i have just seen an rac report on the tv about motorway middle lane hoggers and the amount of miles of motorway that they actually take up by doing this. approximately 700 miles each and every day are lost because of this.
the rac are asking for more police presence on the m/ways to deal with this and other poor driving qualities.
i couldn’t agree more and would like to see more police patrols on the motorways but what else could be done about this?
education is always a good thing, drivers get on a motorway and see 3 or more lanes for them to choose from, they don’t consider that the rule of the road is to always drive on the left, a 3 lane motorway is actually still a single lane road, though it has 3 lanes only the left lane is the driving lane, the 2 outer lanes are both overtaking lanes and as it says in the highway code, once the overtaking manouvre is complete then the vehicle should move back to the left lane, nobody would overtake a vehicle on a single carriageway road then remain on the opposite carriageway once they have past the vehicle they were overtaking.
i know that i shouldn’t do this but this is one of my pet hates when i am in my car and so quite often i pass the mlh on the inside with my horn pressed on to show my dissaproval of that drivers selfishness.
i think that this should not only be allowed but encouraged too, i think more drivers should be allowed to act as road marshalls, high mileage car drivers should be allowed to take a further driving test to allow them to become road marshalls, they should be allowed to have cameras fitted to their cars to video poor driving standards then the film reviewed by police traffic forces and fines sent to vehicle owners/drivers irrespective of who was driving at the time, the owner is made responsible for the crime, no points just fines and reports held for the owner in case of repetative failures to comply with a safe driving practice then perhaps further education for that driver.
Agree with what you are saying Johnny. Middle lane hogs are more than a nuisance , at times they are dangerous.
Funny thing is, your idea about the cameras is something I’ve thought about myself in the past.
We could do this now if we wanted to.
You could fit a video camera system (such as fitted to police vehicles) and if sombody commits an offence make a note of the time & place, Then all you need to do is contact the local police and ask for a form (cant remember the proper title for it) to report danderous/careless driving,
this will be sent by post and in the section for witnesses say you have video evidence.
I think you will have to put a notice on the vehicle along the lines of-
“THIS VEHICLE IS FITTED WITH VIDEO RECORDING EQUIPMENT ALL OFFENCES WILL BE REPORTED”
on it to comply with the data protection act but if we all did this we would probably never see another traffic jam/slip road slammer etc etc as they will all have lost their licences (if the court system hasn’t crashed by then) 
It used to really annoy me when I lived there to have some ignorant git sitting in the middle lane, but it’s even more annoying here because in most states it’s legal, in fact in MY state it’s recomended by driving schools that you stay in the middle lane unless you need to pass, even if you are doing well below the limit. I sometimes come up on three abreast cars doing 50 mph in a 65 mph limit, AND THEY DO NOT MOVE 
I remember drivers being interviewed on the telly at an MSA with regard to motorway lanes ,asking drivers to explain their understanding of lanes.
one driver explained the left lane was for lorries,the third lane for reps in a hurry
and i just drive up the middle lane bothering nobody at about 50!!!.
After watching numerous other variations on theme i turned it off in disgust.
So many drivers just “plod along” totally oblivious to other traffic.
Brings to mind a relation of mine used to drive from Coventry to Brighton and “never went above 30 miles an hour” drove for 50 years and never had an accident,but I dread to think how many he caused!!!Rant over.
regards derek
Hey Pat…I dont know about NY but here in OH if always freaks me out about undertaking? You are allowed to pass anything in any lane that is moving slower than you…WTF is that all about?..so in my eyes its legal for a 4 wheeler to pass you on the inside…and if you hit him because he’s in you blind spot it’s your fault?
I knew I should have been a lawyer 
Bully
Middle lane hoggers are one of my pet hates also- along with those idiots who insist on using their rear fog lights when it is not foggy.
