Middle lane hoggers.

[User482]

The speed shouldn't really come into it. If a car is doing 70mph and is the only car on the motorway, it should be in the left lane.

This is true. But it causes little inconvenience to others unless they're speeding.

 

[Night Train]

As someone who does the best part of 35-40k miles a year trying to drive by the rules of the middle lane is near on impossible. You stay left and you are stuck doing 56mph behind a long line of HGV's go to the outside land and you have a photo copier toner salesman trying to get a Bluetooth connection with his phone and ear piece doing 99.9mph in his 'beemer' 2 feet from the person in front, so that lane is out of the question, so I cant see how they can really police this at most times during the day.

Well, that situation isn't 'centre lane hogging, it is overtaking slower moving traffic in lane one.

I don't have that problem anyway. I either drive at the same speed as the traffic in lane one, or I over take it by using lane two. When lane one is clear I return to it.

The whole point of the 'centre lane hog' is that the driver is in an over taking lane when there is nothing to over take in lane one, and there is faster traffic approaching from behind.

The other aspect of 'centre lane hogging' is lack of observation caused by careless driving. The driver has clearly not observed that lane one is clear and that there is traffic behind. By default the driver probably hasn't observed a lot of things on the road whilst in control of the vehicle.

 

[mattobrien]

It's all fairly academic as it will be hard to catch anyone doing this with a fixed camera and that seems to be the only way the roads are policed nowadays...

 

[Spinney]

The other aspect of 'centre lane hogging' is lack of observation caused by careless driving. The driver has clearly not observed that lane one is clear and that there is traffic behind. By default the driver probably hasn't observed a lot of things on the road whilst in control of the vehicle sitting behind the steering wheel.

FTFY

 

[Nigel-YZ1]

Firstly, as Swee'pea says, what else is happening that this is supposed to distract us from?
Who's going to enforce this? Perhaps the same people that's enforcing the speeding laws on motorways?
How big does the gap between traffic have to be in lane 1 before your passing of vehicles becomes lane hogging?

This sounds like a step in the right direction, but it's not going to address the 'do as you please' road culture we have at the moment.

 

[Spinney]

I have a dream....

...in which the government focuses on road behaviour that actually endangers people (like pulling out without looking, close passes on cyclists) rather than on something that really just causes congestion.

 

[gaz]

As someone who does the best part of 35-40k miles a year trying to drive by the rules of the middle lane is near on impossible. You stay left and you are stuck doing 56mph behind a long line of HGV's go to the outside land and you have a photo copier toner salesman trying to get a Bluetooth connection with his phone and ear piece doing 99.9mph in his 'beemer' 2 feet from the person in front, so that lane is out of the question, so I cant see how they can really police this at most times during the day. Then there's always the HGV driver who has a restriction of 56mph trying to overtake another that also has a 56mph restriction, who somehow thinks taking 5 miles to pass him to get one lorry length in front is going to get him to the ferry port soooo much earlier. It's madness out there.

I don't think you understand what hogging the middle lane is. If you are overtaking another vehicle it is fine to be in that lane. You are only hogging it if you are in that lane when not overtaking something.

 

[Archie_tect]

The first test cases will be fraught with subjective opinion... if a car is being followed by an unmarked police car in the middle lane before they turn on the flashing lights.... the car in front could legitimately claim that the car behind was following at the same speed, presumably at a safe distance[?], so they weren't causing an obstruction to traffic as the following car made no attempt to pass, especially if they are already doing 70mph. Mind you if people didn't stay in the outer lanes unnecessarily it wouldn't be a problem in the first place.

... and it should catch the persistant and malicious driving of those who drive in an aggravating and obstructive way to wind people up, especially those who deliberately slow down, while passing a slower vehicle in the inner lane, then speed up again to the legal limit staying in the outer lanes when clear of traffic then slow again approaching slower traffic... you know the ones. What a shock they will get when the car who is forced to constantly adjust their speed behind them suddenly turns on it's Police lights...

 

[pplpilot]

I don't think you understand what hogging the middle lane is. If you are overtaking another vehicle it is fine to be in that lane. You are only hogging it if you are in that lane when not overtaking something.

so a hgv doing 56.05 mph overtaking another doing 56 isn't 'hogging'? maybe not in the technical sense but its a damn sight worse in my book, particularly on dual lane roads, A34 anyone?? causing one hell of a queue of frustrated drivers.

 

[green1]

so a hgv doing 56.05 mph overtaking another doing 56 isn't 'hogging'? maybe not in the technical sense but its a damn sight worse in my book, particularly on dual lane roads, A34 anyone?? causing one hell of a queue of frustrated drivers.

Try the A96 where there are only a couple of crawler lanes and yet you regularly get HGV's overtaking on them. Safe overtaking on that road can be nigh on impossible leading to some very risky overtakes just like the A9.

 

[CopperCyclist]

Drive past the motorway Police station at the Preston exit of the M6 and you'll see all the patrol cars parked in the compound, not out on the road patrolling. At any one time there must be 10 to 15 cars parked there. Presumably the Police are inside playing darts and drinking coffee, waiting to the 'phone to ring to alert them to an accident so they can go and breathalyse the drivers.

If its anything like our force its more likely there's now only two traffic drivers for the entire fleet!

 

[Brandane]

I have a dream....

...in which the government focuses on road behaviour that actually endangers people (like pulling out without looking, close passes on cyclists) rather than on something that really just causes congestion.

And is congestion not harmful to the environment?

 

[ThinAir]

Definitely about time something happened to enforce the inclrrect use the middle lane. It's driving without due care all day long for me. Members of CLOG (The Centre Lane Owners Group), have had this coming for a long time.

Like someone else in here, I do a lot of a mileage, and most of it on the motorway. Some of the driving standards I see are appalling. Tailgating in any form is just downright dangerous.... I'm sure they used to hammer home "only a fool breaks the the second rule" when teaching people to drive.

Hitting people in the pockets is the best way to get them to stop doing something. I think it's great that the government has upped the fines for things like mobile phone useage as well. I think the level of £100 will really make people stop and think before making or answering that phone call or sending that text messgage. Top and bottom of it is that peoples lives are being gambled with by other road users, and I think you will all agree that, tha is just not on!

 

[Brandane]

If its anything like our force its more likely there's now only two traffic drivers for the entire fleet!

+1.
I had occasion to go to my local Police Office on Sunday to report a matter. It was locked up, at 11am. There were 3 Police cars parked outside. I later managed to get hold of an Officer, who let it slip that he was the only Officer on duty for that particular early shift. I live in a town with 11000 residents plus many more tourists. The local Police also cover a smaller town 6 miles away .

 

[Archie_tect]

One lunchtime I was passing the local Police Station when their alarm went off. No sign of anyone around but 2 police cars in the car park.

Next door newsagent said the alarm goes off all the time but they just ignore it now.