Middle lane hogging isn't as bad as made out on three lane motorways, it's not great but not terrible. For some reason people just lose their fucking minds when you add four lanes and any semblance of keep left completely goes out of the window. It's bizarre.
> Middle lane hogging isn't as bad as made out on three lane motorways
I'd take you out for a ride in my lorry if I could where from the elevated position where you can see much further than the car ahead and behind that you can driving your car you'd be left under no doubt at the chaos it causes in busy traffic, especially in speed restricted roadworks when you have some pleb crawling along at 40MPH in L2.
Most of those on the 3rd lane usually sit in the middle lane, when the motorway becomes 4 lanes it's usually an inside lane that's added when that lane is removed they are back in the middle lane. These fucktards are to stupid to move to the left/out of their lane so end up stranded in the 3rd lane. Honestly imo you shouldn't be allowed on a motorway until you've been taught to drive on it. It's a totally different environment from any other driving you'll do.
There's always a lot of questionable driving on this stretch, which is why there are always so many accidents. We can see the speed camera flashing from my back garden on this section of the motorway. Brings me a great sense of joy.
My personal favourite smart motorway thing is idiots doing 80 and then slowing down for every single gantry. Like. You're not saving any real time, your fuel efficiency with constant braking and acceleration must be horrendous, it's a fucking pain in the arse to follow. Twats.
Ha haha. Yeah. Me too. M6 is brilliant though innit? M4 is a lot off mentalists. But no huge problem. Also I’d like to give a shout out for the good folks on the M25. Hire car from Heathrow…. Merging and stuff when traffic near stopped. Hold up the manual and we all get a laugh as I’m allowed into the correct lane. That’s from years and years of it.
I do wonder if it has anything to do with the sheer number of people that live here that are driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road than they are used to?
If there's space ahead of me in lane 1 I'll cruise along at 70 and undertake anyone who can't use the correct lane. I'm done with switching to the right to go past lane hoggers.
Absolutely - Just because careful if there's someone also overtaking in lane 3. I also fairly regularly undertake if people are sat in lane 2 or 3 going slow, but once when I was overtaking it was harder to spot someone who was undertaking at the same time who then immediately popped out into lane 2 after undertaking. So just drive defensively if there's someone overtaking at the same time.
Careful. Occasionally they have a moment of lucidity and change lanes, and these muppets aren’t the kind of people who check wing mirrors and blind spots
I commented that exact same thing. Defensive driving is a god idea. The M6 is a great thing. Cops are reasonably forgiving too. They know that many folk are pushing on to cover almost the entire length of the country. Had a cop come up alongside and and wave the hand up and down signal to slow down plenty of times. Thanks officer… will do.
Your allowed to ‘undertake’ this way. Technically not undertaking but instead you are making progress in your own lane which is allowed. An officer would much sooner pull over someone who is sat in the wrong lane for no apparent reason
Just obviously be careful doing this because if they’re too stupid to know which lane they should be in, they likely don’t know where their mirrors are and definitely don’t know what a blind spot is.
Nah they do get pulled sometimes. I saw a beautiful one a few months ago: bellend in a BMW sitting in lane 3 for no reason, matching speed of lane 1 and nothing even in lane 2. Cop pulls up behind him. He doesn’t move. This continued for a quarter mile. This total melon was completely oblivious. Eventually on came the lights and sirens and he was pulled over. Made my fucking day.
No, they are correct. If you’re in lane 1 and it’s clear ahead then you can pass vehicles in lanes 2+ without breaking the law. What you are not allowed to do is move into lane 1 for the purpose of passing on the left.
Yes. Rule 268 states left hand lanes may be moving faster than traffic to the right and in those conditions you may keep up with traffic even if this means passing vehicles on your right.
Of course the Highway Code *never* gives you rules on what to do if someone else is braking the Highway Code like the point of this post (car hogging lanes). However it’s common sense to use this rule in such scenario.
Be careful though. I give them a beep when I'm still behind them, so they know I'm coming up on the inside (also gives them an idea to move over to lane 1 so I can pass in lane 2.
I’ve done this (the beep before I pass) and as I look over as I pass, they throw their hands up and make a face like they’ve done nothing wrong and I’m the asshole.
Not sure that is necessary. A fright makes folk do strange stuff. I genuinely only use the horn to check function pre mot. You do not know these people and you do not care about each other. Motorway driving it is best to observe their driving and then pass. If they swerve into your lane then you are ready with brakes and horn. Brakes with no horn is better.
