Keep left when not overtaking!

[drpeej]

Like many here most of my miles in the van are from driving abroad. In my opinion the worst drivers are on the M25 and M27, and the worst surfaces are probably in Belgium.

...because you should keep left unless overtaking...

I know that (and I don't do it) but I am puzzled why you should have to move to lane one if you are travelling at the legal maximum in lane two. You are not holding anyone up who is also obeying the speed limit.

I knew this would raise a few hackles but no-one has satisfactorily explained the reasoning behind this

 

[Richard n Ann]

I usually stay in Lane and undertake if there's a hard shoulder. 50% of the time they'll pull in after.

 

[Nigel P]

This comes up often, but I can never see why folks can't just overtake normally instead of undertaking, what is the harm going out to the outside lane, as I thought that used to be called the overtaking lane, what is it now just empty?

That presents difficulties for driving trucks and coaches who are not allowed in the outside lane on motorways.

 

[Richard n Ann]

But just being a Devils Advocate here - I did say driving AT the speed limit. Why would there be a build up?

Because most people like to speed a bit and it's not down to you to police the speed limit

 

[Stoosal]

Overtaking should, in normal traffic, only be done by passing the vehicle ahead to its offside. In slow moving traffic, in lanes, vehicles can overtake on the nearside if the vehicles are moving slowly. This mainly applies to town type traffic or where motorway traffic is at stop/start type flows. I can’t imagine a scenario where people travelling at motorway speed limits think its safe to undertake vehicles. Just because a motorway has lanes does not mean that you can undertake vehicles if they are travelling slower than you or because they are sitting in lane 2!

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[David and Sally]

I know that (and I don't do it) but I am puzzled why you should have to move to lane one if you are travelling at the legal maximum in lane two. You are not holding anyone up who is also obeying the speed limit.

I knew this would raise a few hackles but no-one has satisfactorily explained the reasoning behind this

I throw this in the mix.

Say, lane 2 is full of those doing 70mph whilst overtaking lorries etc. There may well be quite a procession which will have to take avoiding action should a lorry want to pull out.
Quite dangerous?

Pulling into lane 3 and exceeding the limit for a bit and then pulling into lane 2 or 1 when possible is surely a safer way of getting on?

 

[drpeej]

One thing it will do is hinder emergency services.

Especially the Traffic officer doing 100 plus mph.

That is a valid reason But I don't believe it is the reason why people get so hot under the collar about it.

If you are legally overtaking a vehicle in lane one you will also be potentially hindering emergency services

 

[63720]

I know that (and I don't do it) but I am puzzled why you should have to move to lane one if you are travelling at the legal maximum in lane two. You are not holding anyone up who is also obeying the speed limit.

I knew this would raise a few hackles but no-one has satisfactorily explained the reasoning behind this

Because..... it's......the ....rules.....of.....the. ....roads .....keep.....left .... when......not .....overtaking.....

 

[kevenh]

I do that in the UK and I tried that a few times in Spain. Then someone told me it means "I'm here: don't get in my way!".
Damn foreigners should learn to speak English

Gordon

In the UK, a flashing of headlights only legally means "I'm here, please notice me". Well, based on older Highway Code & advice. Maybe it's been clarified since

 

[chaser]

Because..... it's......the ....rules.....of.....the. ....roads .....keep.....left .... when......not .....overtaking.....

Absolutely, not keep left to undertake.

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[St3v3]

The only people it will inconvenience are those who want to break the speed limit.

I hope your pedestal has a callibrated speedometer

I knew this would raise a few hackles but no-one has satisfactorily explained the reasoning behind this

What speed you are actually doing compared to the speedometer varies wildly across different vehicles.

So, move over and mind your own business

 

[Nigel P]

I know that (and I don't do it) but I am puzzled why you should have to move to lane one if you are travelling at the legal maximum in lane two. You are not holding anyone up who is also obeying the speed limit.

I knew this would raise a few hackles but no-one has satisfactorily explained the reasoning behind this

Motorways are statistically the safest roads; much of which relies upon a fairly simple set of rules required to drive on them. Rules work best when everyone is aware of them and there is a reasonable expectation that those rules will be adhered to. Where people do not conform to those rules with no obvious reason for it then that introduces an element of uncertainty amongst other drivers who may regard the 'rogue' driver as unpredictable. The rules are pretty simple 'drive on the left unless overtaking' then everyone else knows what is going on.
The maximum speed limit may be fixed but the indicated speed in a vehicle is variable; your 70mph may not be the speed indicated by the vehicle behind you waiting to get by.

