What is so wrong about driving in the middle lane at 70mph
Jefferson
Posts: 3,736 Forum Member
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For any length of time on motorways. If people want to drive at 80mph, 90mph, 100mph, there is a dedicated OVERTAKING LANE for the purpose of overtaking. So use the bleedin' thing!
And don't expect those doing 70mph (the speed limit) to keep hopping into the slow lane behind lorries doing 25mph, and then having to negotiate their way back into the middle lane 30 seconds later.
I can't understand all those people, like Bill Turnbull just on Room 101, complaining about people driving at 70 feeling comfortable and safe in the middle lane, not having to weave in and out. If he likes weaving in and out and exceeding te speed limit, why not use the OVERTAKING lane.
But yet again not one of the "bright people" on the show mentioned this.
And don't expect those doing 70mph (the speed limit) to keep hopping into the slow lane behind lorries doing 25mph, and then having to negotiate their way back into the middle lane 30 seconds later.
I can't understand all those people, like Bill Turnbull just on Room 101, complaining about people driving at 70 feeling comfortable and safe in the middle lane, not having to weave in and out. If he likes weaving in and out and exceeding te speed limit, why not use the OVERTAKING lane.
But yet again not one of the "bright people" on the show mentioned this.
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If there are people doing 20 mph under the limit in the left lane and people doing 20mph over the limit in the right lane, I'll happily sit at the speed limit in the middle lane. I've got places to get to aswell. If you want to break the speed limit, overtake me
If there are slower vehicles in the left lane you are overtaking not middle lane hogging. Never heard anyone complain about that.
Dave
I'm not overtaking, I'm staying in the middle lane so I don't have to keep overtaking every 30 seconds
Dont get many in Newcastle; Not many three lane roads here
I just undertake and get on with the rest of my day. Most of them arent even doing 70.
Unintelligent, untalented, under confident drivers is all.
If you are passing vehicles every 30 seconds then you are overtaking.
If you are in the centre lane and are not overtaking traffic on your left, move over.
If after overtaking a car in the left lane it's taking you 30 seconds to reach the next car, bearing in mind you're apparently travelling at 70mph then that's one huge gap which you should be pulling into. Being too lazy to move in and then back out just because you've decided 30 seconds isn't long enough makes you a middle lane hogger.
Maybe but anyone who uses motorways knows it is not the people who don't pull into 30sec gaps that cause the real problems. It is those that never use the left lane even when there is nothing in it at all or perhaps just something in the far distance the MLHer might or might not catch up with in the next five minutes.
If you are doing 70 there is no point to be bobbing in and out just so someone exceeding the limit can do so without going into the overtaking lane.
This. If you are not overtaking a car in the lane to your left, then you're in the wrong lane.
Drives me mental when I drive on the 4 lane section of the M25 and the first 2 lanes are empty, the 3rd lane is full of people hogging that lane and not overtaking anything inside them and people are having to use the 4th lane because those in the 3rd lane are not using the lane system correctly.
Driving 2 miles and hour faster than a car half a mile ahead doesn't count as overtaking either
As others have already said, if they're doing 70 in the 3rd lane then there's no problem. You can't overtake them
If they're doing 50 then they're idiots
It is a problem as drivers should be using the furthest lane to the left unless they are overtaking. Why would anyone sit in the 3rd lane just to make a point if there is very little traffic on the 2 lanes inside of them?
You missed my point. If they're doing 70 then you would have to break the speed limit to overtake them. So you're accusing somebody of bad motorway etiquette when you're breaking the speed limit
Not 'etiquette' its following the guidance in the Highway code;
264
You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past.
The speed of other vehicles is irrelevant.
If you are overtaking every 30 seconds then you are overtaking
And if you knew the rules of the road you would know if your are not overtaking you should move into thd left lane
The speed limit is also in the Highway Code. If they're doing 70 on the 3rd lane with the first two empty, they're not obstructing anybody. Unless somebody is doing 80 in the 3rd lane, in which case it's one rule breaker obstructing another rule breaker
It's like complaining that somebody parked illegally outside a bank is blocking a bank robbers getaway car
I didn't miss your point, I was just telling you what the highway code says. The speed of other drivers isn't down to you to control by driving in the incorrect lane
The correct use of lanes isn't down to you to control by driving over the speed limit either
Yes, when there is light to medium traffic.
When it's heavy, then all lanes need to be full of vehicles to manage the volume of traffic, then they are not overtaking lanes; they are just lanes.
(It would be chaotic if every vehicle was continuously striving to stay in the nearside lane. For one lane to contain all the traffic, speeds would have to drop to near zero, so that the stopping distances are reduced enough in order to fit all the cars in. That is what happens when two lanes out of three are closed - you get a massive traffic jam - but is silly when all lanes are clear.
Otherwise with four lanes, are there supposed to be three overtaking lanes?! It would be interesting to see one vehicle simultaneosly overtaking another which is overtaking another which is overtaking another ... then they all move back into lane one!)