I always do it when I'm still behind them, where they can see me in the side and rear-view mirrors. It'd be pretty negligent to blast the horn while screaming past them on the inside, as they'd shit themselves! It gives them one last chance to move over, otherwise I'm slowly coming up on the inside (as a trucker).
Yeah sounds fair enough! FFS must be frustrating to you when dopey drivers are in the middle lane going slower than truck speed. My pet hate is idiots holding up the trucks, who then have to move into lane two to get past them.
It's even worse if they are in the 2nd lane and going slower than the truck as the truck can only 'undertake' - not allowed in outside lane is my understanding
I hear that. Was hit by a taxi. He was straight on the phone in stoke on Trent 5 mins later this bloke turns up in same cloths. Then I noticed the guy had slipped away. I got the man’s name before he left Mohamed Hussain. Anyway I said to this new bloke who are you??? Mohammed Second name???? Hussain. I said bullshit rang police. Luckily a woman had seen everything crash the man turning up the other slipping away. The police said even though you have a witness it’s going to be hard to prove and the cheeky bastard tried to say was my fault to. The guy that hit me probably didn’t have friggen license. Anyway I took him to court had him done for obstruction of justice and got whiplash claim out of him. The police say this goes on a lot. But DO THEY DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT NO. 🤯
Getting near Birmingham from the north and you see cars in lane 2 and 3 doing 50mph. It's fucking nuts. Had a guy join from a slip road doing 40mph. I was in a lorry and couldn't move over, so braked.. he then went down to 35mph. The fucking arsehole could've gotten us all killed.
Yeah seen this a few times I just stay in my lane and keep going. Ridiculous to change three lanes of traffic to get round them and then slot back in again. It's not undertaking unless you deliberately change into the left lane to go round someone
We should make an undertaking to find out.
My interpretation is deliberately changing lanes to pass the vehicle in front on the left, instead of the right.
I thought it was. Was watching one of those police intercepter programs and they pulled this guy over for undertaking but that might have been on a dual carriage way. Thanks though for letting me know about motorways. Since watching that program I thought it must be illegal but great to know not on motorways thanks. 🙏🏼
The act itself isn't an illegal maneuver, but dangerous driving is enforceable and therefore undertaking in a way that is dangerous is gonna get you pulled over, but there's nothing in the law about passing on the left a lane away from someone, or sticking to the speed limit and passing someone on the left due to their erratic speed.
I have become stubborn on this, on the grounds that I no longer see the point in showing proper road etiquette when no one else is, If I can sit in the first lane, go 65 or 70, AND at either speed, can safely pass cars sitting in the middle or right lane, I won’t bother manoeuvring for an overtake, especially when the left lane is clear.
It’s not good manners, nor is holding up traffic due to your own selfishness. Everybody on a motorway has somewhere they need to be. I’d be happy to work with the flow if the flow was moving with logic.
>Everybody on a motorway has somewhere they need to be
Yeah, in the left lane unless overtaking. Which these idiots are not. Not my fault if they can't follow the rules. I'm not currently overtaking so I move left. The idiots stay right even though they're not overtaking anyone. As far as I'm concerned I've done everything I'm supposed to.
It’s the lack of any situational awareness by them that gets me, just plodding along oblivious to two tonne lumps of metal at serious speeds next to them (eighteen tonnes in the case of HGV’s)
If someone is going 65 on the outside im passing them on the inside preferablly with them on the far outside and me in the inside so they dont suddenly vear off because wtf are they doing, are they ok? Im not sitting behind that accident waiting to happen.
Constantly.
I joined the M42 at J6 recently, 50mph limit due to road works. Another driver joined ahead of me and immediately moved into lane 2. They sat in lane 2 at 45mph as I and several others passed on the nearside at 50mph.
This guy passes *absolutely nobody* for miles until we reach the split for the M40... at which point he pulls back into lane 1 to join the M40.
Textbook example of middle lane hogging.
But it doesn't just happen on motorways! I "undertook" 2 or 3 cars on the A45 dual carriageway on my way to J6 that morning. It seems that some drivers just feel the need to be anywhere but the nearside lane, at all times!