 

[nicholsong]

Rush rush rush, why is everyone in such a rush. Motorhoming should be about chilling out absorbing the scenery and atmosphere. Far better to allow more time to get to your destination arriving in a relaxed frame of mind rather than having your blood pressure going off the scale. Myself I just bumble along on the inside lane around 55-60mph and if there is a lorry ahead going slower I just adjust accordingly then overtake if necessary when safe to do so. In defence of some of the middle lane hoggers there are circumstances especially on the continent ( Bordeaux ringroad) if you don´t hog the middle lane you will get filtered off not be able to get back into the lane going ahead as no one will let you back in. If your pulling a caravan it must be even worse. Likewise in the USA, if you are a speed merchant in the outside lane there are locations that filter the outside fast lane to another destination.
So in summary, chill out, don´t fret yourself with middle lane hoggers. Pull over into the services making yourself a cuppa and butty then stretch your legs. Life is too short for stress. As Ghandi once said "live each day as if it´s your last" Don´t let the middle lane hoggers upset you which with frustration could create your last.

I am quite chilled when cruising at 65-70, because with a Fiat 2.8jtd and its high ratio 5th gear that is where the engine is in a 'sweet spot' and it also can 'carry' up hills. Helps improve fuel consumption too.

It is also a speed at which I can pass an HGV quite quickly and therefore, if lane 1 ahead is clear I can sooner pull in to free-up lane 2 - quite important on 2-lane sections.

Geoff

 

[Jev88]

A1 near Peterborough has an army of lane hoggers (or sleepers?).
I regularly see a 60mph car in lane 2 or 3 (there is also a lane 4) and if flashed from behind often move lane .... To the RIGHT!!!

 

[drpeej]

Because most people like to speed a bit and it's not down to you to police the speed limit

If they want to break the law, they can pull into lane 3 to overtake over the speed limit

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[SpeedyDux]

But they also don't use their loaves around here. We have the Awful Orwell bridge here which is the last "hill" eastbound until they get to Felixstowe Dock about 15 miles yet they start to overtake each other on the rise, usually 3 feet behind a car doing a clocked 60 in the mandatory limit on the bridge, then slower lorry then speeds up as it gets to the apex and you have both lanes at 56 for maybe the next 3-4 miles while one crawls past the other on the flat. At half a mile an hour the faster lorry will arrive perhaps only 15 seconds before the other. And at what cost to all the other traffic held up? There have been several proposals to ban heavies from lane 2 on the bridge but Highways England don't want to know.

Most of these drivers are very well versed with the road.

This kind of elephant racing is banned on part of the A42 (dual carriageway link road between M42 and M1) but I have seen it widely ignored by mainly foreign truckers.

 

[bigtwin]

But just being a Devils Advocate here - I did say driving AT the speed limit. Why would there be a build up?

Two wrongs don’t make a right.

That’s a very specific scenario that you’re postulating.

Here’s another; if everyone was driving AT the speed limit, only the left hand lane would be required (all the HGVs are on a rest break in this scenario).

Ian

 

[simsy56]

Some drivers do not, or, cannot read the road ahead.

If you are rolling along in lane 1 of a three lane motorway, and on your left is a vehicle coming along a joining slip road, then you should anticipate what it is going to do.

Am I going slower than it, and will it join the MW ahead of me? Am I going faster, and will it join the MW behind me? In which case I can safely stay in lane 1. Or, is it matching my speed, then should I move into lane 2, to let it join lane 1 comfortably, or, adjust my speed if I can't move into lane 2?

But, NO. Many 'drivers' have a mind set of, 'I am in 'my' lane, doing 'my' speed, and no-one is going to alter that at any cost! The 'lane 2 owners club member' is not going to let anyone pull out of lane 1, nor let anyone join from a slip road, if it means they have to adjust their 'driving'.

Craig

 

[Jamesh]

Does every keep to far left on smart motorways.

I always feel a bit cautious doing so in case there is a broken down car.

I think it should be closed unless speed limit is below 50.

I tend to use lanes 2 in such circumstances to avoid the lorries / stranded cars.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Lane 3 - Do emails, text and steer with knees lane. 90mph

You forgot roll fags

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[Silver-Fox]

I do that in the UK and I tried that a few times in Spain. Then someone told me it means "I'm here: don't get in my way!".
Damn foreigners should learn to speak English

Gordon

Strictly speaking that is what the flash is for.

But as we are British and on a higher plane we can do what we like

 

[SpeedyDux]

A possible explanation for lazy lane 2 hogging might be that so many cars have those very low profile tyres and harsh sporty suspension. Lane 1 is more potholed and generally more bumpy thanks to HGVs, and reluctance of Highways England to replace the knackered wearing surface.

