Why Divers Stay in the Middle Lane

[Caddyshack]

I think there is a certain amount of trance like hypnosis where the driver zones out thinking of other things and the subconscious drives the car.

Often I flash to say I am coming up behind, indicate (often from lane 1 in to 3 and back), try to make eye contact, indicate back in to lane 1 and try to position the car so they can take notice and they do not even bat an eyelid....it is the same if they have an indicator constantly on, you would think the "tick tock noise, flashing repeater in the car, my flash and the right signal, left, right, left from front and behind would cause a flicker from them but no, they leave it on for the next car to try and attract my attention.

If they ever ask me to be an armed traffic cop then I would "bust a cap"

[Patch888]

I had this for my entire journey up the A1 this evening. What's wrong with people. fked me off from the start to the fking finish. Sat in Lanes two and three doing 60mph with no traffic up ahead. fking cretins.

[john banks]

I was disappointed to see only modest lane discipline on autobahns, on lane 2 and 3 of both 2 and 3 lane sections, restricted or not.

[Blakewater]

Bebee said:

Make it legal to pass on the inside, as they do in the US&A.

The police in the USA still enforce an anti lane hogging rule. If you sit in the outside lane in the USA traffic will build up behind you and people will get mad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZhdvl_P1Zc

[DrDoofenshmirtz]

MLM's are annoying...but OLM's are infuriating because you can't legally get past them!

[Johnnytheboy]

Hol said:

Johnnytheboy said:

I did the old L1-L3-L1 round a MLM the other week. His response was to speed up, pull in front of me and severely brake test me.

That showed me!

At least you ruined HIS/HER/ITS day.

Astonishingly, a retirement age man with a beard.

[2802th]

Every driver in the UK should do one months driving on the German Autobahn! Hog the middle or outside lane and they will push you straight off the road. NO PRISONERS, maybe not Highway Code behaviour, but boy does it keep the traffic moving.
M23 past Gatwick daily, mind blowing the total lack of ability to drive on a multi lane carriageway.

Rant over

[deltashad]

34:31

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8gnEX1iZTPI

[luckystrike]

Hol said:

After reading some of the odd' comments so far, I have three observations to share:

1. I cant actually remember the last time one of my sports suspensioned cars has been caught in tranlines in lane one!! Not for a long time - years.

2. If someone leaves it so late in lane one to indicate their intention to pull out to lane two, before they risk driving into the car in front - then they obviously havent been using their mirrors, as they could/should have planned it sooner based on thge traffic.

3. I have been stuck in a few traffic jams, but I dont think I have ever 'personally' seen a foreign lorry hit a car in lane one? - let alone a trend??? This could be blind luck in being in the wrong place at the right time, but I would guess the odds ARE really that remote.

I must admit I've been guilty of number 2 quite a lot recently, but that's due to what I'm experiencing as a relatively new phenomenon of moving over to let people past and having them rag up into your blind spot or alongside you, then just sit there and box you in behind the lorry/caravan etc.

I like to make progress while getting in other people's way as little as possible, but every time someone's approaching at a greater speed I've now got a toss-up between move over and get sandwiched or lane-hog for another lorry or two. It's not a choice I remember having to make that often previously. Bit easier on the bike than the car as a quick squirt normally gets you past anything without bothering anybody but the econobox struggles somewhat.

[FreeLitres]

luckystrike said:

Hol said:

After reading some of the odd' comments so far, I have three observations to share:

1. I cant actually remember the last time one of my sports suspensioned cars has been caught in tranlines in lane one!! Not for a long time - years.

2. If someone leaves it so late in lane one to indicate their intention to pull out to lane two, before they risk driving into the car in front - then they obviously havent been using their mirrors, as they could/should have planned it sooner based on thge traffic.

3. I have been stuck in a few traffic jams, but I dont think I have ever 'personally' seen a foreign lorry hit a car in lane one? - let alone a trend??? This could be blind luck in being in the wrong place at the right time, but I would guess the odds ARE really that remote.

I must admit I've been guilty of number 2 quite a lot recently, but that's due to what I'm experiencing as a relatively new phenomenon of moving over to let people past and having them rag up into your blind spot or alongside you, then just sit there and box you in behind the lorry/caravan etc.

I like to make progress while getting in other people's way as little as possible, but every time someone's approaching at a greater speed I've now got a toss-up between move over and get sandwiched or lane-hog for another lorry or two. It's not a choice I remember having to make that often previously. Bit easier on the bike than the car as a quick squirt normally gets you past anything without bothering anybody but the econobox struggles somewhat.

Exactly this.