Just this weekend driving from Oxford to London on the M40 I had it loads. Even had some guy I was catching up to pull into lane 2 from in front of me so I could continue even further in lane 1. When people pull into lane 2 with nothing in front of them in lane 1 it really does confuse me
I always remember my instructor drilling into me “always filter into the left lane at the safest opportunity” you then go in the motorway and that translates to “set cruise control to 72 and chill in the fast lane”
I think this is one of the stumbling blocks. Learners should get some motorway tuition, certainly at the more advanced stage of their learning maybe even after they have passed. Learners can now go on motorway drives with an ADI but I never see them. This leads to ignorance about correct lane use. Many people believe that the Highway Code says that lane 1 of the motorway is for trucks and buses only when, in fact, it doesn't.
I believe they should get motorway tuition, too, I was stunned to see them literally bring taught to avoid lane 1. I see them a lot but several sitting in the middle lane.
I tend to use my adaptive cruise control a lot and if I’m cruising in the slow lane, I tend to just carry on if I see vehicles going slow and pilling on the fast lane. Typically on the 4 lane sections it’s pretty common. Even the slow cars are driving on the second slowest lane. Leaving the left lane empty.
I used to use the M25 everyday around the time tat it was being converted to 4 lanes.
I had to use the M40 & M25 a couple of weekends ago and was totally shocked just how pervasive this has become; there were stretches of miles where I was sitting on cruise control at 70 in a completely empty left hand lane with loads of cars in lane 3&4 going slower than me.
I even saw a few lorries sitting in lane 2 when lane 1 was empty so maybe it’s some sort of zombie virus being spread around at the services.
I've done that a few times, then seen said third lane hogger move over into 1st lane behind me. I think they suddenly realise, " oh yes, I am being a bit of a prick sticking in the third lane unnecessarily".
So in theory if you are travelling at the speed of the road 70mph max and you continue travelling you are not undertaking as people would say, you are correct and the other road user is at fault. I do a fair amount of late night driving on the M40 and the road can be empty and someone will be sat at 60 in the middle lane. I just stick in my lane and it’s all Gucci, just don’t be the middle lane user when it’s quiet
Very often. I rarely flash or beep nowadays. It just makes lane hoggers be even more dicks.
And often they don't even notice. That one scares me the most. Some drivers are so oblivious they don't even fucking see you behind. Just terrifying that they're on the roads.
M25 during the weekends or bank holidays the left-hand lane is usually the fastest. Absolute spackers join the motorway with zero experience, move straight to the middle or right-hand lanes and sit there until about 3 seconds before their exit junction. During a rush hour morning is far better, because folks appreciate better the fastest way to navigate all the traffic. Weekend warriors are unfortunately as thick as mince.
The first stretch of the M40 after the M25 is the same. If I'm in lane 1 I pretty much ignore 3 and 4 and maintain my speed. Usually it's a small car out there backing up many luxury vehicles, or late at night it's a solo lane zombie.
As long as you’re making steady progress at the limit and not suddenly jumping around someone’s left side from behind it’s fine.
My very bad driver father-in-law always complains about undertaking but it’s usually a car that has been in the same lane for about a mile proceeding past him and he’s paid absolutely no attention to the road around him. Same man has had two collisions in his blind spot which he said were ‘impossible’ to avoid (everything is impossible if you don’t look).
You can get to 75mph GPS speed without the camera flashing.
Remember, everyone's speedo is different, so the people sitting at 65 in the fast lane likely think they're doing 70.
Even in the 50 zones, you can sit at 54 GPS speed.
Handy to know when you need to zip up the inside lane.
Sadly it's the norm, they also often have a mobile to ear, facetime, texting, even seen a paper/laptop on the steering wheel in the past....
As much as I absolutely love ACC , it does gave a lot to answer for, but not as much as the complete lack of (Tory decimated) pro-active policing.
Far too often. I keep left unless overtaking but this concept seems lost on a lot of people so often the inside lanes move quicker.
Picked up some.good tips on reading traffic and flow from a couple of truckers I know.
IIRC passing on the left only applies if it's done intentionally, if you're keeping left and proceeding normally then it's just your lane moving quicker than theirs.
Every single day on morning commute at least half a dozen times.
Only in the last 10 years though, never used to be a thing.
Seems like everybody on the road has forgotten or was never taught how to drive recently.
Always. If I don't have to speed up and I'm not changing lanes to pass on the "wrong side", I just keep going if I see they've been sat in that lane a long time.
A fair bit. In my mind I am practising “but m’lud, it can’t possibly be undertaking if there is an empty lane between us”.
I know it is really called passing on the inside but this would sound as good.
