Standard of motorway driving

DCFC79

I'm in need of a rant as its really getting on my nerves.

Rule 264 (Highway Code)


You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past.

This doesn't happen with the drivers I come across, various drivers admittedly not all but some will not use the left lane as the highway code says, they just hog the middle lane.
I can be driving in the left lane and a number of cars will be in the middle lane but not 1 moves into the left lane, if not going to overtake then use the left lane.

Another example is I can be in the middle lane with various vehicles eg HGV's in the left lane so I'm overtaking them and once I pass them there's a gap in the left lane but I cant enter the left lane as there's a number half wits middle lane hogging so I have to overtake the number of vehicles and while doing this another half wit is getting so close to my bumper I can count his wrinkles lol and not 1 of these half wits will move to the left to let me in so I have to carry on as I was with idiot flashing lights at me.

In my example above is it just as simple to indicate to join the middle lane and a driver can move into the left ?

Another 1 is when its raining your meant to increase the gap between you and the vehicle in front yet that rule is never adhered to, it gets chucked in the trash, same with the snow last week, just no common sense happens.

I swear the standard of driving has got worse over the years, the entitled generation play its part.

nyermen

I've actually given up doing 70 on the motorway, as I spend more time indicating than actually passing the slower cars, struggling to get out to pass them due to all the 80mph+ cars filling the other lanes. I tend to just allow a sensible distance behind a left lane vehicle, and match their speed.

There's two problems I see so much more of these days - firstly, sloppy/lazy driving, and secondly, more bad/dangerous driving.
The first, maybe we should have tests every 10 years. The second, more serious punishments perhaps.

Norman_Castle

DCFC79 wrote: »

I swear the standard of driving has got worse over the years, the entitled generation play its part.

Not sure if its got worse but its got busier which increases problems. If you're confident with your driving, matching the speed of the cars in front and no option to move over, ignore the tailgaters.

V2-Schneider

OP - breathe in, and breathe out. There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Yes, it's frustrating that people hog the middle lane and that people tailgate on the motorway - but are you really going to be able to effect change? No

agrinnall

Hence the current series of Nextbase ads on Dave.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Yx3w--WvJw

Ilona

I have been driving for a living for 32 years, the standards are much the same now as they have always been. I saw a lot more from a lorry cab than I do now from my car. As NC says, it's busier.

OP, you are never ever going to get text book driving from all road users. Just accept that some people are muppets. Driving standards range from complete dimwits, slow and doddery, scared silly, to company reps who travel every day, through to highly trained driving instructors, police drivers, and anyone else who has to reach high standards for their job.

No point in throwing a hissy fit, you will not change anything, and you will drive yourself into an early grave. You will have a much more relaxed journey if you make allowances for people who are lacking in any driving skills needed.

Let the racers race, keep out of their way. Hold back from someone who is tootling along in the wrong lane, watch your rear view mirror and overtake when it is safe. Watch your temper, do not boil over with frustration. Make it your mission to get to your destination relaxed and calm. I do this by keeping at a steady 60 in the first lane, overtaking occasionally when someone is going slower than I am.

Ilona

oldagetraveller

And how dare anyone ever venture into the German lane in their inferior vehicles!
Like Ilona I usually try to travel in lane one at 60mph, or just over (don't want to annoy any HGV drivers) which keeps the blood pressure under control and the fuel consumption lower. Speeding up when necessary to overtake.

takman

Ilona wrote: »

OP, you are never ever going to get text book driving from all road users. Just accept that some people are muppets. Driving standards range from complete dimwits, slow and doddery, scared silly, to company reps who travel every day, through to highly trained driving instructors, police drivers, and anyone else who has to reach high standards for their job.

It's worth mentioning that even some of the driving instructors and police officers can be poor drivers. I have footage from my Dash cam of a group of police officers going onto the motorway and crossing a solid white line to get on early.


When driving on the Motorway i agree that so many people drive to such a poor standard that you need to really be observant. Just last week i overtook someone who was in the middle lane doing roughly 65 MPH with no one in the first lane (So i assumed they were anticipating cars coming onto the motorway). As i started to overtake they suddenly moved into my lane without indication and i had to brake hard to avoid a collision. They then carried on obvious to what they had done.

Personally i usually drive at 78 Mph on the motorway (Indicated speed, so an actual speed of 76 Mph). Some people may criticise me for that but it allows me to make good progress and avoid the trap of getting caught around middle lane hoggers and not having to pull into the first lane and the be stuck because they won't let me out.

Ilona

takman wrote: »

It's worth mentioning that even some of the driving instructors and police officers can be poor drivers.

Personally i usually drive at 78 Mph on the motorway (Indicated speed, so an actual speed of 76 Mph). Some people may criticise me for that but it allows me to make good progress and avoid the trap of getting caught around middle lane hoggers and not having to pull into the first lane and the be stuck because they won't let me out.

There are good and bad in all drivers. I have managed to keep myself safe and out of bother by putting myself through six advanced driving tests, with Rospa and IAM. Anyone can do that.

Makes me laugh when I see the speed drivers having to brake hard in the third lane because they all have the same idea, to beat everyone else, and I am plodding past them in a virtually empty first lane. See you later overtaker, in a casket crazy basket. :rotfl:

Ilona

takman

Ilona wrote: »

There are good and bad in all drivers. I have managed to keep myself safe and out of bother by putting myself through six advanced driving tests, with Rospa and IAM. Anyone can do that.

Makes me laugh when I see the speed drivers having to brake hard in the third lane because they all have the same idea, to beat everyone else, and I am plodding past them in a virtually empty first lane. See you later overtaker, in a casket crazy basket. :rotfl:

Ilona

That's another annoyance on the motorway when people brake, especially when they brake hard.
I always aim to never brake when on the motorway and it's quite easy to do by looking ahead and changing lanes and easing off to slow down. But some people seem to not want to look further ahead than the car in front!.

singhini

OP - bad motorway driving is one of my Room 101 hates to banish (along with lazy people who walk their supermarket trollies back to the trolley hut but don't actually push it back into place).


Bah Bumbug