Query Re: Middle lane numpties
Discussion
O.K. I do a lot of towing (a speedboat, not a caravan, tested stable at 120+ kpm on the continent 
) now what do I do?
I travel down the m'way all happy at 59.9999 mph some numptie in the middle lane at 55 mph, can't undertake him, illegal, or is it? (he could be a one numptie que) can't overtake him as I can't use the outside lane, unless its a 2 land m'way, happens every time I travel
Am I allowed to gently nudge him into the verge?
p.s. I never hold anyone up on A or B roads either! the 30-70 time is almost unchanged with my rangie, and if your faster I let you past
) now what do I do? I travel down the m'way all happy at 59.9999 mph some numptie in the middle lane at 55 mph, can't undertake him, illegal, or is it? (he could be a one numptie que) can't overtake him as I can't use the outside lane, unless its a 2 land m'way, happens every time I travel
Am I allowed to gently nudge him into the verge?
p.s. I never hold anyone up on A or B roads either! the 30-70 time is almost unchanged with my rangie, and if your faster I let you past
This is where things get a little 
Was watiching "Motorway" on Bravo (show where they follow the motorway police.
Numpty doing about 50 in the middle lane, inside lane clear, large lorry sitting (too close admittadly) to the bumper flashing lights trying to make a (very valid) point of pull over you stupid numpty!!!
This was all caught on police camera and.. you guessed it... prosecution and loss of license for the lorry driver. Numpty carries on merry way totally unware of their fkwittedness.
Should have at least both got dangerours and inconsiderate driving.
Was watiching "Motorway" on Bravo (show where they follow the motorway police.
Numpty doing about 50 in the middle lane, inside lane clear, large lorry sitting (too close admittadly) to the bumper flashing lights trying to make a (very valid) point of
pull over you stupid numpty!!! This was all caught on police camera and.. you guessed it... prosecution and loss of license for the lorry driver. Numpty carries on merry way totally unware of their f
kwittedness. Should have at least both got dangerours and inconsiderate driving.
Trouble is we all see it, yet we never see the police seeing it !
I think and get the impression that people that do sit in the middle lane dont really have any spacial (spelling) awareness......at all! Hence two open lanes either side of them they then feel safe till a trucks on thier a*se and they panic!.
People caught 'cruising' in the middle lane for no aparent reason should be prosecuted and give 3 points, that'll stop from doing it again.
Rant over. Go on your merry way!.
I think and get the impression that people that do sit in the middle lane dont really have any spacial (spelling) awareness......at all! Hence two open lanes either side of them they then feel safe till a trucks on thier a*se and they panic!.
People caught 'cruising' in the middle lane for no aparent reason should be prosecuted and give 3 points, that'll stop from doing it again.
Rant over. Go on your merry way!.
what a surprise! i would just stand on my horn, as undertaking isn't strictly allowed(tho i still might do it). Its just plain dangerous, especially as i am sure its a primary cause of road rage. I just shows the drivers in not aware of there surroundings or doesn't know their highway code or it just plain stupid!
I'd like to know the official word on this - my understanding is that the inside lane is the lane that you should be in at all times unless you are overtaking someone. So surely if you are cruising along respecting the speed limit you have every right to be in the inside lane - it's the idiot in the middle (the overtaking lane according to the highway code) that is causing the problem.
Mike.
Mike.
My understanding is that it's NOT illegal to undertake. The highway code says, "Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake." If it were illegal it would use the words "MUST NOT" and give a reference to the appropriate law. However, if there were an accident while you were undertaking, I expect
the onus would be upon you to prove you did not cause it, and if you were seen by a BiB to be doing it recklessly, I'm sure you could be done for driving without due care and attention or something.
The hw code also says " If you are overtaking a number of slower moving vehicles it may be safer to remain in the centre or outer lanes until the manoeuvre is completed rather than continually changing lanes." so there is a judgement call to be made here, though IMHO it's one far too few people make correctly.
the onus would be upon you to prove you did not cause it, and if you were seen by a BiB to be doing it recklessly, I'm sure you could be done for driving without due care and attention or something.