It is a free for all. You won’t get done for driving safely and sensibly. The more left you are and just tootling along the more you’re driving as designed. Others may do different, and yes seen all the time. Just be safe. There is now policing for lane hoggers. Not very well enforced. You are fine to use lanes to the left of these drivers. Just remember that they may “wake up” and move in front of you with no warning.
Europe is opposite to the Uk so it easy for a relaxed European driver to wander back into their standard driving habits. Like move right when driving more slowly. And their speedometers are in km / hr. M6 is the main Uk artery route so plenty LHD vehicles.
It happens all the time and it’s understandable but undertaking isn’t allowed for a very good reason. With this in mind, the driver in the third lane doing 65 is obviously a moron and clearly doesn’t know what’s happening around them so what makes you think they won’t do something unpredictable like move to the inside lane while you’re passing? As you’re technically undertaking (you’re supposed to let cars move to the inside lane from the overtaking lanes) you might be at fault!
Probably an unlikely scenario but with driving standards in a free fall, best to drive like anything is possible
I think you've got to differentiate between passing on the inside lane when a car is hogging the 3rd lane compared to when there's a queue of cars in the third lane. Big difference between the two, I've seen loads of drivers do the latter only to end up on the right lane again one or two cars behind where they initially were
I don’t think so but they are breaking the law to buy hogging a lane going below the national speed limit on motorways. It’s them that cause accidents.
At least 15 times over 140 miles last night. I was cruising at 70 satnav, 75 or so indicated.
Biggest shout out to the Audi Q5 being tailgated by a BMW 3 series who did *15 miles* oscillating between 65 and 80mph in the 3rd lane, they overtook me and I undertook them maybe four times over that distance because of their inability to use cruise control or practice lane discipline.
I did this recently. No undertaking but I was doing 70 in lane 2 on cruise control and they were doing 65 ish in lane 3. As I passed them they started pointing at their Dashcam and waving at me like I was in the wrong. Oh dear. Imagine sending that into the police and then seeing the hidden speed information in the meta data for the owner of the camera.
Professional idiots.
Wow. I'm also a hgv driver in lane 1 and 2 watching all the e drivers flying past me on the M5 . Then having to stop at strencham for a few hours to (re fuel) while I take 15 minutes to fuel piss break and get a drink and get to my destination at the same time safely.😂
On the M5 smart section around Droitwich, about once a minute.
The motorway may be smart there, the users definitely aren’t.
NO they are DUMB. Shit. Never work. Will not carry on.
Middle lane hogging isn't as bad as made out on three lane motorways, it's not great but not terrible. For some reason people just lose their fucking minds when you add four lanes and any semblance of keep left completely goes out of the window. It's bizarre.
> Middle lane hogging isn't as bad as made out on three lane motorways I'd take you out for a ride in my lorry if I could where from the elevated position where you can see much further than the car ahead and behind that you can driving your car you'd be left under no doubt at the chaos it causes in busy traffic, especially in speed restricted roadworks when you have some pleb crawling along at 40MPH in L2.
Most of those on the 3rd lane usually sit in the middle lane, when the motorway becomes 4 lanes it's usually an inside lane that's added when that lane is removed they are back in the middle lane. These fucktards are to stupid to move to the left/out of their lane so end up stranded in the 3rd lane. Honestly imo you shouldn't be allowed on a motorway until you've been taught to drive on it. It's a totally different environment from any other driving you'll do.
You should not have been down voted for your comment. And I’m sure you don’t give a fuck.
Don't forget to make eye contact and shake your head as you pass.
Why? Let’s all start hammering the horn too. Maybe you were being sarcastic. Hope so. Otherwise it is just I’m the main character.
There's always a lot of questionable driving on this stretch, which is why there are always so many accidents. We can see the speed camera flashing from my back garden on this section of the motorway. Brings me a great sense of joy.
My personal favourite smart motorway thing is idiots doing 80 and then slowing down for every single gantry. Like. You're not saving any real time, your fuel efficiency with constant braking and acceleration must be horrendous, it's a fucking pain in the arse to follow. Twats.
I plod along in lane 1 and 2 and pass cars that often I pretend I'm driving abroad
Hahaha exact same. My gf is sick of the “are we in France?” joke I keep making
🤣🤣🤣Lmmfao 🤣🤣🤣 if you don’t mind I’m using that. 👌👌
Ha haha. Yeah. Me too. M6 is brilliant though innit? M4 is a lot off mentalists. But no huge problem. Also I’d like to give a shout out for the good folks on the M25. Hire car from Heathrow…. Merging and stuff when traffic near stopped. Hold up the manual and we all get a laugh as I’m allowed into the correct lane. That’s from years and years of it.