Middle lane hoggers
Fog light offenders
People who never indicate…
They should all have their cars confiscated, and be given life long Bus Pass’es instead… 
Luv
Chrisie… 
as for the driver who said the inside lane is for HGV’s, have you noticed there is a few drivers who occasionaly sit in the correct left lane at 50mph until you get behind them, indicate and you pull out into the outside lane and they will do the exact same thing causing you to either slow down or go back into the inside to pass on the left. Ive had this done to me far too meny times and its always after 7pm when the only person to want to use the motorway at that time of night is you working and this daft driver who does not understand how to drive. Most times I just return to the left lane and cruise past them afterall im doing 55-60 in lane one which is a 60 limit for me, there in lane two doing 50 which is a 70 limit for them.
Could it be that this driver is one of those who dont like overtaking hgv’s and buses or being overtaken so trys to stop us doing so? if your scared of HGV’s you should not be on the road! I can confedently overtake a HGV with 1ft to spre at 60mph without a single problem, Why cant car drivers overtake an HGV with 3ft + available and even another lane they could use to keep well away from them.
Ive had my moan for today at car drivers!
I think part of the problem is with the other people staying in the middle lane - I mean, if you’re in a car on a reasonably busy motorway, you’ve just overtaken a truck in the nearside lane, and the lane is then empty until another truck 2-300 m ahead, do you pull back into lane 1?
If you do, the chances are, the person behind you will close up the gap, and you’ll have difficulty pulling back out into the traffic again. So, because everyone else is hogging the middle lane and driving too close for anyone to pull back in, you have to stick in the middle lane as well.
Unfortunately, it’s a simple problem of courtesy, which seems to be sorely lacking on today’s roads.
If your on a busy motorway I dont mind it as much if your keeping to the middle lane. Its on the queit stretches with no other cars in sight that cause the problems!
MrFlibble:
I think part of the problem is with the other people staying in the middle lane - I mean, if you’re in a car on a reasonably busy motorway, you’ve just overtaken a truck in the nearside lane, and the lane is then empty until another truck 2-300 m ahead, do you pull back into lane 1?If you do, the chances are, the person behind you will close up the gap, and you’ll have difficulty pulling back out into the traffic again. So, because everyone else is hogging the middle lane and driving too close for anyone to pull back in, you have to stick in the middle lane as well.
Unfortunately, it’s a simple problem of courtesy, which seems to be sorely lacking on today’s roads.
I had that problem on the M11 on Sunday of all days. I was in my car and me and one other competant person (or silly sod, depending on how you look at it) were in the NS lane behind an HGV watching about 20 cars lined up in the mirror, in the OS lane.
M25 has got to be the worst, people in cars just join and get in which ever lane they feel like staying in for the next however many miles.
Oh boy i was waiting for this one to come up! hehe
RIGHT
All new drivers when they pass there test… do not get automatic access to drive on the motorway. Just like you now have to display a green L after you’ve passed make it bigger, with report me if i’m on the motorway on it!
Have a seperate test (extra revenue for the dVLA here, not that i’m in favour of it) for people who wish to use the motorway correctly.
The police could have a sub group if you like that only have the the powers to enforce traffic offences… make middle lane hogging a traffic offence and incur a £150 fine for doing it and beofre long the problem would not be a problem.
Have a minimum speed of 60 mph again fine heavily if this is not kept.
This would all only work of course if the motorways were watched 24/7 365 days a year and would cost the government and then us, so the idea is nice, just shame it will never happen.
perhaps if the government was to spend the money they make of the gatso’s to improve motorway awareness and safety then it would benefit us all!
tiggz:
Have a minimum speed of 60 mph again fine heavily if this is not kept.
My poor old Fiesta 1.1 can’t maintain 60mph on a hill when it’s full of stuff. Should I not be allowed on the motorway? My Land Rover can’t maintain 60mph when I have a trailer on either (well, the limit is 60 for that, so I shouldn’t exceed it either).
