driver behind often seems to think it's ok to follow 10 yards from the car ahead, I'd tend to go with the alleged hog in that case





Yeah, used to - I can't see it in the current version. They probably removed it to avoid confusing the numpties who think that "keep left when not overtaking" means they should cut across in front of you, almost taking your wing off, only to be moving out again before they've even settled in the lane.

"Necessary" in this case is defined by common sense



because, if i drop into a 4 second gap (2 ahead, 2 behind) between 60mph lorries and continue doing 65 I'll have to move out again immediately (see "numpties" above) because my safety gap is now closing. So I have to slow down to 60 to keep that gap.

Obviously, this doesn't apply to people who think it's ok to follow at 10 yards (see "driver behind" above)



Because he now has someone in front of him who's about to either drive into the back of a lorry or swerve straight back into the second lane (into the side of the car who was tailgating) if they follow yours suggestions. So he needs to increase the gap ready to avoid that if it happens.



You could get 13 Routemasters (the old ones) into that gap. But it's NOT safe to do so. The 2 second recommendation is only an average but, if anything, it's on the short side.

If you put 2 cars into that 110m gap, then the time between them is cut to about a second and a third. 4 cars will cut it to 0.8 seconds. I don't know what sort of fighter pilot reflexes you've got, but most drivers simply won't react to a problem in that time.



If people weren't so !!!! sure of their own ability to ignore well established advice and drive with a fag paper between them and the car ahead to try and bully their way past then the queues wouldn't matter

He has to be on a wind up. Nobody could drive as badly as he claims to, and still be alive.

regprentice

Many people around the country have no access to 3 or more lane roads. There is very little 'proper' motorway in scotland for example. Bits of the m6 and m8 and thats about it. And the m8 is a godawful road... at least one exit actually slips off from the fast lane on the right......

So its unreasonable to expect many people (scots...northerners...welsh...?) To have a familiarity with three lane roads. If there isnt one within 200 miles of where you live then you simply cant be tested on one or become familiar with one. Then of course you marry a sassenach lassie and end up driving the length of the m6 3 times a year to visit family....

so many people look at these odd english 3 lane roads the same way i do... its clearly a dual carriageway with an extra lane on the left for really slow traffic.

sh0597

Not many people will have taken lessons on one or been tested due to learners being banned from motorways. It's not massively surprising then that there are people unconfident or unclear on how to drive on them.

SunReader

I'm often a hogger, as previously mentioned most motorways are so busy at peak times the lanes tend to find their own speed - 75mph seems about average for the middle lane and 90 plus in the fast lane normally.


Motorway traffic congestion is out of all recognition now from when the highway code was written and originally envisaged. Continually pulling in and out of a solid line of HGVs to an equally cloggedup middle lane isn't helping anyone, as is middle lane hogging at less than the average speed or at quiet times.


If everyone interpreted the 'all overtaking lanes' literally then surely all motorways would be by definition dual carriageway or we would need triple the amount of lanes.


In the real world on a busy motorway now it seems:


lane 1 HGV
lane 2 legal speed fast cruising
lane 3 above speed limit


I find cars going well in excess of the speed limit in the middle lane tailgating and flashing headlights quite unnecessary when they could instead overtake rather than trying to barge me out of the way.

Tilt

SunReader wrote: »

I'm often a hogger, as previously mentioned most motorways are so busy at peak times the lanes tend to find their own speed - 75mph seems about average for the middle lane and 90 plus in the fast lane normally.


Motorway traffic congestion is out of all recognition now from when the highway code was written and originally envisaged. Continually pulling in and out of a solid line of HGVs to an equally cloggedup middle lane isn't helping anyone, as is middle lane hogging at less than the average speed or at quiet times.


If everyone interpreted the 'all overtaking lanes' literally then surely all motorways would be by definition dual carriageway or we would need triple the amount of lanes.


In the real world on a busy motorway now it seems:


lane 1 [STRIKE]HGV[/STRIKE] Normal driving lane
lane 2 [STRIKE]legal speed fast cruising[/STRIKE] overtaking lane
lane 3 [STRIKE]above speed limit[/STRIKE] overtaking lane


I find cars going well in excess of the speed limit in the middle lane tailgating and flashing headlights quite unnecessary when they could instead overtake rather than trying to barge me out of the way.

Fixed that for you.

Middle lane hoggers = incompetent motorway drivers. It's as simple as that really.

Oldfatgrumpy

sk240 wrote: »

Anyone doing less than 56mph on a motorway needs their licence taking off them, they are a danger to themselves

As does anyone who exceeds the temporary advisory limits, putting in danger the lives of those of us who stick to advisory as well as mandatory limits as they hurtle to within inches of our bumpers before swerving around us.

anotherbaldrick

What I hate is drivers who hate other drivers who may be temporarily in the middle lane . Often you may move to the middle lane because you can see a slow vehicle ahead in the inside lane, there may be traffic on the hill ahead or you are approaching a junction where a lot of fast traffic enters down the slip road on the left . Although you are driving sensibly at the legal limit and thinking ahead these morons with a middle lane fixation come up behind you flashing although the outside line is totally empty.

C_Mababejive

skivenov wrote: »

The upside is, occasionally, karma wields its hand.

Quite a lot of years ago, I was driving a Transit, towing a long trailer with a car on. When I was doing this, I used to have my speed limiter turned on at 60mph, and generally just move with the wagons.

It was a long, quiet, stretch of motorway, I was sat in lane one at 60, minding my own business, way, way in the distance, I could see a car doing about 50-55mph in lane 2. Over quite a long period of time, I caught up with it, and was faced with a dilemma. Can't use lane 3 with a trailer on, didn't want to wake them up, so I just left the limiter on and did a very long, slow undertake. Halfway through this manoeuvre, they reached their junction, I think the satnav woke them up, and they put their left indicator on.

Not having the intelligence to brake at all, or the bravado to go much past 60. They couldn't find a way past me (my speed may have fluctuated slightly ).

Nice little 9 mile drive to the next junction for them.

They say confession is good for the soul. I confess i have on the rare occasion, manufactured such a situation myself..only when safe to do so mind you ! You see being a tramper on the Mways day in and day out, you become very sharply telepathic. It gets boring and one has find amusement wherever it can be found..

1886

Often on the motorway a car will appear behind me when I'm in the middle lane, I'm only in it to OT slower traffic and then move back, usually..

More often than not the right hand lane is empty but they won't use that lane to overtake me, instead they sit close behind, waiting to continue their journey in the middle lane only

They are petrified to use the right hand lane!

Having now confirmed that they are a middle lane hogger I continue MY journey in the middle lane and at a speed which frustrates them. Occasionally they will enter the lane of death (RHL) to overtake but mostly they will sit behind me until the end of time if need be. I've done this for twenty miles before, gives them a taste of their own medicine

Try it!!!!

Joe_Horner

anotherbaldrick wrote: »

What I hate is drivers who hate other drivers who may be temporarily in the middle lane . Often you may move to the middle lane because you can see a slow vehicle ahead in the inside lane, there may be traffic on the hill ahead or you are approaching a junction where a lot of fast traffic enters down the slip road on the left . Although you are driving sensibly at the legal limit and thinking ahead these morons with a middle lane fixation come up behind you flashing although the outside line is totally empty.

Perfect summary

Of course, you're still in the wrong for looking that far ahead and actually planning your drive rather than bullying past people so you can continue at illegal speeds without any awareness of what's more than 200 yds ahead - which must be the case or else they would also have seen the slow moving traffic / hill / junction that you're planning for.

Didn't you realise that driving (especially on motorways) is meant to be a purely reactive sport?