Middle Lane Hogs Face £100 On-The-Spot Fines
 

About time too !!

http://news.sky.com/story/1099507/mi...the-spot-fines

Cant see it really been enforced but a step in the right direction.

Richard

Do we trust the police to enforce this properly?

But who wants to drive an AWD on the inside lane tramlines? :wonder:

Exactly, the police aren’t going to pull people over on the Motorway to issue a ticket it’s just too dangerous.

I certainly wouldn't trust the police to enforce it fairly.

This, looks like it could become the new revenue raiser, "I'm sorry Sir you overtook the vehicle but stayed in the middle lane for five seconds too long, I'm afraid I'm going to have to give you a ticket".

It would make far more sense to make passing on either side legal as it is in other countries.

Just hold on a minute. I was on a motorway recently. Good conditions, light traffic. Few trucks in left hand lane and in centre was spaced out stream of cars/vans all doing around 75-80. A few fast lane boys went past in outside lane at 90+.

So I was in middle, car 50 yds behind not wishing to overtake but I am supposed to tuck into inside lane as we pass every truck and then out again to pass the next one?

dl

Yes.

Easy, they take a picture and send you the bill. As usual.

Time to remove our plates and refuse to put them back.

Well that strikes me as silly when the traffic flow is as I described. dl

This would be the sensible option although undertaking is permissable in certain circumstances.

Undertaking is described as deliberately moving from an outside lane to an inside one just to make the pass, This is not to be confused with driving with the flow of traffic where everyone is in the fast lane and constantly braking so you just go past when in lanes 1 or 2, I do a lot in miles in a year and people hogging the middle lane is one of my biggest pet hates.

i think that is probably what most of the middle laners think; it's easier for them to stay where they are...

You have now been fined £100

You do it first and let us know how you get on :thumb:

If as you described there's only a few trucks in the slow lane, why WOULDN'T you pull in after overtaking? Or to ask it another way, when WOULD you pull into the slow lane if not when there's little traffic?

Generally I pull back in if I'm likely to not need to pull back out again in the next minute or 2, that is, if I can see a slow moving lorry up ahead that isn't significantly in the distance, I stay in the middle lane, however if someone is approaching behind, fast I tend to move back over rather than make them move over another lane..

I never sit in the middle lane doing less than 70 though, unless in heavy traffic - unlike some people who are happy to potter along in the middle lane at 55 - 60, also wagon drivers who like to overtake each other when they have a slightly lighter load, or have managed to slipstream enough to build up enough speed to make the overtake...

Seriously pisses me off having a wagon pull out on me so they can make the overtake over a 3 mile stretch, only to pull in a couple of inches ahead of the other wagon!

More worrying is they are also proposing to give on the spot fines not giving way at junctions and being in the wrong lane at roundabouts. Will this mean you will now have wait at junctions even if people give you a wave or a flash to let you out? At what point is it classified as not giving way bar actually T boning another car or causing them to brake sharply? The police will no doubt be hanging out at the "magic roundabout" in Hemel Hemstead!!

I'm too busy tailgating on the outside lane, to be worrying about middle lane hoggers.

I see it daily….The problem is where does it stop and start...

a large proportion of drivers just follow the car in front...they are happy to keep a safe distance back and travel at the same speed as the car in front...which is fine...but if said car in front is in the middle lane...where do they sit? The middle lane....they don’t want to overtake so won't move to the outside lane...but they can't undertake as that's frowned upon....so what happens is you end up with a queue of cars all doing 65MPH in the middle lane when they could all easily move over to the left and still travel at 65MPH...If a car was to move over to the left...all of a sudden their gap gets closed so then have to speed up and pass on the left or slow down....and they don't want to slow down...their dinner is at home getting cold...so what do you do? Fine everyone? The first car? The last car?

And the same happens in the outside lane...that's the “fast lane” right? So everyone piles into it in a bid to get home faster and ends up doing 50MPH...Whilst I happily sail past in the "Slow Lane" at 70MPH...but they won’t move into the middle lane if it becomes clear to let the car behind go past…because that is seen as defeat…so then that car behind is faced with three choices…stay at the same speed…undertake or drive right up their arse and try and push them out the way…very few pick the first option….

it’s a cultural thing...doesn't make it any less annoying but I just don't see how a few fines here and there will fix it...

The other type middle lane hoggers than annoy me are those that will sit level with your rear quarter matching your speed….if you want to overtake…over take…if you want to drive at the same speed as me, pull in behind me…inevitably I end up speeding up to get away from them…

Just my thoughts on the matter…

I hope this does happen, it needs to as it pi55es me off when folk have no common sense and think its just easier to stay in one lane (middle/top) all the way home etc, no thought for others just their self.
All it requires is a bit of common sense and use lanes accordingly. Fecking roundabouts too, learn some folk about them too, as people don't indicate to let other drivers know their intensions so the can pull out etc and they don't know who's right of way it is.
Rant over ;)

Oh and this thinking I'll use the 'fastlane' thing!
IT'S NOT A FAST LANE, IT'S A OVERTAKING LANE JUST LIKE OTHER LANES, NO DIFFERENT.

I guess it is how you deal with being in the wrong lane...just yesterday I got in the wrong lane on a roundabout...I didn't realise until I was on the roundabout...unfamiliar roads...

if the roundabout was empty I could have made my exit safely...it wasn't so rather than making others pay for my mistake by cutting everyone up and just going for my exit I did the logical thing and went right round the roundabout and tried again...

we all make mistakes any new legislation is to try and stop the idiots that do just carry on regardless cutting everyone up rather than taking appropriate action...

as for the not stopping at junctions, again how many times has someone pulled out on you and forced you to take some sort of evasive action? this is not the same as you choosing to flash somebody out...

its the same for those that slam on the brakes when they realise that their motorway exit is coming up...yes I have missed junctions before...and probably swore to myself and had to go to the next junction and turn round...the one thing I didn't think was oh **** must slam on the brakes and nearly cause a multi car pile up...

the other thing to remember is that these are not new laws...everything mentioned here is already an offense...mostly classified under dangerous or careless driving...the legislation changes are to how offenses are dealt with...on the spot fines rather than a court appearance and a fine...

Absolutely spot on mate especially the bit about someone driving on your rear quarter, I do over a thousand miles a week in my van when I'm in the "slow lane" coming up to a lorry I can't overtake because someone is sat there so have to slow down to then pull in behind them!! Grrr

we know that...but just ask yourself...how many drivers do you know that still call the last FAST, Middle and Slow :wonder:

As I said the way most drivers behave on our motorways is down to a cultural thing....its how they always done it...

...penalty points and fines don't stop mobile phone users, 12month bans doesn't deter drink drivers...what hope has a £100 fine going to have to reverse the way in which a large portion of the driving public use the motorways of the land?

Agreed, only the death penalty will do for middle lane hogs, especially those in Rovers or Peugeots! ;)

If inside lane is clear I will pull into that. If I see a truck say 100 yds ahead I will probably stay in middle lane before pulling over if I won't be holding anyone up.

I would always pull into inside lane if car behind is getting closer and likely to want to get past even if he is well over speed limit.

When I went to live in US it took quite a while to get used to undertaking and I would be a bit dubious introducing it here.

dl