The hw code also says " If you are overtaking a number of slower moving vehicles it may be safer to remain in the centre or outer lanes until the manoeuvre is completed rather than continually changing lanes." so there is a judgement call to be made here, though IMHO it's one far too few people make correctly.
this has got to be the number two most annoying feature of british motorways (2nd to the jams).
I reckon its a prime candidate for one of those TV information blurts - remember the 'clunk click every trip' & 'think once, think twice, think bike.'?
Surely if this facet of driving that so many people find extremely annoying could be drilled into a few heads the situation would improve.
As an aside it reckon it would also improve trafficflow alittle bit if people had the aptitude to move safely in and out of lines - its just pure courtessy, seems too many people are afraid of mixixing it with the lorries in the left lane or maybe they're afraid of running into the barrier or the verge at those monstrous middle lane speeds.
Certainly gets my back up...
best
Ex
I reckon its a prime candidate for one of those TV information blurts - remember the 'clunk click every trip' & 'think once, think twice, think bike.'?
Surely if this facet of driving that so many people find extremely annoying could be drilled into a few heads the situation would improve.
As an aside it reckon it would also improve trafficflow alittle bit if people had the aptitude to move safely in and out of lines - its just pure courtessy, seems too many people are afraid of mixixing it with the lorries in the left lane or maybe they're afraid of running into the barrier or the verge at those monstrous middle lane speeds.
Certainly gets my back up...
best
Ex
thing is, if EVERYONE thinks its a sh!t habbit, then why does EVERYONE still do it!?!?!
I have asked every single person I know what their most hated habit is, and its middle lane owners club. Im sure they have asked their friends, and their friends etc etc
So do these people just live on an island somewhere and get transported to britain just to fk us off?!
and if so what are the GPS co=ordinates of this island so i can it!?!
grrrrr
I have asked every single person I know what their most hated habit is, and its middle lane owners club. Im sure they have asked their friends, and their friends etc etc
So do these people just live on an island somewhere and get transported to britain just to f
k us off?! and if so what are the GPS co=ordinates of this island so i can
it!?! grrrrr
Big_M said:I do so too. I undertake without hesitating. It's not worth waiting for them to clear the lane, when there is no traffic on lane 3, nor is it any good to swear or to fret. Mr. numpty doesn't realise you broke the law as well as he doesn't realise that he is an obstructuion for other road users.
Must admit that I regularly 'undertake' and have done so for years - never been booked for it ...... yet. But then I find the nearside lane is usually a lot less conjested than the middle or offside lanes.
Often when undertaking, I feel it's a good idea to sound the horn, just to let them know you are there.
(This is a good safety tip, because they must clearly be unaware of your presence or the fact that the inside lane is clear...though it's extremely unlikely that they'll suddenly decide to move over as soon as there IS someone on their inside if they've been stuck in the middle for miles.)
(This is a good safety tip, because they must clearly be unaware of your presence or the fact that the inside lane is clear...though it's extremely unlikely that they'll suddenly decide to move over as soon as there IS someone on their inside if they've been stuck in the middle for miles.)
Big_M said:
Must admit that I regularly 'undertake' and have done so for years - never been booked for it ...... yet.
Me too, and I've been doing it more and more as the problem only seems to be getting worse.
It's quite amusing to see the faces of drivers when I wave as I cruise past on the "wrong side"
No qualms about it. In the event of any collision, failure to abide by highway code will count against you, but can be countered by showing you took all reasonable steps. Personally tend to flash lights or otherwise make my presence known. If after a short period, e.g time taken between flashing and catching him, numptie doesn't acknowledge and pull in, then pass on the left. In itself can't see how any offence could stick as you've given consideration to other road users then acted accordingly.
Same here. Why can't these people see themselves in relation to the rest of the traffic and visualise their car as a block that fills the road 50 yards in front and 50 yards behind them at m/way speeds? Somehow, they're too damn lazy or stupid to move over and everyone else has to go around them. 
agreed,
lots of lamp flashing and then if they still don't move I usually go up the inside, after all there is always the hard shoulder to nip into if they do move over as you pass.
