Classic MLM

[Dr Jekyll]

Four lane section of M40 northbound. Lanes 2,3,4 busy, lane 1 clear. I was driving in lane 1 at 60ish, not undertaking anyone, and came up behind a white Honda in lane 2 doing an indicated 53. A constant stream of faster vehicles were coming up behind the Honda, flashing their lights, then eventually finding a gap in lane 3. I didn't want to pass on the inside in case the Honda or someone stuck behind it moved to lane 1 so I stayed behind the Honda but in lane 1. Approaching Beaconsfield the Honda moved into lane 1, braked, then signalled right and returned to lane 2.

Still can't puzzle it out. Perhaps he thought that if he stayed in lane 1 I could overtake him so he could better block me by returning to lane 2, but then why move to lane 1 at all?

[Oilchange]

I try to maintain 70 in lane one. If i have to move out to overtake a slower vehicle then i will make use of the next lane on the right and so on but if there is someone in lane two doing 56 or whatever will think nothing of undertaking as they are moving more slowly than me.
Its not hard to keep left just some people choose not to. I will still try to keep left and to keep my speed at 70 though.

[Dr Jekyll]

Oilchange said:

I try to maintain 70 in lane one. If i have to move out to overtake a slower vehicle then i will make use of the next lane on the right and so on but if there is someone in lane two doing 56 or whatever will think nothing of undertaking as they are moving more slowly than me.
Its not hard to keep left just some people choose not to. I will still try to keep left and to keep my speed at 70 though.

Even when the MLM has a truck on his tail flashing headlamps and clearly panting to get past? You would still pass them both on the inside at 70?

[Oilchange]

The highway code is a little vague and rightly so imo:

268
Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

Note the second to last sentence which pretty much contradicts the first. Basically as long as I dont weave in and out I can maintain my speed of 70 in lane one and what people do in the other lanes is up to them as far as i am concerned. There will be times when everone will overtake on the inside, quite legitimately.


Seeing an enormous artic in an outer lane to me, which isnt allowed in the outside lane due to towing a trailer, I would, of course think he would make a move back into the inside lane. I would not want to get in its way frankly but for some idiot crawling along in lane 2 or 3 in a small car, no probs.

Edited by Oilchange on Tuesday 23 January 20:55

[Section 8]

Ahhh the MLM. Someone dawdling at 53 in the middle lane with a lorry capable of 56 behind not wanting to undertake them and hinting for them to move over. In the end the lorry has 2 options. As they can’t use lane three they can sit with a red face screaming at the driver until they shift or pull back into lane one and concede.

Hopefully pulling back into lane 1 they don’t meet someone doing 70 undertaking.

[Oilchange]

My point exactly

[SmoothCriminal]

What is the point of this thread op?

Surely you are as bad as the MLM sitting blocking lane one.

Unless you wanted to drive at that speed which in this case this thread is useless

[gazza285]

Oilchange said:

I try to maintain 70 in lane one. If i have to move out to overtake a slower vehicle then i will make use of the next lane on the right...

And nine times out of ten the middle lane is occupied by someone who started to overtake you and then lost interest, and is now traveling alongside you. You indicate, but their complete lack of awareness of their surroundings mean that, even though the outside lane is clear, they just continue on as you both approach the vehicle you want to overtake. After a mile of this, you end up braking and pull out first behind them, then into the outside lane to pass the MLM as well as the vehicle in the inside lane,which is when they remember what they were doing and speed up, leaving you in the outside lane on your own...

[IanH755]

SmoothCriminal said:

Surely you are as bad as the MLM sitting blocking lane one.

Quotes like that, especially on a motoring forum rather than mumsnet etc where you would hope people should know better, is why we need regular "Public Safety Announcements" (like the Green Cross code ones from childhood) to remind people of the various parts of highway code, because what the OP did is perfectly legal and it is the MLM that is entirely at fault for NOT being in the left lane already and, if the MLM was following the Code correctly, there would be no issue, no OP required etc.