Happens all the time. Making good progress in L2 overtaking a series of L1 lorries at an indicated 75mph. Series of reps doing 90 in L3. Mr Audi comes steaming up your arse at 85 and cant get in lane 3 so sits on your bumper. You see a "medium" gap in the lorries in L1 so you pull over to let Mr Audi get passed you. He immediately starts overtaking but then the speed differential decreases until he is speed matching you. Other cars have bunched up behind him. You then have to scrub off all your speed in L1 and get stuck behind the lorry while L2 fly past nose to tail at 75mph.

[Hooli]

Debaser said:

In my experience they do it because they don't know any better. The concept of keeping left is completely alien to them.

We should convert all the scamera vans to video MLMs & sending them tickets for careless driving. If you don't remember what side of the road you should be on then that's bloody careless in my book. Unlike their current role it'd improve road safety as it'd get most of them banned & make the remaining few actually think occasionally.

[Mr2Mike]

9mm said:

Yes, lights are a constant. The possibility of unlit vehicles, people or other objects on the hard shoulder or close to it, isn't. I'll repeat, where's the harm? I'm not interested in modifying a behaviour that has no effect on anyone else. You may think my approach is pointless. Fine. Carry on.

The point is that your headlights should be illuminating any vehicles on the hard shoulder. Have you had an eye test recently? (genuinely, I'm not taking the piss). If you have uncorrected near-sightedness or some other eye conditions then your sight can be significantly degraded in low light but you may not actually realise it.

[Hol]

FreeLitres said:

luckystrike said:

Hol said:

After reading some of the odd' comments so far, I have three observations to share:

1. I cant actually remember the last time one of my sports suspensioned cars has been caught in tranlines in lane one!! Not for a long time - years.

2. If someone leaves it so late in lane one to indicate their intention to pull out to lane two, before they risk driving into the car in front - then they obviously havent been using their mirrors, as they could/should have planned it sooner based on thge traffic.

3. I have been stuck in a few traffic jams, but I dont think I have ever 'personally' seen a foreign lorry hit a car in lane one? - let alone a trend??? This could be blind luck in being in the wrong place at the right time, but I would guess the odds ARE really that remote.

I must admit I've been guilty of number 2 quite a lot recently, but that's due to what I'm experiencing as a relatively new phenomenon of moving over to let people past and having them rag up into your blind spot or alongside you, then just sit there and box you in behind the lorry/caravan etc.

I like to make progress while getting in other people's way as little as possible, but every time someone's approaching at a greater speed I've now got a toss-up between move over and get sandwiched or lane-hog for another lorry or two. It's not a choice I remember having to make that often previously. Bit easier on the bike than the car as a quick squirt normally gets you past anything without bothering anybody but the econobox struggles somewhat.

Exactly this.

Happens all the time. Making good progress in L2 overtaking a series of L1 lorries at an indicated 75mph. Series of reps doing 90 in L3. Mr Audi comes steaming up your arse at 85 and cant get in lane 3 so sits on your bumper. You see a "medium" gap in the lorries in L1 so you pull over to let Mr Audi get passed you. He immediately starts overtaking but then the speed differential decreases until he is speed matching you. Other cars have bunched up behind him. You then have to scrub off all your speed in L1 and get stuck behind the lorry while L2 fly past nose to tail at 75mph.

I usually indicate and pull in and then immediately indicate to pull out. 95/100 they have taken the hint and accelerated past, rather than risk me coming out again.

It's very rarely I have to scrub speed.




All so, I like to think I anticipate people in the lane next to me, and either indicate/move right, or speed up before they realise they will need to pull out at about the same time I would be passing.

[blueg33]

The Evora is sensitive to ruts in lane 1, but I still use lane 1 because my car has a steering wheel that allows me to make small corrections to compensate for the ruts

Ruts is no excuse.

TBH yesterday I wished I was a lane 1 hypermiler, I was in lane 3 some 3 miles from my exit. Lane 1 and 2 had nose to tail HGV's all elephant racing. They were too close together for me to move across to take my exit some were less than 1 car length apart and none would make space. Stupid tossers

[bennyboysvuk]

2802th said:

Every driver in the UK should do one months driving on the German Autobahn! Hog the middle or outside lane and they will push you straight off the road. NO PRISONERS, maybe not Highway Code behaviour, but boy does it keep the traffic moving.
M23 past Gatwick daily, mind blowing the total lack of ability to drive on a multi lane carriageway.

Rant over

I experienced something like this in Czech too. I was overtaking in lane 3 at 85mph and still had a car close up behind me until it was about half a car-length from my bootlid. It seemed like normal behaviour over there. People don't seem to get annoyed with it like they do in the UK either.

