Government targets middle lane hogs
'Keep left unless overtaking' & 'don't hog the middle lane'
At last! Two new safety messages urging motorway drivers to 'Keep Left Unless Overtaking' and 'Don't Hog the Middle Lane' are being piloted on selected motorway message signs on the M1, M6, M18 and M62 for a week, starting yesterday morning. The Highways Agency is testing driver reaction to the messages as part of its campaign to reduce accidents on England's motorways.
Thirty selected motorway message signs will display one of the two messages between 11 - 17 October. Motorway signs in Cheshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Leicestershire and South Yorkshire will be used in the campaign.
Roads minister David Jamieson said: "We are committed to tackling congestion and making our roads safer. 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. Just sticking to the simple rule of staying left unless overtaking could bring real benefits to all road users."
The messages are designed to remind drivers to safely move back into the left lane after overtaking, in accordance with Highway Code rule 238.
Ginny Clarke, the Agency's Chief Highways Engineer, said, "we have chosen the messages 'Keep Left Unless Overtaking' and 'Don't Hog the Middle Lane' to remind drivers of the safe driving advice in the Highway Code. We want drivers to think about how they are using motorway lanes.
"Are they taking care when overtaking, signalling in good time and keeping a safe distance between their vehicle and others? Or are they spending too long in the middle or outside lanes, and causing frustration to other drivers when they could safely return to an inside lane?"
Section 238 of the Highway Code advises motorway drivers to keep in a left-hand lane unless they are overtaking slower-moving vehicles. Drivers are told to return to the left hand lane after completing the overtaking manoeuvre or if they are holding up traffic behind them.
The results of the week-long trial will be studied by the Highways Agency. The Agency will then consider how safety messages such as 'Keep Left Unless Overtaking' and 'Don't Hog the Middle Lane' can be used most effectively on its road network.
However, it's only for a week, and it's only 30 signs out of the total of 2,000, but at least it's a start.
Thanks to middlelanemorons.com for the pic.
Best to pick one of the middle lanes (if there's four lanes, go for the third from the left), keep in it at a nice steady speed - all that weaving from lane to lane/indicator stuff is far too racey, stick to say 65 mph speedo speed (actual speed about 58) and make sure you've got your fog lights on as well - be safe be seen.
Let's be careful out there.
imperialism2024 said:
don't get your hopes up. keeping people from hogging the passing lanes is unenforcable.
No, it must be enforcable in the UK surely - you could do them for dangerous driving or driving without due car and attention. Well, thats if there were actually enough traffic cops around to do anything, oh, and if they were allowed to actually do anything other than just point lazer guns (thats all they seem to do round my way). Anyway, police wouldnt have to actually book them, just offer a bit of advice or a warning - that should be sufficient in most cases.
So what we need is Elephant sized blue flags?
Better still...get the umarked police cars with cameras in the 3rd lane snapping pictures of middle lane hoggers and no cars in the 1st lane for 200 yards ahead...and zap...fixed penalty notice in the post.
Soon change pepes ideas about middle lane sitting !
And why not ban anything with more than 4 tyres touching the ground from the 3rd lane !!!
LexSport said:
As long as everyone watches their mirrors it shouldn't be a problem should it?
I spot a flaw in that plan...
I dunno, the way numpty lane hoggers drive, they've no intention of moving back into lane 1 within the next 20 miles so why worry about them moving over as you undertake. I watch my mirrors and do a thorough all round check when I do this making sure I have the hard shoulder as a clear escape route.
deeen said:
Why don't we just make it legal to pass in whatever bloody lane we want? As long as everyone watches their mirrors it shouldn't be a problem should it?
Works in USA
Does it? I wonder what their accident rate is like on freeways? And they're used to it, can you imagine the confusion if it was introduced over hear. I just always kinda thought its one less thing to go wrong if you only have people over taking on one side rather than both.....
>> Edited by jam1et on Tuesday 12th October 12:21
It's just as important to look left when returning to a left-hand lane as it is to look right when moving out to overtake.
It's possibly safer to undertake a numpty than negotiate a maneouvre out to the outside lane and back to the inside lange just to pass them.
Usually wakes them up and you see them drift back to where they should be - but me and the following beemer both did the same to some idiot on the M40 on saturday but they still just sat there
All that said, and although I welcome the sign initiative, this is a small concession in our favour compared to all the stuff the government piles against us. And is it enforceable? Sure, there is law to enforce it but with traffic patrol budgets slashed in favour of big purchase orders to Gatso, where are the plod to leap on and warn those who actually hog the middle lane (or drive pissed, or without MoTs and insurance, or tailgate...)?
>> Edited by hendry on Tuesday 12th October 12:56
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