I would suggest a series of 1 minutes PSA's like -

"If you are on a slip road joining another road it is YOUR responsibility to give way to those already on the road you are joining"

"Fog Lights are for fog" - some cars use them DRL's I know

"This is what the National Speed Limit means, not 'do 40mph everywhere' please"

"This is what 'Merge in Turn' means when closing a lane with a demonstration of cars using ALL the lanes until the merge"

I'm sure there's plenty more but thise should do for a start

[Oilchange]

gazza285 said:

And nine times out of ten the middle lane is occupied by someone who started to overtake you and then lost interest, and is now traveling alongside you. You indicate, but their complete lack of awareness of their surroundings mean that, even though the outside lane is clear, they just continue on as you both approach the vehicle you want to overtake. After a mile of this, you end up braking and pull out first behind them, then into the outside lane to pass the MLM as well as the vehicle in the inside lane,which is when they remember what they were doing and speed up, leaving you in the outside lane on your own...

Yeah, pretty much

[Dr Jekyll]

SmoothCriminal said:

What is the point of this thread op?

Surely you are as bad as the MLM sitting blocking lane one.

Unless you wanted to drive at that speed which in this case this thread is useless

How was I blocking lane 1? Where else could I go?

[Maracus]

gazza285 said:

Oilchange said:

I try to maintain 70 in lane one. If i have to move out to overtake a slower vehicle then i will make use of the next lane on the right...

And nine times out of ten the middle lane is occupied by someone who started to overtake you and then lost interest, and is now traveling alongside you. You indicate, but their complete lack of awareness of their surroundings mean that, even though the outside lane is clear, they just continue on as you both approach the vehicle you want to overtake. After a mile of this, you end up braking and pull out first behind them, then into the outside lane to pass the MLM as well as the vehicle in the inside lane,which is when they remember what they were doing and speed up, leaving you in the outside lane on your own...

I see this every day on the M40 between Banbury and the M42, both ways.

[Dr Doofenshmirtz]

Dr Jekyll said:

Four lane section of M40 northbound. Lanes 2,3,4 busy, lane 1 clear. I was driving in lane 1 at 60ish, not undertaking anyone, and came up behind a white Honda in lane 2 doing an indicated 53. A constant stream of faster vehicles were coming up behind the Honda, flashing their lights, then eventually finding a gap in lane 3. I didn't want to pass on the inside in case the Honda or someone stuck behind it moved to lane 1 so I stayed behind the Honda but in lane 1. Approaching Beaconsfield the Honda moved into lane 1, braked, then signalled right and returned to lane 2.

Still can't puzzle it out. Perhaps he thought that if he stayed in lane 1 I could overtake him so he could better block me by returning to lane 2, but then why move to lane 1 at all?

Everyone knows what this section of the M40 is like. Just crack on in lane one and enjoy having it all to yourself.

[luckystrike]

Maracus said:

I see this every day on the M40 between Banbury and the M42, both ways.

The stretch of the M42 up to the M5 is horrendous.

[mrfunex]

See how many laps of the MLM you can do*....

Slowly overtake the MLM in lane 3, return to lane 1 after the overtake and then reduce your speed a little, letting the MLM drive past. Then overtake them again. Repeat until the MLM either realises what you’re doing and either returns to lane 1 (unlikely), or roars off in disgust (also unlikely). Post your best scores here...

• disclaimer - not to be undertaken where you’ll mess up the general traffic flow.

[indapendentlee]

Can we start a PH crowdfunding page to pay for a "Keep Left" marketing campaign?

I'm sure we could find some figures somewhere that support the notion that "middle lane hoggers cost the economy £Xm per year" - stick a few ads on social and in the media and it could have some legs... £50k between us should do it..

DailyMail sidebar here we come!

[MB140]

mrfunex said:

See how many laps of the MLM you can do*....

Slowly overtake the MLM in lane 3, return to lane 1 after the overtake and then reduce your speed a little, letting the MLM drive past. Then overtake them again. Repeat until the MLM either realises what you’re doing and either returns to lane 1 (unlikely), or roars off in disgust (also unlikely). Post your best scores here...

• disclaimer - not to be undertaken where you’ll mess up the general traffic flow.

I read this on a previous MLM thread and told my wife about it as I thought it a hilarious idea.

On our recent journey on the M1 we managed 6 times before the lady driving her Merc stuck in the middle lane on a near empty motorway doing 55mph realises what was going on and took the Jim moving I lane 1.

[Master Bean]

Carry on past them in lane 1. Give them a few beeps and a dirty look and keep on going. There'll figure it out eventually. Perhaps.