Porsche Drivers versus Middle/Outside Lane Hogs
Discussion
Porsche drivers often get a bad reputation for undertaking or flashing their lights to get people out of the way. However, if people didn't hog the middle and outside lanes, there wouldn't be a problem and there would be no need for undertaking or flashing lights. Its seems now that the Highways Agency agrees. This was on the BBC website today:
A new attempt is being made to educate England's motorway drivers to keep in the proper lane.
Messages are being shown on signs on several motorways saying "Keep left unless overtaking" and "Don't hog the middle lane".
Highways Agency officials will be monitoring drivers' reactions as part of a campaign to reduce accidents. The messages will be shown on parts of the M1, M6, M18 and M62 in the north of England and the East Midlands. Roads Minister David Jamieson said: "Poor lane discipline causes frustration to drivers and can disrupt the flow of traffic.
"We have all seen people on the motorway sitting in the wrong lane and experienced the inconvenience and congestion it causes."
Messages are being carried at various points on motorways in South Yorkshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. The results of the week-long trial will be studied by the Highways Agency before deciding whether they should be a permanent feature of the motorway network.
In August the RAC Foundation said that drivers hogging the middle and outside lanes were "stealing" up to 700 miles of motorway space from other drivers in peak periods. That is roughly equivalent to the distance from Aberdeen to Penzance.
A new attempt is being made to educate England's motorway drivers to keep in the proper lane.
Messages are being shown on signs on several motorways saying "Keep left unless overtaking" and "Don't hog the middle lane".
Highways Agency officials will be monitoring drivers' reactions as part of a campaign to reduce accidents. The messages will be shown on parts of the M1, M6, M18 and M62 in the north of England and the East Midlands. Roads Minister David Jamieson said: "Poor lane discipline causes frustration to drivers and can disrupt the flow of traffic.
"We have all seen people on the motorway sitting in the wrong lane and experienced the inconvenience and congestion it causes."
Messages are being carried at various points on motorways in South Yorkshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire. The results of the week-long trial will be studied by the Highways Agency before deciding whether they should be a permanent feature of the motorway network.
In August the RAC Foundation said that drivers hogging the middle and outside lanes were "stealing" up to 700 miles of motorway space from other drivers in peak periods. That is roughly equivalent to the distance from Aberdeen to Penzance.
See my site at www.middlelanemorons.com (I hope Ted won't mind the shameless plug) if you want more info on all this.
Interestingly, some of our forum members have contacted the Highways Agency/DoT in the past regarding Keep Left signage; the last communication was about 6 months ago and they said that it would happen. Nice if our badgering worked - I am known for my badgering after all
Interestingly, some of our forum members have contacted the Highways Agency/DoT in the past regarding Keep Left signage; the last communication was about 6 months ago and they said that it would happen. Nice if our badgering worked - I am known for my badgering after all
domster said:
See my site at www.middlelanemorons.com (I hope Ted won't mind the shameless plug) if you want more info on all this.
Great site Dom. Middle Lane Morons are my pet hate!
burwoodman said:
Yeah, i do move over and id use the left lane if it were clear. I can't see anything wrong with that.
Altho if speedie comes up behind at 90+ with the far left lane TOTALLY clear he can eff off and change.
So if the left lane is clear you will move over. However if someone is approaching quickly from behind you would not move over even if the left lane is clear? If I've got this right, you are part of the problem that leads to road rage and drivers making unexpected manouvres.
DAZ
>> Edited by dazren on Monday 11th October 16:04
dazren said:
Yeah, i do move over and id use the left lane if it were clear. I can't see anything wrong with that.
Altho if speedie comes up behind at 90+ with the far left lane TOTALLY clear he can eff off and change.
So if the left lane is clear you will move over. However if someone is approaching quickly from behind you would not move over even if the left lane is clear? If I've got this right, you are part of the problem that leads to road rage and drivers making unexpected manouvres.
DAZ
>> Edited by dazren on Monday 11th October 16:04
No darren, if the left lane was clear that is exactly where i would be from the start. However if it is full of cars travelling more slowly than me and someone come roaring up behind, fk him, im not slowing and pushing in to the left lane to let him passed.
The middle lane web site clearly shows an empty left lane. No issue with that but I would object to having to push into a full lane, impede my progress just to let someone nip through. the far right lane is for that in my book. If I am totally wrong then maybe i need educating
burwoodman said:
if the left lane was clear that is exactly where i would be from the start.
Likewise.
burwoodman said:
However if it (left lane) is full of cars travelling more slowly than me and someone come roaring up behind, fk him, im not slowing and pushing in to the left lane to let him passed.
