Lane hogging has become epidemic

iolanthe07

Undertaking is perfectly safe and legal in the United States where I lived for five years. I really don't understand why it is frowned on here, though arguably it is not, in itself, illegal. I do it quite often these days.

NBLondon

DoaM wrote: »

There's a section of the M8 that has 5 lanes. If I join it at that section I always move to the middle lane (lane 3) as soon as possible. Why? Because within a mile or so lanes 1 and 2 turn off to join the M80, and there's always traffic wanting to take that junction, so I "get out of the way" as soon as I can to avoid getting stuck taking the wrong junction.

This is a local knowledge thing isn't it? If Lane 1 or 2 is empty, you should be able to join it and move across as you approach the junction. If Lane 1 and 2 are busy with traffic already, you are moving to Lane 3 to overtake them. Or are you saying that you would move to Lane 3 even if the others were empty? Or to travel slower than the traffic already in Lane 2??

poppasmurf_bewdley

I'm of an age when I can recall the first motorways opening in 1959.

And in those days, the three lanes were known as the slow, fast and overtaking lanes. Hogging the middle lane was endemic then just as it is now, because virtually everybody considered themselves a 'fast' driver.

And in those days, HGV's were allowed to use the outside lane. I've seen where the centre reservation (no barriers in those days) became an unofficial overtaking lane to get past a row of lorries travelling at about 40mph, bearing in mind that the top speed of most cars in those days was about 70mph!

I firmly believe these days that centre lane hogging is mainly down to extremely poor driver education when people are learning to drive, and drivers are not aware that they should drive 'on the left' unless they are overtaking.

zagfles

Lane hoggers are a right PITA but reactions to them can be far worse, like tailgating, cutting in, undertaking etc.

Last week on the M40 there was a car doing about 60 in the middle lane, lane 1 was completely clear, as I overtook I noticed the passenger appeared to be filming overtaking traffic on her mobile! Not sure what that was all about, whether she was trying to capture bad reactions to the lane hogging for some reason?

zagfles

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Undertaking is perfectly safe and legal in the United States where I lived for five years. I really don't understand why it is frowned on here, though arguably it is not, in itself, illegal. I do it quite often these days.

Probably because most drivers don't seem to have properly adjusted mirrors and have a massive blind spot which they won't bother checking when pulling in to the left.

Tiexen

NBLondon wrote: »

Agreed - but there are a few places where the gap between instances of Lane 1 becoming a filter lane is less than a mile (I'm thinking of the A2 London-bound) so staying in Lane 2 makes sense when busy.

However, there are plenty of people who join a 3 lane dual carriageway, head straight to Lane 2 and stay there - whatever is (or isn't) in Lane 1. Like others have said above, it's possible to be cruising in an empty Lane 1 at 69 mph and find yourself overhauling a dingbat in Lane 2 at 63 mph. I usually continue past (but with extra care and foot ready to brake). I'd be happy to defend that to police or courts that I wasn't "undertaking" I was maintaining a safe and legal speed in the leftmost available lane.

In fact, it seems that that's safer than overtaking in the normal manner - as forgotmyname describes, there are also those drivers who like to travel at 62 and when they get too close to the lorry in front (at 56) will decide to lurch into the next lane irrespective of whether there is anyone already overtaking...

M25 heading for the A12 in lane 1 the number of cars/lorries who start to head down the exit and suddenly swerve over to lane 2 as they realise they are exiting the motoway

engineer_amy

Never had the pleasure of driving on the M25, although motorway driving in Northern Ireland can be a nightmare. 3 lanes between Sandyknowes and Greencastle, yet the entire population of Belfast is using Lane 3, constantly bunching up, brakelights, travelling 60mph, collisions galore. Lane 1 is empty 90% of the time.


In NI we generally joke about the bad driving standards in the Republic of Ireland, but last time I crossed the border on my way to Galway, I can honestly say I saw some of the best driving ever. Long double lane major routes, everyone travelling along at 120kmph in lane 1, if they needed to overtake, it was done really quickly and they moved out of Lane 2 as soon as they could. (and indicators were always used!!!) It was actually quite a relaxing 5 hour drive as you weren't trying to dart in betweenthe outside lane hoggers

DoaM

NBLondon wrote: »

This is a local knowledge thing isn't it? If Lane 1 or 2 is empty, you should be able to join it and move across as you approach the junction. If Lane 1 and 2 are busy with traffic already, you are moving to Lane 3 to overtake them. Or are you saying that you would move to Lane 3 even if the others were empty? Or to travel slower than the traffic already in Lane 2??

If I wanted to stay in lane 1 or 2 I probably could - it depends on time of day (rush hour etc.) But there's no real benefit in doing so.

The speed limit at that section is 50. I'll be in lane 3 (of 5 - it becomes lane 1 of 3 of the M8 after the M80 turn-off) on cruise control set at 54 (so near enough a real 50). Vehicles will still pass me in lane 2.

Supersonos

iolanthe07 wrote: »

Undertaking is perfectly safe and legal in the United States where I lived for five years. I really don't understand why it is frowned on here, though arguably it is not, in itself, illegal. I do it quite often these days.

Is overtaking on the inside not illegal in the UK? I thought it was.

Supersonos

harz99 wrote: »

Cruise control...

What does that mean? Cruise control causes lane hogging? Cruise control is the solution to stopping lane hogging? Cruise Control is your favourite film?