Paul
My poor old Fiesta 1.1 can’t maintain 60mph on a hill when it’s full of stuff. Should I not be allowed on the motorway?
No you shouldn’t!!! laffs, obviously the car isn’t roadworthy enough to maintain a suitable speed on a three lane carriageway without causing hiderance to other drivers… so you can have one of those report me if i’m on the motorway stickers!!! laffs
Bully:
Hey Pat…I dont know about NY but here in OH if always freaks me out about undertaking? You are allowed to pass anything in any lane that is moving slower than you…WTF is that all about?..so in my eyes its legal for a 4 wheeler to pass you on the inside…and if you hit him because he’s in you blind spot it’s your fault?
I knew I should have been a lawyerBully
Ya see drivers like this on the highways over here all the time… they swerve from slow lane to fast lane dodging in and out of the flow of traffic at high speeds just to get a few car lengths ahead of everyone else, without regard to anyone else on the road. Patrick went through this a few months ago. A car was undertaking in the right lane and apparently decided to sit in his blind spot… don’t know if they were waiting for their exit or what… but it wasn’t one of the vehicles that he had passed, his mirrors were clear, and he started to pull back into the right lane. There was no way for him to see that it was there until his angle of vision changed after he started to move over. By then the car was on the shoulder. They phoned his boss and complained about his irratic driving ect 
… and after doing the research on it, this is what they found…
It’s perfectly legal to undertake in the right lane… BUT… if an accident occurs during the undertaking, it is ALWAYS the fault of the driver in the right lane. Patrick wouldn’t have been at fault. So its legal if there’s no accident, and illegal if there is. Screwed up law or what? Don’t know if its the same in Ohio or not. Its similar to people who pass on the right at a 4 way intersection and hold up traffic flow from the opposite lane and cause accidents. Personally, I don’t wait for them anymore (unless the kids are with me). If they hit me while they’re passing illegally, I have a good lawyer… and can already feel my neck start to hurt. lol 
WHAT 
A trucker not being at fault on a road Do me a favour…
Middle laners are a problem because they dont keep pace with traffic. All they do is 55-60 mph. They should be in the inside lane at that speed but they wont. If trucks were (as they are legally allowed to do) capable of doing 60 mph they could quite easily go at the same speed as the trucks & not constantly sit in the middle lane. The real problem on the motorway is there are three types of traffic at different speeds, trucks 53 - 56mph, cars 55 - 60 mph, & normal people 70 - 80 mph, merge the trucks & cars & merge the traffic, free up the middle lane
tiggz:
No you shouldn’t!!! laffs, obviously the car isn’t roadworthy enough to maintain a suitable speed on a three lane carriageway without causing hiderance to other drivers… so you can have one of those report me if i’m on the motorway stickers!!! laffs
If you need to be able to maintain 60mph to be allowed on a three lane carriageway then the first thing to do is get rid of all the trucks then! Once they’re gone, maybe the middle laners who sit in Lane2 to avoid the trucks will move over into Lane1 of their own accord
So there you go - I just solved the problem - ban the trucks.
Paul
(getting his coat as he types this)
Leave these poor people alone. They are lost and forlorne and existing in their own private ‘Twilight Zone’.
They don’t Read the Road and they don’t Read the Gradients. They struggle aimlessly onwards with a constant pressure on the accelerator pedal.
I’d much rather follow a line of trucks than a line of cars. At least when following trucks I can have a little faith, albeit sometimes misplaced, in their professionalism to have regard to following vehicles.
Following a line of cars makes me nervous. It only needs one at the front to dab their brakes and the next 5 or 6 brake progressively harder, leaving you looking for an ‘Escape’ route.
And let’s all remember those times when the idiots have been playing ‘Bumper Cars’ in Lanes 2 & 3, and we can still sail through in Lane 1. Do we REALLY want the Numpties encroaching upon OUR piece of road, and then ‘Rubber Necking’ past the scene. 