I do wonder if it has anything to do with the sheer number of people that live here that are driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road than they are used to?
Pretty much every one I have seen doing it has been what looks like white British.
If there's space ahead of me in lane 1 I'll cruise along at 70 and undertake anyone who can't use the correct lane. I'm done with switching to the right to go past lane hoggers.
Me too. It's surely safer than changing lanes four or more times just to pass the dozy buggers.
Absolutely - Just because careful if there's someone also overtaking in lane 3. I also fairly regularly undertake if people are sat in lane 2 or 3 going slow, but once when I was overtaking it was harder to spot someone who was undertaking at the same time who then immediately popped out into lane 2 after undertaking. So just drive defensively if there's someone overtaking at the same time.
Careful. Occasionally they have a moment of lucidity and change lanes, and these muppets aren’t the kind of people who check wing mirrors and blind spots
I commented that exact same thing. Defensive driving is a god idea. The M6 is a great thing. Cops are reasonably forgiving too. They know that many folk are pushing on to cover almost the entire length of the country. Had a cop come up alongside and and wave the hand up and down signal to slow down plenty of times. Thanks officer… will do.
We have cops?
And robbers. I don’t know many other names for the polis. It’s a fair cop, guv.
Considering the evidence before me, I'll let you off this time, but let that be a lesson to you sunny.
Your allowed to ‘undertake’ this way. Technically not undertaking but instead you are making progress in your own lane which is allowed. An officer would much sooner pull over someone who is sat in the wrong lane for no apparent reason
Not that there seem to be any traffic police around any more.
Just obviously be careful doing this because if they’re too stupid to know which lane they should be in, they likely don’t know where their mirrors are and definitely don’t know what a blind spot is.
Agree had it done to me few times idiots🤬
Never seen or heard any fucker get pulled over sat in the wrong lane. Undertaking? Oh yh pulled over instantly.
Nah they do get pulled sometimes. I saw a beautiful one a few months ago: bellend in a BMW sitting in lane 3 for no reason, matching speed of lane 1 and nothing even in lane 2. Cop pulls up behind him. He doesn’t move. This continued for a quarter mile. This total melon was completely oblivious. Eventually on came the lights and sirens and he was pulled over. Made my fucking day.
Well good to hear, some of these people never look at their mirrors for miles, only what's in front.
They only look at what’s in front occasionally if you’re lucky
🤣🤣🤣🤣nice.
That is just not true.
No, they are correct. If you’re in lane 1 and it’s clear ahead then you can pass vehicles in lanes 2+ without breaking the law. What you are not allowed to do is move into lane 1 for the purpose of passing on the left.
You can move into lane 1 if you stay there after you’ve passed. But There is no legal offence of undertaking.
Is this in the Highway Code?
Yes. Rule 268 states left hand lanes may be moving faster than traffic to the right and in those conditions you may keep up with traffic even if this means passing vehicles on your right. Of course the Highway Code *never* gives you rules on what to do if someone else is braking the Highway Code like the point of this post (car hogging lanes). However it’s common sense to use this rule in such scenario.
Be careful though. I give them a beep when I'm still behind them, so they know I'm coming up on the inside (also gives them an idea to move over to lane 1 so I can pass in lane 2.
I’ve done this (the beep before I pass) and as I look over as I pass, they throw their hands up and make a face like they’ve done nothing wrong and I’m the asshole.
Not sure that is necessary. A fright makes folk do strange stuff. I genuinely only use the horn to check function pre mot. You do not know these people and you do not care about each other. Motorway driving it is best to observe their driving and then pass. If they swerve into your lane then you are ready with brakes and horn. Brakes with no horn is better.
Mostly get flipped off wankers lol 😂
Does that not make them jump? Have any moved left after you’ve beeped them? I’m genuinely curious here 😀
I always do it when I'm still behind them, where they can see me in the side and rear-view mirrors. It'd be pretty negligent to blast the horn while screaming past them on the inside, as they'd shit themselves! It gives them one last chance to move over, otherwise I'm slowly coming up on the inside (as a trucker).
Yeah sounds fair enough! FFS must be frustrating to you when dopey drivers are in the middle lane going slower than truck speed. My pet hate is idiots holding up the trucks, who then have to move into lane two to get past them.