Definately don't advocate getting right up their bumper tho, that's just senseless and leaves you in the same class as them.
My best experience of this was on the way up to Leeds once on the M1 - the left lane had 2 lorries in it and I kid you not, I passed 1/4 of a mile of solid traffic in the mid and right lanes as I nipped up the inside... awesome... well maybe you had to be there
Also, have you noticed the group of scardy drivers who cruise the mid lane at night and absolutley refuse to stray into the left lane even on a deserted motorway at 3 in the morning - recked on drugs was my first thought, trying desparatly to keep it between the middle lines... on passing turns out to be a middle aged nobody, probably half asleep and even after passing, indicating and moving over - 'you dumb ass you're supposed to be in the left lane' they continue in the middle lane...
just f**ckin' hate em....
Ex
lots of lamp flashing and then if they still don't move I usually go up the inside, after all there is always the hard shoulder to nip into if they do move over as you pass.
Definately don't advocate getting right up their bumper tho, that's just senseless and leaves you in the same class as them.
My best experience of this was on the way up to Leeds once on the M1 - the left lane had 2 lorries in it and I kid you not, I passed 1/4 of a mile of solid traffic in the mid and right lanes as I nipped up the inside... awesome... well maybe you had to be there
Also, have you noticed the group of scardy drivers who cruise the mid lane at night and absolutley refuse to stray into the left lane even on a deserted motorway at 3 in the morning - recked on drugs was my first thought, trying desparatly to keep it between the middle lines... on passing turns out to be a middle aged nobody, probably half asleep and even after passing, indicating and moving over - 'you dumb ass you're supposed to be in the left lane' they continue in the middle lane...
just f**ckin' hate em....
Ex
I have to admit to defaulting to the middle lane when cruising on an empty motorway - it's not unusual for the inside lane to be deeply rutted by the heavy traffic, and it is no fun fighting the car's tendency to tramline the whole time. If faster traffic appears behind then I'll move left long before they get close.
I also spend a fair amount of time towing - the situation that really gets my goat is when the numpty in the middle lane approaches a speed limited truck in the slow lane and decides to match speed with it - usually whilst sitting about 50 feet behind it effectively blocking both lanes to anyone travelling faster than 56mph. Short of pulling along their inside and using a combination of indicators and waving the trailer at their paintwork to 'persuade' them into the fast lane there seems to no easy solution. They tend to ignore flashed lights in their rear view mirror as they can't understand why you don't simply over take them in the 3rd lane.
I also spend a fair amount of time towing - the situation that really gets my goat is when the numpty in the middle lane approaches a speed limited truck in the slow lane and decides to match speed with it - usually whilst sitting about 50 feet behind it effectively blocking both lanes to anyone travelling faster than 56mph. Short of pulling along their inside and using a combination of indicators and waving the trailer at their paintwork to 'persuade' them into the fast lane there seems to no easy solution. They tend to ignore flashed lights in their rear view mirror as they can't understand why you don't simply over take them in the 3rd lane.
I also tow quite a lot and my interpretation of the Highway Code is that I can't be prosecuted for passing on the left if I do so in a safe and reasonable manner.
It takes long enough getting anywhere towing a race car without being held up by ignorant tossers.
The problem of cars not using the third lane is more common I find - it seems that many motorway drivers are not aware of the third lane restrictions on people who tow. Grrrr.
It takes long enough getting anywhere towing a race car without being held up by ignorant tossers.
The problem of cars not using the third lane is more common I find - it seems that many motorway drivers are not aware of the third lane restrictions on people who tow. Grrrr.
And then there's the types who see you coming up fast on the lane outside of them and suddenly -- look! -- they'll have to overtake the car in front in about half a mile but instead of waiting until you've gone past they pull out, forcing you brake or swerve into the outside lane.
Why are people such cr*p judges of speed?
Why are people such cr*p judges of speed?
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