[9mm]

Mr2Mike said:

9mm said:

Yes, lights are a constant. The possibility of unlit vehicles, people or other objects on the hard shoulder or close to it, isn't. I'll repeat, where's the harm? I'm not interested in modifying a behaviour that has no effect on anyone else. You may think my approach is pointless. Fine. Carry on.

The point is that your headlights should be illuminating any vehicles on the hard shoulder. Have you had an eye test recently? (genuinely, I'm not taking the piss). If you have uncorrected near-sightedness or some other eye conditions then your sight can be significantly degraded in low light but you may not actually realise it.

Of course the lights should illuminate anything on the hard shoulder but I am less concerned about vehicles than random objects or people. At best, I believe it's marginally safer. It can't be quantified either way but until it inconveniences anyone else then I'll continue doing it. My sight is perfect and tested annually.

[9mm]

bennyboysvuk said:

2802th said:

Every driver in the UK should do one months driving on the German Autobahn! Hog the middle or outside lane and they will push you straight off the road. NO PRISONERS, maybe not Highway Code behaviour, but boy does it keep the traffic moving.
M23 past Gatwick daily, mind blowing the total lack of ability to drive on a multi lane carriageway.

Rant over

I experienced something like this in Czech too. I was overtaking in lane 3 at 85mph and still had a car close up behind me until it was about half a car-length from my bootlid. It seemed like normal behaviour over there. People don't seem to get annoyed with it like they do in the UK either.

That's because in most other countries driving and car ownership is not so tied to self-esteem and perceived status. In this country it's rare to make any journey of more than a few miles without encountering serious fkwittery. You may encounter incompetence elsewhere but here your problem will also be backed up by serious malevolence. Unless your middle name is Canute, just accept that's the way it's always going to be in England now and opt out of the game playing.

[007 VXR]

FreeLitres said:

luckystrike said:

Hol said:

After reading some of the odd' comments so far, I have three observations to share:

1. I cant actually remember the last time one of my sports suspensioned cars has been caught in tranlines in lane one!! Not for a long time - years.

2. If someone leaves it so late in lane one to indicate their intention to pull out to lane two, before they risk driving into the car in front - then they obviously havent been using their mirrors, as they could/should have planned it sooner based on thge traffic.

3. I have been stuck in a few traffic jams, but I dont think I have ever 'personally' seen a foreign lorry hit a car in lane one? - let alone a trend??? This could be blind luck in being in the wrong place at the right time, but I would guess the odds ARE really that remote.

I must admit I've been guilty of number 2 quite a lot recently, but that's due to what I'm experiencing as a relatively new phenomenon of moving over to let people past and having them rag up into your blind spot or alongside you, then just sit there and box you in behind the lorry/caravan etc.

I like to make progress while getting in other people's way as little as possible, but every time someone's approaching at a greater speed I've now got a toss-up between move over and get sandwiched or lane-hog for another lorry or two. It's not a choice I remember having to make that often previously. Bit easier on the bike than the car as a quick squirt normally gets you past anything without bothering anybody but the econobox struggles somewhat.

Exactly this.

Happens all the time. Making good progress in L2 overtaking a series of L1 lorries at an indicated 75mph. Series of reps doing 90 in L3. Mr Audi comes steaming up your arse at 85 and cant get in lane 3 so sits on your bumper. You see a "medium" gap in the lorries in L1 so you pull over to let Mr Audi get passed you. He immediately starts overtaking but then the speed differential decreases until he is speed matching you. Other cars have bunched up behind him. You then have to scrub off all your speed in L1 and get stuck behind the lorry while L2 fly past nose to tail at 75mph.

^^^ I would not slow down from 75mph to move in to L1 for this muppet!

[007 VXR]

Swanny87 said:

bimsb6 said:

Inside lane northbound on the m1 at junction 12 used to be all rutted , it's fine now . One stretch they even moved the lane lines over to presumably even out the wear feckin horrible on a bike

There's a stretch Northbound as you join at J2 still. When you come back off southbound at J2 the surface on the slip road is fking awful.

Also around Dartford crossing

[Foppo]

[quote=MBZ 6]I found out last night why people drive in the middle lane of the motorway
Like all good stories this one starts with
I was at the bar in the pub last night and the bloke next to me said to his friend
" I always drive in the middle lane because if you drive in the inside lane, the ruts caused by HGVs put your tracking out and you will need new tyres."
So now we know why they do it

I was only on my second pint and still able to understand the don,t you dare say anything look from the other half [/quote

Good job you was only on your second pint.. Puts your tracking out?

Now we know why some weird people out there.