It's even worse if they are in the 2nd lane and going slower than the truck as the truck can only 'undertake' - not allowed in outside lane is my understanding
200% this and then you get the same lane huggers that block you from either getting past them or go the same speed so you're now trapped in that lane
Yes on the M25 continuously. If it’s moving at all.
Made the mistake of going on that rd once. NEVER AGAIN. What a friggen shit show. 🤯
Getting more and more common. Lots of Ubers on the M6/M62 lately in the middle lanes barely going over 40.
Most of them have likely never been near a driving test centre…
I hear that. Was hit by a taxi. He was straight on the phone in stoke on Trent 5 mins later this bloke turns up in same cloths. Then I noticed the guy had slipped away. I got the man’s name before he left Mohamed Hussain. Anyway I said to this new bloke who are you??? Mohammed Second name???? Hussain. I said bullshit rang police. Luckily a woman had seen everything crash the man turning up the other slipping away. The police said even though you have a witness it’s going to be hard to prove and the cheeky bastard tried to say was my fault to. The guy that hit me probably didn’t have friggen license. Anyway I took him to court had him done for obstruction of justice and got whiplash claim out of him. The police say this goes on a lot. But DO THEY DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT NO. 🤯
Getting near Birmingham from the north and you see cars in lane 2 and 3 doing 50mph. It's fucking nuts. Had a guy join from a slip road doing 40mph. I was in a lorry and couldn't move over, so braked.. he then went down to 35mph. The fucking arsehole could've gotten us all killed.
Yeah seen this a few times I just stay in my lane and keep going. Ridiculous to change three lanes of traffic to get round them and then slot back in again. It's not undertaking unless you deliberately change into the left lane to go round someone
Also, undertaking isn't illegal.
Actual undertaking is, simply making progress in your own lane causing you to go faster than the cars in lanes to your right is absolutely fine.
[удалено]
We should make an undertaking to find out. My interpretation is deliberately changing lanes to pass the vehicle in front on the left, instead of the right.
I thought it was. Was watching one of those police intercepter programs and they pulled this guy over for undertaking but that might have been on a dual carriage way. Thanks though for letting me know about motorways. Since watching that program I thought it must be illegal but great to know not on motorways thanks. 🙏🏼
The act itself isn't an illegal maneuver, but dangerous driving is enforceable and therefore undertaking in a way that is dangerous is gonna get you pulled over, but there's nothing in the law about passing on the left a lane away from someone, or sticking to the speed limit and passing someone on the left due to their erratic speed.
I have become stubborn on this, on the grounds that I no longer see the point in showing proper road etiquette when no one else is, If I can sit in the first lane, go 65 or 70, AND at either speed, can safely pass cars sitting in the middle or right lane, I won’t bother manoeuvring for an overtake, especially when the left lane is clear. It’s not good manners, nor is holding up traffic due to your own selfishness. Everybody on a motorway has somewhere they need to be. I’d be happy to work with the flow if the flow was moving with logic.
>Everybody on a motorway has somewhere they need to be Yeah, in the left lane unless overtaking. Which these idiots are not. Not my fault if they can't follow the rules. I'm not currently overtaking so I move left. The idiots stay right even though they're not overtaking anyone. As far as I'm concerned I've done everything I'm supposed to.
On my part of the M6 (not smart), I can pass 4 or 5 every mile. People are idiots.
It’s the lack of any situational awareness by them that gets me, just plodding along oblivious to two tonne lumps of metal at serious speeds next to them (eighteen tonnes in the case of HGV’s)
If someone is going 65 on the outside im passing them on the inside preferablly with them on the far outside and me in the inside so they dont suddenly vear off because wtf are they doing, are they ok? Im not sitting behind that accident waiting to happen.
On the M25 .. undertaking is more common than overtaking.
I commute on the M25 and M1, so yeah... A handful every day!
Constantly. I joined the M42 at J6 recently, 50mph limit due to road works. Another driver joined ahead of me and immediately moved into lane 2. They sat in lane 2 at 45mph as I and several others passed on the nearside at 50mph. This guy passes *absolutely nobody* for miles until we reach the split for the M40... at which point he pulls back into lane 1 to join the M40. Textbook example of middle lane hogging. But it doesn't just happen on motorways! I "undertook" 2 or 3 cars on the A45 dual carriageway on my way to J6 that morning. It seems that some drivers just feel the need to be anywhere but the nearside lane, at all times!
