Middle Lane Drivers - bit of a rant

[Shewie]

Why do some folk only drive in the middle lane of the motorway, every day I see them pull out from the slip road and straight into the middle lane, they'll then stop there until they need to get off again.

Sometimes I'll be tootling along at a strange hour of the day, the roads are dead with only a couple of motors. I'll be driving up the inside lane and approach somebody in a world of their own, I'll pull across two lanes and go past them, back into the inside lane and they still stop there.

Most days on the rat run to work the inside lane will be empty apart from a few trucks, everybody else then gets stuck in a two lane jam. I've even seen it on four lane motorways down in the Midlands where there will be two lanes empty and everyone still hogging the outside lanes.

I don't think we'd have half the congestion and tedious journeys if drivers used their brains a bit more. Instead of putting up nice gentle reminders on the matrix signs how about fining those who don't comply, driving without due care and attention I'd say.

Anyone else agree ?

 

[JAG009]

Yes i agree !!!! the standard of driving nowadays is shocking boy am getting a grumpy old fart



Jason

 

[locum76]

It's tailgaters that get me going, ooh those nippy buggers. I just slow down when someone tailgates me.

I've not driven on motorways in England much so I cannae get my head around three lane motorways at all. When I drove to Cornwall I was more or less permanently plonked in the middle lane doing 80mph. Is that socially acceptable (apart from breaking the speed limit and being just a little unlawful of course)?

 

[Mesquite]

It's tailgaters that get me going, ooh those nippy buggers. I just slow down when someone tailgates me.

I've not driven on motorways in England much so I cannae get my head around three lane motorways at all. When I drove to Cornwall I was more or less permanently plonked in the middle lane doing 80mph. Is that socially acceptable (apart from breaking the speed limit and being just a little unlawful of course)?

I hate tailgaters as well... I'll pull over in my time regardless of what they do. I will pull over when I feel it's safe to do so.

As for sitting in the middle lane... no, as far as I am concerned, it's not acceptable to stick in ANY lane if one of the inside lanes is clear. After all there is one driving lane on a motorway with 2 overtaking lanes... and what are you supposed to do you do when you over take? You're supposed to move back to the lane you left when possible....

 

[sapper1]

I used to drive an average of 750,000 miles per year on motor ways(yes seven hundred and fifty thousand miles per year,thats three quarters of a million) and the middle lane drivers were my biggest headache.
THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS THE SLOW LANE OR THE FAST LANE,there is lane 1,2 and 3.Lane 1 is for driving and lanes 2 and 3 are for overtaking.

I'm going to stop now as you've found the one thing that raises my hackles instantly.

 

[Graham_S]

you think you have problems?
Come out to Saudi and see the driving out here!
Every day on the way to work it's like an episode of Police, Camera, Action!

 

[launditch1]

Im with you there Shewie..I could list a million things that get my goat about driving!
When i was once in a taxi in Germany i soon found out its the done thing to hoot and flash the driver in front of you so they get out of your way!!

...or maybe thats just German taxi drivers..

 

[Toddy]

Yeah, it's irritating, but statistically most accidents apparantly occur when changing lanes, so....technically they're safer going at a reasonable speed in the middle lane and thus avoiding all the traffic coming on from the side roads.

Tailgaters get on my wick. It's not as though I'm renowned for being slow

They've finally joined up the M74, so I no longer can scoot along into Glasgow on a virtually empty three (four at some stretches) motorway. On the other hand driving the M8 is no supposedly no longer 2nd gear the whole way into town at the rush hour


cheers,
Toddy

 

[Retired Member southey]

But what about all the other lane changes caused by them sticking in the middle lane?

Yeah, it's irritating, but statistically most accidents apparantly occur when changing lanes, so....technically they're safer going at a reasonable speed in the middle lane and thus avoiding all the traffic coming on from the side roads.

Tailgaters get on my wick. It's not as though I'm renowned for being slow

They've finally joined up the M74, so I no longer can scoot along into Glasgow on a virtually empty three (four at some stretches) motorway. On the other hand driving the M8 is no supposedly no longer 2nd gear the whole way into town at the rush hour


cheers,
Toddy

 

[sapper1]

Sorry Toddy but you are wrong,if someone is plodding along below the speed limit in the middle lane then you have to change lane to pass them thereby putting yourself in the most dangerous part of motorway driving.They may be safer in themselves but they are endangering everybody else who has to pass them.As a coach driver I am limited to a max speed of 62 mph and am not allowed in the outside lane.If someone is driving along the middle lane at a steady and safe 50mph. what do I do?I can pass on the inside and be fined,I can pass on the outside and be fined or I can run late and be sacked.All because someone doesn't understand the motorway rules.

I told you it got my hackles up.

 

[ged]

I used to drive an average of 750,000 miles per year on motor ways(yes seven hundred and fifty thousand miles per year,thats three quarters of a million) and the middle lane drivers were my biggest headache. ...

You drove at 85.6 miles per hour 24 hours per day seven days per week without even stopping for a pee?

 

[Pandabean]

I can understand why people want to stick to the middle lane. *cough* Me unfortunately when heading to the moot last year.....the experience of anything greater than 2 lanes is daunting to me. But I did move in to the 1st lane when it was clear until I came up behind another truck. Put it this way I am very very very rarely down those parts.
The main reason is there is no such thing as a motorway up these parts just dual carriageways and even they can be hairy. People like to cross them and a fair few times I have had to slam on the breaks because idots think oh I will pull out and into that side opening over there.

Oh and tailgaiters get on my nerves, if they can't over take i slow down a bit until they get the message.

Also there are some people who over take, just to get 1 car ahead and then they are in front for the rest of the road if they cannot overtake.

 

[sapper1]

It's an average,and we carried a sheewee

 

[Toddy]

The arguement went that there were fewer lane changes because the inside lane averages 50, while the middle one averages something a little less than 70. That 'supposedly' leaves the outside lane for overtaking.

Makes sense when you think on it that instead of one lane being nose to tail that the traffic load is spread across all of them. So long as folks can get by; fair enough.

*If* the roads are busy, and I'm doing the speed of the flow of the traffic in the lane, I really don't mind what lane I drive in. If it's easy to slip inwards, then I do so. If it's nose to tail on the M8 like hell I'm going to move in three lanes to have to come back out across them all to get off at Charing Cross though

That doesn't remove the thrust of the argument though.

M

 

[sapper1]

The problem arises when there is little traffic about and no need to stay in the middle lane.

 

[ged]

I personally love it when lanes 2 and three are full of traffic and lane 1 is empty. That means I can have lane 1 all to myself on my motorbike and I don't have to worry about all the people who can't see a fluorescent green jacket with retroreflective stripes until it's stuck to their windscreen.

 

[sapper1]

s.m.i.d.s.y.

I also ride a bike and it's amazing how many people can't see me.

 

[ged]

It's an average,and we carried a sheewee

Ok, let me put it another way. Your claimed mileage is a load of bull. It's impossible. I couldn't even do it on my Hayabusa.

 

[Toddy]

The problem arises when there is little traffic about and no need to stay in the middle lane.

Well, yes, but then flash the blighters and they'll generally shift. Especially if you're driving sommat big :yikes:

Pandabean, I know exactly what you mean, and more so since half those inside lanes are really off ramps At least in the middle you have some choice.

cheers,
M

 

[Retired Member southey]

I personally think we should re instate the rail network in its pre Beaching state and remove all (viable for for rail) freight from the road. then remove the speed limits from the motorways