French motorways are so much smoother than ours. It is almost worth paying tolls just for that better experience.

 

[Cinderz]

Hi, just back from a New Year tour of the Lake District, with a 5 night stop in Scotland returning via Bristol back to West Sussex. Lots of rain and eventually snow and at times moderate wind gusts! Which were quite scary. Enjoyed the trip and making use of the time available. However, the most frustrating part of the jouney was not the constant rain (really to be expected) but the 2nd and third lane hogging to be found journey wide. We found it so common that we started to question whether the Highway code had been updated to make it an acceptable and legal driving practice. Intrestinghly, before we passed over the borders back to England we came across a bridge with a graffiti slogan highlighting the statement. Two bridges down it moved on to state that if you were still in the middle lane you were now a "moron" which did make me smile!. Further on, the motorway signs were now suggesting the same without the Moron reference. I tend to cruise where possible just slightly faster than the commercial traffic , so will takeover regulary, however, we came across numerous vehicles either travelling at the same speed of the commercial traffic or even slightly slower, at times with several vehicles blocking both 2nd and third lanes. Pulling out in an attempt to overtake was basically adding myself to the compounding issue. Outside lane if possible was now the only option which personally seems a long way out for a vehicle travelling at around 65-70mph which in practice (speedo is always ahead) in reality slower than indicated, although carried if required indicating all the way back to the left inside lane as a watch me! This is what you should be doing. I know this is nothing new, but for this trip away in the motorhome it was particularly annoying and more obvious than previously, and clearly not just limited to the M23 or M25 which are my regular routes.

Seems to me that 50% of the driving public needs a memory jog!

Rant over. Happy motorhome travels for 2022.

 

[bigtwin]

Overtaking should, in normal traffic, only be done by passing the vehicle ahead to its offside. In slow moving traffic, in lanes, vehicles can overtake on the nearside if the vehicles are moving slowly. This mainly applies to town type traffic or where motorway traffic is at stop/start type flows. I can’t imagine a scenario where people travelling at motorway speed limits think its safe to undertake vehicles. Just because a motorway has lanes does not mean that you can undertake vehicles if they are travelling slower than you or because they are sitting in lane 2!

Being in lane 2 should, in normal traffic, only be necessary when overtaking. This applies in all circumstances. I can’t imagine a scenario where people think it’s safe/appropriate to stay in lane 2/3 having passed the vehicle being overtaken. Just because a motorway has lanes does not mean that you can stay in lane 2/3.

Ian

 

[Silver-Fox]

Some drivers do not, or, cannot read the road ahead.

If you are rolling along in lane 1 of a three lane motorway, and on your left is a vehicle coming along a joining slip road, then you should anticipate what it is going to do.

Am I going slower than it, and will it join the MW ahead of me? Am I going faster, and will it join the MW behind me? In which case I can safely stay in lane 1. Or, is it matching my speed, then should I move into lane 2, to let it join lane 1 comfortably, or, adjust my speed if I can't move into lane 2?

But, NO. Many 'drivers' have a mind set of, 'I am in 'my' lane, doing 'my' speed, and no-one is going to alter that at any cost! The 'lane 2 owners club member' is not going to let anyone pull out of lane 1, nor let anyone join from a slip road, if it means they have to adjust their 'driving'.

Craig

Some drivers struggle at a roundabout, don’t complicate their life further

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[bigtwin]

I knew this would raise a few hackles but no-one has satisfactorily explained the reasoning behind this

I refer you to post #78.

Ian

 

[Stoosal]

Being in lane 2 should, in normal traffic, only be necessary when overtaking. This applies in all circumstances. I can’t imagine a scenario where people think it’s safe/appropriate to stay in lane 2/3 having passed the vehicle being overtaken. Just because a motorway has lanes does not mean that you can stay in lane 2/3.

Ian

You are correct.

 

[teddybear]

Lane 1 does tend to get the"railway tracks" caused by the HGV's which when you have a narrower wheeltrack will make driving difficult.

 

[Paul.L]

Flash your lights at the sods, if They have space in nearside lane.
I am afraid though that some of the worse offenders are HGVs who appear to take great delight in blocking the first 2 lanes going up hills causing a backlog of traffic. My rant over.

Flash your lights at the sods, if They have space in nearside lane.
I am afraid though that some of the worse offenders are HGVs who appear to take great delight in blocking the first 2 lanes going up hills causing a backlog of traffic. My rant over.

Which also contavines the Highway Code

 

[Mr B]

Undertaking…. It’s the future
I think the majority of middle lane knob heads are there because the left hand lane is full of pot holes !!!

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