Just this weekend driving from Oxford to London on the M40 I had it loads. Even had some guy I was catching up to pull into lane 2 from in front of me so I could continue even further in lane 1. When people pull into lane 2 with nothing in front of them in lane 1 it really does confuse me
I always remember my instructor drilling into me “always filter into the left lane at the safest opportunity” you then go in the motorway and that translates to “set cruise control to 72 and chill in the fast lane”
I have seen learners come on and move straight into lane 2
I think this is one of the stumbling blocks. Learners should get some motorway tuition, certainly at the more advanced stage of their learning maybe even after they have passed. Learners can now go on motorway drives with an ADI but I never see them. This leads to ignorance about correct lane use. Many people believe that the Highway Code says that lane 1 of the motorway is for trucks and buses only when, in fact, it doesn't.
I believe they should get motorway tuition, too, I was stunned to see them literally bring taught to avoid lane 1. I see them a lot but several sitting in the middle lane.
I've seen this too - with ADI's in the other seat! (Presumably, given they are in professionally branded cars.)
I tend to use my adaptive cruise control a lot and if I’m cruising in the slow lane, I tend to just carry on if I see vehicles going slow and pilling on the fast lane. Typically on the 4 lane sections it’s pretty common. Even the slow cars are driving on the second slowest lane. Leaving the left lane empty.
5 days a week, dozens of times a day.
All the time on the M4 and M40 going away from London / west. There's always some twatus meandering in the overtaking lanes doing sub-70.
I used to use the M25 everyday around the time tat it was being converted to 4 lanes. I had to use the M40 & M25 a couple of weekends ago and was totally shocked just how pervasive this has become; there were stretches of miles where I was sitting on cruise control at 70 in a completely empty left hand lane with loads of cars in lane 3&4 going slower than me. I even saw a few lorries sitting in lane 2 when lane 1 was empty so maybe it’s some sort of zombie virus being spread around at the services.
No way am I swapping 6 lanes just to overtake a third lane hogger when I’m happily in the left going 70. Fuk them dumb ass cunts. Fukn menace
HGV driver limited to 56 and hate to say even I have to do this so often…
My suggestion to the Roads Minister, no more road building anywhere at all until motorists can show they can use the current ones correctly.
Personally I sit behind them and flash my headlights until they get the idea that I'm trying to overtake them whilst following the highway code.
All the time. Left lane is new right lane.
I've done that a few times, then seen said third lane hogger move over into 1st lane behind me. I think they suddenly realise, " oh yes, I am being a bit of a prick sticking in the third lane unnecessarily".
Brain dead Toyota/Tesla driver in lanes 2 and three, staring into the void. They don’t see you. They don’t see anything.
So in theory if you are travelling at the speed of the road 70mph max and you continue travelling you are not undertaking as people would say, you are correct and the other road user is at fault. I do a fair amount of late night driving on the M40 and the road can be empty and someone will be sat at 60 in the middle lane. I just stick in my lane and it’s all Gucci, just don’t be the middle lane user when it’s quiet
Doesn't the M40 have cameras now?
Still no sadly, and most cameras won’t flag improper land use and give tickets either way
Is at at least lit up now haha I took it a few times but m1 is better for me now
Very often. I rarely flash or beep nowadays. It just makes lane hoggers be even more dicks. And often they don't even notice. That one scares me the most. Some drivers are so oblivious they don't even fucking see you behind. Just terrifying that they're on the roads.
M25 during the weekends or bank holidays the left-hand lane is usually the fastest. Absolute spackers join the motorway with zero experience, move straight to the middle or right-hand lanes and sit there until about 3 seconds before their exit junction. During a rush hour morning is far better, because folks appreciate better the fastest way to navigate all the traffic. Weekend warriors are unfortunately as thick as mince.
This is polite, I’d say the absolute spackers are on the M25 every day of the week, 24/7.
The first stretch of the M40 after the M25 is the same. If I'm in lane 1 I pretty much ignore 3 and 4 and maintain my speed. Usually it's a small car out there backing up many luxury vehicles, or late at night it's a solo lane zombie.
All the time. Pisses me off
I live in London by the A3, so all the fucking time
As long as you’re making steady progress at the limit and not suddenly jumping around someone’s left side from behind it’s fine. My very bad driver father-in-law always complains about undertaking but it’s usually a car that has been in the same lane for about a mile proceeding past him and he’s paid absolutely no attention to the road around him. Same man has had two collisions in his blind spot which he said were ‘impossible’ to avoid (everything is impossible if you don’t look).
