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

GTE_Boy

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

There is an (advanced) driving argument that suggests that, on an empty-ish motorway, the safest place to drive is actually in the middle lane, as this gives you the maximum number of options should something unexpected (e.g. mechanical failure, debris on the carriageway, large pothole, animal running across the motorway, etc) occur.

Personally, I support the American rule whereby you can pass on either side. The only problem is when you get 3 cars abreast on a 3-lane highway all doing the exact same speed, so that there's no opportunity to pass.

Who suggests that?

bigadaj

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

There is an (advanced) driving argument that suggests that, on an empty-ish motorway, the safest place to drive is actually in the middle lane, as this gives you the maximum number of options should something unexpected (e.g. mechanical failure, debris on the carriageway, large pothole, animal running across the motorway, etc) occur.

Personally, I support the American rule whereby you can pass on either side. The only problem is when you get 3 cars abreast on a 3-lane highway all doing the exact same speed, so that there's no opportunity to pass.

Not very logical. The logical approach is to ensure that you travel in lane 1, and then overtake in lane 2 and then lane 3 if necessary due to the presence of other slower traffic.

Virtually all 3 lane motorways in the uk have a hard shoulder so travelling in lane 2 doesn't really give any benefit in the situations you've noted above,more medhancial failure than being in lane 1 makes it easier to move into the hard shoulder and stop safely. Same for potholes though there is logically a higher probability of these in lane 1 because of the HGV presence there, however it's pretty rare for these on major roads. Animal running across the road will be random, so no benefit to being in lane 2 over lane 1.

Biggles

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

Personally, I support the American rule whereby you can pass on either side.

Whilst that is, technically, the case on freeways, most states also have a law that specifically requires slower traffic (whatever the speed limit) to keep to the righthand lane.

Cornucopia

The idea of one thing being "more illegal" than another (as per the thread title) is wrong-headed. Whilst drivers commonly hold this view of a league table of driving faults and offences, it makes no sense, legally, morally or practically.

To compound that false thinking by juxtaposing one offence as the "solution" for another is just more wrong-headedness.

The truth is that both lane-hogging and undertaking are poor driving, and undertaking is an offence that can and will be prosecuted in the event that anyone in authority sees it (which is unlikely).

I drive along the 4-lane section of the A2 on a regular basis, and like many other 4-lane motorway standard roads, the extra lane seems to confuse drivers, and they lose any sense of lane discipline. It's quite common, especially at night, to see slowish vehicles (cars & vans) hogging lane 2 or even lane 3, forcing a 4-lane detour for those of us driving normally wanting to overtake.

Sometimes slow, wrong-lane driving is indicative of a driver on the phone, which is another can of worms.

I would strongly recommend that drivers do not lane-hog, and if you are in the habit of doing so when traffic is light, then you need to be prepared to move into lane 1 as soon as you become aware of other vehicles in your lane or lanes to the left of you that are moving faster than you are.

Kim_kim

glentoran99 wrote: »

Someone flashes me they have slim to no chance of me moving over

Really?

So you are happy to hold someone up for no reason other than you don't pull over to the left after overtaking?

Kim_kim

jimjames wrote: »

If you continue in your own lane keeping a steady speed because the road ahead is clear and a driver is driving slower in a lane to your right is that still undertaking? You're not making a manoeuvre to pass them, you are continuing in your own, clear lane.

I've wondered that one. I do it on the M25.
I'm driving along properly in the left hand lane & you end up passing middle land hoggers.

Kim_kim

dktreesea wrote: »

Plus I've seen some advice somewhere about travelling on motorways that drivers should use all lanes, not just the left lane, especially if there are plenty of people coming onto the motorway. Maybe in busy traffic, if you're not looking to exit it would be better/safer to leave the left lane free for lorries and merging traffic, and use the second lane instead?

As I pass junctions I try to move over to the middle lane to allow the merging traffic to join. I don't bother if it's really quiet, but I do try the rest of the time.

Tilt

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

There is an (advanced) driving argument that suggests that, on an empty-ish motorway, the safest place to drive is actually in the middle lane, as this gives you the maximum number of options should something unexpected (e.g. mechanical failure, debris on the carriageway, large pothole, animal running across the motorway, etc) occur.

Personally, I support the American rule whereby you can pass on either side. The only problem is when you get 3 cars abreast on a 3-lane highway all doing the exact same speed, so that there's no opportunity to pass.

Could you possibly point me in the direction of this "argument"?

GabbaGabbaHey

Tilt wrote: »

Could you possibly point me in the direction of this "argument"?

I would have thought that it is entirely self evident - on an empty-ish 3-lane motorway, you have a greater margin of safety by driving in Lane 2, as you then have a lane on either side into which you can drive should something untoward occur.

What part of that don't you understand?

takman

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

I would have thought that it is entirely self evident - on an empty-ish 3-lane motorway, you have a greater margin of safety by driving in Lane 2, as you then have a lane on either side into which you can drive should something untoward occur.

What part of that don't you understand?

But then lane 1 is even safer because you still have a lane either side of you for 90% of the time plus you have the added benefit of the lane to the left of you being completely free of cars where you can stop if necessary without any risk (the hard shoulder).