Table tennis bat reads “Keep Left “Lane Hig”
Table tennis bat reads “Keep Left “Lane Hig”
Author
Discussion

kaivaksdal

Original Poster:

145 posts

252 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
Hi all.
Just throwing this out there. I am fed up to the gunnels with middle lane hogs. They are absolutely everywhere.
What’s worse is that they don’t know they’re doing wrong. Sat happily in the middle or even third lane with nothing else around.
Just for fun, I’ve taken a tennis table bat (racket?) and written “Keep Left” on one side and “Lame Hog” on the other. When I encounter these numpties I pull alongside, matching their speed and hold the bat up so that they can read both sides. Sometimes it takes a little root of the horn to get their attention but - mostly - it seems to work and they pull back to the left.
Sometimes they will swear or stick their fingers up but I’ve got thick skin lol.
My question is - should I be doing it at all? It makes me feel better and, hopefully, helps to educate bad drivers. But could plod say I’m distracting them or even claim I’m doing something wrong?
Let me know your thoughts.

Petrol Only

1,611 posts

197 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
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As someone who is currently doing 1000 miles a week on our glorious road network rolleyes

No it won’t change anything.

MBVitoria

2,533 posts

245 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
Gosh the AI bots really are advanced now. This can't be real.

Gary C

14,580 posts

201 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
So, you take your attention off the road, while blocking the 3rd lane ?

smile


CanAm

12,669 posts

294 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
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The best stretch I've found for good lane discipline is the M6 Toll northbound. Southbound is not so good, as the 2 lanes of the M6 which feed into it inexplicably become lanes 2 &3 of the toll road, leaving lane 1 empty or a mile or so before the users eventually realise that lane 1 is deserted. The low number of commercial vehicles on this stretch obviously helps.

markymarkthree

3,282 posts

193 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
MBVitoria said:
Gosh the AI bots really are advanced now. This can't be real.
Cant be "a bot", they have the ability to spell correctly. biggrin

kaivaksdal

Original Poster:

145 posts

252 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
Just to add, the bat lives on the passenger seat so I just reach over and hold it up.
Most of the time there is nothing else on the roads so I obviously don’t hold anybody up. I’d it’s too busy, the bat stays put

normalbloke

8,425 posts

241 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
kaivaksdal said:
Just to add, the bat lives on the passenger seat so I just reach over and hold it up.
Most of the time there is nothing else on the roads so I obviously don’t hold anybody up. I’d it’s too busy, the bat stays put
Has cyclingmikey passed his test?

standards

1,204 posts

240 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
I was an observer on a preemptive SAC aimed at new drivers (don't ask).

The 'facilitator' made a good point about models of behaviour on the road:

a) Child-acting irresponsibly or poorly from ignorance;
b) Adult-doing what you need to do and avoiding anything you knew would be a problem; and
c) Parent-feeling the need to point out irresponsibility and ignorance.

He was advocating b) and avoiding the other two, c) being the preserve of Plod especially traffic or whatever they're called this week.

Now I feel the frustration of the OP and am sure the table tennis bat business, whilst amusing falls into the c) category. No attempt at pun intended. wink

Edited by standards on Saturday 13th January 09:41

Jazoli

9,462 posts

272 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
kaivaksdal said:
Just to add, the bat lives on the passenger seat so I just reach over and hold it up.
Most of the time there is nothing else on the roads so I obviously don’t hold anybody up. I’d it’s too busy, the bat stays put
You aren't the police, it's not your job to enforce traffic rules, throw the bat in the bin and concentrate on your own driving, one day someone will take offence at your bat and run you off the road, you won't be so smug then.

119

16,510 posts

58 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
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Lane Hig.



QuickQuack

2,608 posts

123 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
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I know it's irritating and annoying, but I'd leave the morons alone, however tempting it is. There's no need to create another episode of "When Two Idiots Meet" and risk getting involved in a road rage incident, even if it's very small. Depending on the situation, I sometimes don't carry out 4 or 6 lane changes and just carry on in L1 instead of going over to L3 or L4 to overtake a car sitting in L2/L3, but that's about it. That's in addition to the distraction of messing around with table tennis bats and looking sideways for a prolonged period at another car or driver while travelling at motorway speeds and risking losing control of your car.

xx99xx

2,685 posts

95 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
If having the perception of educating people (even though you won't be) makes you feel good, go all out and buy an LED display panel for your rear window. Then you can broaden your education to all manner of driving topics.


CoolHands

22,026 posts

217 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
kaivaksdal said:
Hi all.
Just throwing this out there. I am fed up to the gunnels with middle lane hogs. They are absolutely everywhere.
What’s worse is that they don’t know they’re doing wrong. Sat happily in the middle or even third lane with nothing else around.
Just for fun, I’ve taken a tennis table bat (racket?) and written “Keep Left” on one side and “Lame Hog” on the other. When I encounter these numpties I pull alongside, matching their speed and hold the bat up so that they can read both sides. Sometimes it takes a little root of the horn to get their attention but - mostly - it seems to work and they pull back to the left.
Sometimes they will swear or stick their fingers up but I’ve got thick skin lol.
My question is - should I be doing it at all? It makes me feel better and, hopefully, helps to educate bad drivers. But could plod say I’m distracting them or even claim I’m doing something wrong?
Let me know your thoughts.
Lame?

ferret50

2,635 posts

31 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
Broads Authority launches often use a similar device to control hire boats speeding, Slow Down on one side and the speed limit, usually 5mph, on the other.

Seems to work, and avoids lots of paperwork!

sjc

15,617 posts

292 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
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Christ on all my years on PH this is right up there .

vonhosen

40,597 posts

239 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
They won't change their behaviour because you think it's important to change it.
They'll only change it if they think it's important to.

Colonel Cupcake

1,324 posts

67 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
MBVitoria said:
Gosh the AI bots really are advanced now. This can't be real.
If that's what AI produces, nobody has anything to worry about.

Scrump

23,684 posts

180 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
I am waiting for the thread from a new member asking advice:

‘I was driving along the motorway, minding my own business, when a car pulled alongside me and the driver started challenging me to a game of ping pong by waving a bat.
As I looked I could see some writing on the bat, it said something like ‘Lame hog’ or ‘Lane hig’ but I have no idea what this means, presumably the driver's name.

I have a picture of the driver, should I report Lame Hig to the police or just carry on with my life and not get so upset by other road users?’


Cudd Wudd

1,112 posts

147 months

Saturday 13th January 2024
quotequote all
"Motorist lamely beaten to death with own ping pong bat"

When I read that headline, I'll probably think back to this thread.