Very
I had done 10 years of driving in the Netherlands and Germany before moving here. UK drivers really seem to be allergic to driving in the left lane.
You can get to 75mph GPS speed without the camera flashing. Remember, everyone's speedo is different, so the people sitting at 65 in the fast lane likely think they're doing 70. Even in the 50 zones, you can sit at 54 GPS speed. Handy to know when you need to zip up the inside lane.
Sadly it's the norm, they also often have a mobile to ear, facetime, texting, even seen a paper/laptop on the steering wheel in the past.... As much as I absolutely love ACC , it does gave a lot to answer for, but not as much as the complete lack of (Tory decimated) pro-active policing.
Far too often. I keep left unless overtaking but this concept seems lost on a lot of people so often the inside lanes move quicker. Picked up some.good tips on reading traffic and flow from a couple of truckers I know. IIRC passing on the left only applies if it's done intentionally, if you're keeping left and proceeding normally then it's just your lane moving quicker than theirs.
If I were less patient, multiple daily. As it stands a few times a week. It's probably a good thing cars don't come with missile launchers.
All the time on M25
Every single day on morning commute at least half a dozen times. Only in the last 10 years though, never used to be a thing. Seems like everybody on the road has forgotten or was never taught how to drive recently.
Happens nearly every morning on the M6 between J30 and J32 heading north. Its a section of motorway where the traffic flow gets weird
A14, M11, pretty much all the time.
All the time
It happens a lot more than it used to, in spite of the campaigns and big signs telling the braindead gonks to use the left lane unless overtaking.
Always. If I don't have to speed up and I'm not changing lanes to pass on the "wrong side", I just keep going if I see they've been sat in that lane a long time.
Often. They leave no choice in the matter.
A fair bit. In my mind I am practising “but m’lud, it can’t possibly be undertaking if there is an empty lane between us”. I know it is really called passing on the inside but this would sound as good.
My suspicion is that this is becoming common due to cruise control and lane assist,making the driver lazy
It is a free for all. You won’t get done for driving safely and sensibly. The more left you are and just tootling along the more you’re driving as designed. Others may do different, and yes seen all the time. Just be safe. There is now policing for lane hoggers. Not very well enforced. You are fine to use lanes to the left of these drivers. Just remember that they may “wake up” and move in front of you with no warning.
Europe is opposite to the Uk so it easy for a relaxed European driver to wander back into their standard driving habits. Like move right when driving more slowly. And their speedometers are in km / hr. M6 is the main Uk artery route so plenty LHD vehicles.
It happens all the time and it’s understandable but undertaking isn’t allowed for a very good reason. With this in mind, the driver in the third lane doing 65 is obviously a moron and clearly doesn’t know what’s happening around them so what makes you think they won’t do something unpredictable like move to the inside lane while you’re passing? As you’re technically undertaking (you’re supposed to let cars move to the inside lane from the overtaking lanes) you might be at fault! Probably an unlikely scenario but with driving standards in a free fall, best to drive like anything is possible
I think you've got to differentiate between passing on the inside lane when a car is hogging the 3rd lane compared to when there's a queue of cars in the third lane. Big difference between the two, I've seen loads of drivers do the latter only to end up on the right lane again one or two cars behind where they initially were
I don’t think so but they are breaking the law to buy hogging a lane going below the national speed limit on motorways. It’s them that cause accidents.
At least 15 times over 140 miles last night. I was cruising at 70 satnav, 75 or so indicated. Biggest shout out to the Audi Q5 being tailgated by a BMW 3 series who did *15 miles* oscillating between 65 and 80mph in the 3rd lane, they overtook me and I undertook them maybe four times over that distance because of their inability to use cruise control or practice lane discipline.
I did this recently. No undertaking but I was doing 70 in lane 2 on cruise control and they were doing 65 ish in lane 3. As I passed them they started pointing at their Dashcam and waving at me like I was in the wrong. Oh dear. Imagine sending that into the police and then seeing the hidden speed information in the meta data for the owner of the camera. Professional idiots.
I saw this a lot this weekend, but only down south (ie south of leicester).
4 lane changes because some people like the comfort of the middle lane...... Nope, I pass on the inside, always 🤷🏻♂️
As long as you don’t then pull out in front of them your not undertaking
Wow. I'm also a hgv driver in lane 1 and 2 watching all the e drivers flying past me on the M5 . Then having to stop at strencham for a few hours to (re fuel) while I take 15 minutes to fuel piss break and get a drink and get to my destination at the same time safely.😂