Which is more illegal? Lane Hogging? Or undertaking somebody lane hogging?

k3lvc

Jlawson118 wrote: »

So both are classed as illegal now but there's a stretch of motorway that I use pretty much everyday that goes from three lanes, to two and back to three quite a lot, and there's so many drivers who hog the second lane and I have no choice but to undertake them somehow..

So I've been curious, as both of us would be breaking the law, but who is actually more in the wrong?

So as a recently qualified driver in a 1.2 Corsa that you consider to be far from perfect mechanically you're playing games on motorways and worrying about whether you should undertake/overtake ?


Given that doing the wrong thing could easily cost you your licence I'd be concentrating on getting from A-B safely and smoothly

takman

Car_54 wrote: »

No it hasn't. The only change in the law in 2013 was to allow fixed penalties to be offered for Careless Driving. Careless Driving was defined in the Road Traffic Act 1988, and has not changed.

"Lane Hogging" was one of the examples of CD mentioned by the DfT at the time, but ill-informed reports in the media took this to mean it was now an offence.

There was nothing to stop the police charging a "lane hogger" with CD before 2013, but it would have to have gone to court.

It may not have been an official change in legislation but there was definetly a change in how the police define lane hogging so they can prosecute people under Careless Driving.
If this wasn't the case then why was there no prosecutions for Lane Hogging before 2013?

Car_54

takman wrote: »

It may not have been an official change in legislation but there was definetly a change in how the police define lane hogging so they can prosecute people under Careless Driving.
If this wasn't the case then why was there no prosecutions for Lane Hogging before 2013?

How do you know there weren't? The actual charge would have been Careless (or Inconsiderate) Driving under RTA 1988 section 3. In any case, these low-level motoring offences rarely get reported in the media.

The point is that pre-2013 it would have to go to court, with the attendant costs and hassle. Now it can be dealt with by FP, or indeed an improvement course.

Gloomendoom

My mum was pulled over for middle lane hogging on the M4 long before 2013.

She was livid as there was hardly another car on the motorway.

GTE_Boy

Car_54 wrote: »

How do you know there weren't? The actual charge would have been Careless (or Inconsiderate) Driving under RTA 1988 section 3. In any case, these low-level motoring offences rarely get reported in the media.

The point is that pre-2013 it would have to go to court, with the attendant costs and hassle. Now it can be dealt with by FP, or indeed an improvement course.

Weren't they pre 2013?

Teapot55

One of the problems of moving into the middle lane to overtake is people in the left lane outpacing you & beginning to undertake you when you have finished your overtaking manouevre and are wanting to move back in to the left lane. You are then caught between those and the ones behind you who think *they* could have got in, and don't know why you haven't.

takman

Car_54 wrote: »

How do you know there weren't? The actual charge would have been Careless (or Inconsiderate) Driving under RTA 1988 section 3. In any case, these low-level motoring offences rarely get reported in the media.

The point is that pre-2013 it would have to go to court, with the attendant costs and hassle. Now it can be dealt with by FP, or indeed an improvement course.

I have seen it widely reported that the first person to get fined for Middle Lane Hogging happened after 2013. I would assume that so many media outlets wouldn't report through story without doing some checking. But if you know a way to prove otherwise it would be quite interesting.

takman

Gloomendoom wrote: »

My mum was pulled over for middle lane hogging on the M4 long before 2013.

She was livid as there was hardly another car on the motorway.

Did she actually get a fine for it though?. Plenty of people have probably been pulled over for it but the media outlets reported it as no one being fined for it previously to 2013.

GTE_Boy

takman wrote: »

I have seen it widely reported that the first person to get fined for Middle Lane Hogging happened after 2013. I would assume that so many media outlets wouldn't report through story without doing some checking. But if you know a way to prove otherwise it would be quite interesting.

Yeah, that was probably the first fixed penalty notice.

Why should the press bother to check their information is correct?

Gloomendoom

takman wrote: »

Did she actually get a fine for it though?. Plenty of people have probably been pulled over for it but the media outlets reported it as no one being fined for it previously to 2013.

No, she didn't get a fine. Just a telling off.