Totally agree.
burwoodman originally said:
Altho if speedie comes up behind at 90+ with the far left lane TOTALLY clear he can eff off and change.
Totally disagree. In this scenario, the lane to your left is clear and the car behind is travelling faster, you should pull back over as you are not overtaking anything.
DAZ
>> Edited by dazren on Monday 11th October 16:21
There is a lot to debate on lane etiquette (hence a whole website for it ), however my take is that pushy driving (ie barging past cars) is as anti-social as blocking traffic for no good reason. And that's the point... for no good reason.
If there's standing water in Lane 1, or slow lorries, or whatever, then be in Lane 2. But if it is as empty as my Ultima engine bay, then move the feck over if something faster is behind you.
The morons were out in force on the M40 this weekend, as it happens, and were very adept at creating two lane carriageways. Shame I was driving solo so couldn't take pics. You only need one or two to create quite serious congestion. One guy was bumbling along in a van at below average speed in Lane 2 with nothing in Lane 1.
Still mystifies me; maybe an m-way part of the driving test will help, along with the keep left signage (and my bumper stickers ).
), however my take is that pushy driving (ie barging past cars) is as anti-social as blocking traffic for no good reason. And that's the point... for no good reason. If there's standing water in Lane 1, or slow lorries, or whatever, then be in Lane 2. But if it is as empty as my Ultima engine bay, then move the feck over if something faster is behind you.
The morons were out in force on the M40 this weekend, as it happens, and were very adept at creating two lane carriageways. Shame I was driving solo so couldn't take pics. You only need one or two to create quite serious congestion. One guy was bumbling along in a van at below average speed in Lane 2 with nothing in Lane 1.
Still mystifies me; maybe an m-way part of the driving test will help, along with the keep left signage (and my bumper stickers
).
I'm always conscious of something fast bearing down from astern, an F1 or maybe a Passat 1.9TDi and feel it simple courtesy to be out of their path as quickly as humanly possible.
Frankly, if I was in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre and Daz came schleidelhorning from the clouds, sun at his back, at twice my velocity, I'd actively speed up to get out of his way and watch in awe as he propelled himself hither.* Genteel conduct and thoroughly laudable yet depressingly absent from the mindset of the many.
(* Actually, I'd drop-cog, boot it and hold on for dear life, flattening the anvil hard and screaming to Wotan for power: this would serve me well, until at about 160, the Kaiser would come sailing along side, nonchalantly flick a friendly vee and then glide ahead, leaving me even more frustrated than a Frenchman in a top notch Parisian bordello 'sans' Amex.)
Dire.
Frankly, if I was in the middle of an overtaking manoeuvre and Daz came schleidelhorning from the clouds, sun at his back, at twice my velocity, I'd actively speed up to get out of his way and watch in awe as he propelled himself hither.* Genteel conduct and thoroughly laudable yet depressingly absent from the mindset of the many.
(* Actually, I'd drop-cog, boot it and hold on for dear life, flattening the anvil hard and screaming to Wotan for power: this would serve me well, until at about 160, the Kaiser would come sailing along side, nonchalantly flick a friendly vee and then glide ahead, leaving me even more frustrated than a Frenchman in a top notch Parisian bordello 'sans' Amex.)
Dire.
Well, I suppose if it makes the vast swathes of the numptista at least think why they're clogging up lane 2, and they do something about it, then it has achieved something.
For pure, undistilled blood pressure woes earlier, there was some geezer who phoned Radio 5-Live (who were having a phone in apropos this), and said he actually felt safer in the middle lane on an empty motorway, and people could move into lane 3 to overtake him if they felt the need.
All well and good kids, but our village idiot then went on to proudly boast he had a speed limiter (that he had fitted himself!!?) that prevented his car going above 70mph.
So, somewhere in the green and pleasance that is Britain 2004, there is some old fool gaily driving along at no more than 70 in the middle lane because "he feels safe".
Oh dear.
I can feel veins tightening in my head as I recount this.
For pure, undistilled blood pressure woes earlier, there was some geezer who phoned Radio 5-Live (who were having a phone in apropos this), and said he actually felt safer in the middle lane on an empty motorway, and people could move into lane 3 to overtake him if they felt the need.
All well and good kids, but our village idiot then went on to proudly boast he had a speed limiter (that he had fitted himself!!?) that prevented his car going above 70mph.
So, somewhere in the green and pleasance that is Britain 2004, there is some old fool gaily driving along at no more than 70 in the middle lane because "he feels safe".
Oh dear.
I can feel veins tightening in my head as I recount this.
Gassing Station | Porsche General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff