Motorways, "middle lane hoggers" ?

[Obelix 11]

You're (if I may) better off gradually decelerating (just coast, then downshift if needed until they get the msg and back off), without using brakes..

 

With some of these drivers you can slow down and they still drive at far too close pace - and wont overtake. I've stopped before now and then they end up so close they have to reverse to have sufficient space to go round me.

 

Funnily the car in that case was a Mk2 Focus as well.... But not near Sheffield.

 

---------- Post added 11-01-2016 at 17:07 ----------

 

It would be interesting to hear their side of the story.

 

"I was driving like a tool and it wasn't fair the other guy was faster than me!"

[L00b 441]

Ok, it'll totally depend on the exact situation, but if you do whatever you think is the safest option then it probably is. That what your post implied, it implied that you choose to effectively pull over into another car because you were angry and didn't want to yield. Apologies if I've misread it.

No, it's because it's probably the safest thing to do under such circumstances. It's only ever happened to me two or three times in over 20 years of driving. I'd like to think it's statistically representative (i.e. that such morons ready and willing to endanger life for the sake of not getting overtaken are an infinitesimal minority).

Only some small irony you saying that's dangerous when you've just said you pull over into other cars when overtaking?!?!?!

I don't pull into other cars when overtaking, nor cause them to brake or take any other sort of action (relative to what they were doing the moment before I overtook them): if they'd have to (brake, slow down, swerve...whatever), then it isn't a safe overtake, for me or for them.

 

Unless they then decide to make the safe overtaking unsafe, by suddenly accelerating whilst I am overtaking them. You know...60 NSL, no traffic at the front, front car doing 40 mph for miles, on long straights and very wide bends, and when I (finally) decide to overtake (because there is a pause in oncoming traffic), the front car drops a gear and floors it as I draw level during the overtake. That's when I will push over, particularly if and as the 'coast-is-clear' visibility limit is drawing ever nearer ever faster (since the overtaken prevented me from completing the manoeuvre sooner).

It would be interesting to hear their side of the story.

I seem to be perennially fresh out of f*s to give for people who endanger me recklessly without reason. Edited January 11, 2016 by L00b

[JFKvsNixon 11]

Are you trying to wind me up just before I go home? Those 45mph everywhere people really get me.

 

I know somebody who's exactly like that. Always on the inside lane, going really slow on the motorway and then getting the odd ticket when they get off the motorway.

[max 13]

In situations where someone has zoomed up behind me I simply take my foot off the accelerator and indicate left as if they have scared me into getting out of their way. If it takes a while for a space to appear on the left, well, it wasn't me in a hurry.

[geared 319]

It would be interesting to hear their side of the story.

 

It would be quite interesting, especially why they think it's ok to speed up and close out the gap the other driver was going to use.

 

---------- Post added 11-01-2016 at 17:19 ----------

 

It's only ever happened to me two or three times in over 20 years of driving. I'd like to think it's statistically representative (i.e. that such morons ready and willing to endanger life for the sake of not getting overtaken are an infinitesimal minority).

 

I find it's more common with people pottering down country roads, they've been doing 40 for miles but as soon as you pull out on a nice clear bit of road they boot it to try and stop you overtaking them.

 

It's VERY obvious when they're in a diesel as well, because it starts heaving out black smoke as soon as they hit the accelerator.

 

If it takes a while for a space to appear on the left, well, it wasn't me in a hurry.

 

Has it ever though?

 

I too pull out of the way if someone comes speeding up behind me while I'm overtaking, but I've yet to find it hard to pull back out and continue overtaking.

[SnailyBoy 10]

Unless they then decide to make the safe overtaking unsafe, by suddenly accelerating whilst I am overtaking them. You know...60 NSL, no traffic at the front, front car doing 40 mph for miles, on long straights and very wide bends, and when I (finally) decide to overtake (because there is a pause in oncoming traffic), the front car drops a gear and floors it as I draw level during the overtake. That's when I will push over, particularly if and as the 'coast-is-clear' visibility limit is drawing ever nearer ever faster (since the overtaken prevented me from completing the manoeuvre sooner)

.

 

So you're the 2nd car matching the speed of the 1st car, you pull out accelerating to complete the overtake to say 60 mph, would that be fair?

 

The car you're overtaking waits until you're level and then 'floors it' matching your overtaking speed, so from 40 to 60 mph?

[the_bloke 17]

So you're the 2nd car matching the speed of the 1st car, you pull out accelerating to complete the overtake to say 60 mph, would that be fair?

 

The car you're overtaking waits until you're level and then 'floors it' matching your overtaking speed, so from 40 to 60 mph?

 

In that scenario, you've been matching the speed of the car in front until you indicate and pull out, accelerating in the process. The car you are overtaking then finds this offensive for some reason so also accelerates.

 

The result being your overtaking manoeuvre now takes longer than you originally planned, as you have to keep accelerating until you are out-accelerating and going faster than the car you are overtaking.

 

I used to see this a lot in Lincolnshire on roads like the A631 when I was in my early twenties, I'd be overtaking someone in my 15 year old Fiesta when they decide I shouldn't be allowed to do so safely for whatever reason. It doesn't take much for the guy you are overtaking to match your acceleration if you are driving something slow. Booting your 1.1 Fiesta in third at 40 MPH makes a lot of noise but not much progress, so you need plenty of road as it is without some fool deciding to make your life difficult.

[tinfoilhat 11]

I've jammed the breaks on before now to scare a tailgater and that's pretty effective, especially when accompanied by a polite wave and smile, but I'd always base that on how far behind they are, if they were absolutely on my tail I'd never risk it!

 

I don't whether it's because I'm in the van a lot but tailgating doesn't bother me at all. I have little influence on the idiot behind me who insists on driving that close.

[L00b 441]

So you're the 2nd car matching the speed of the 1st car, you pull out accelerating to complete the overtake to say 60 mph, would that be fair?

 

The car you're overtaking waits until you're level and then 'floors it' matching your overtaking speed, so from 40 to 60 mph?

The point has been clearly understood by all other posters it seems, other than you.

 

Feel free to try and keep picking my posts apart all you want, my dear gastropod friend. I shall feel equally free to ignore you. Fair enough?

[Cyclone 10]

I came home over the snake on Sunday afternoon from Manchester, and I overtook 3 or 4 cars.

The 4th one was dawdling through all the twisty bits, really, unnecessarily slow, but then accelerating on the straights. I don't think they were trying to wind me up though, they were simply scared of corners, and probably didn't know the road.

I still managed to pass them and drive off.

The one that wound me up more actually was the BMW 330d, a reasonably powerful car, doing 40 mph up from the Ladybower all the way to the Sheffield boundary. I couldn't overtake with the visibility and going up hill, took me until about Hollow Meadows to pass him.

[Justin Smith 10]

Since it is me you quoted, allow me to point what you missed and misrepresented in my post, due to manifestly failing to read the portions which you did not embolden and those which you did not quote

• I mostly only drive on the M1 during "heavy traffic", which by definition means traffic distributed across all 3 lanes;
  
• the qualifiers "whenever there is traffic to overtake" (meaning that, when there isn't traffic to overtake, I'm not doing that - see below) and "quasi" (likewise meaning not always); and
  
• the overall meaning and context of the post provided by the full post, particularly the preceding sentence in which I said that "I won't have any issue using the ex-hard shoulder if it is the leftmost lane in use and there is no other traffic in sight".

You're nothing if not predictable and prejudiced. Or is that disingenuous? Take your pick, same difference.

 

This morning's commute just reminded that the clearest area to spot middle lane hogging tools at the moment is on the M1 northbound, just after the J33 exit to Parkway and before the J33 elevated roundabout: given no slow traffic in the left lane front or back, there will invariably be a tool (or a few like ducks in a line and with he usual collision-guaranteed "safety" interval therebetween) doing 47-51 speedo or thereabouts in the middle lane and just stuck there steadfast.

 

For your refence, Justin, I'll be the car overtaking the front tool and having to cross all 3 lanes thereafter to get to the correct leftmost lane, like I was this morning, and innumerable mornings before. And if needed, indicating as I approach the J33 northbound ramp exit and going over to the middle lane to help cars merge (though technically, I shouldn't have to go over at all, it is up to the merging cars to adjust their speed to mine and join in front of or behind me).

 

In my experience relatively few "middle laners" stay in the middle lane when there is absolutely nothing in the inside lane as far as the eye can see. Some do but not many. What`s far more common is the motorway is reasonably busy and they don`t want to have to change lanes only to have to pull back out again into a line of traffic. Thus, almost by definition, as the motorway gets busier drivers will be less likely to move into the inside lane. Isn`t that basically what you`re saying, but in the outside lane in your case ?

Incidentally, other than the fact you imply you break the speed limit, I`m really that bothered about what you said. If a car is doing the speed limit I don`t really see that it matters what lane they`re in and, in fact, how long they stay in it, because, by definition, no vehicle should be overtaking them anyway. That said, I personally prefer to drive in the inside lane, I find it less stressful and it`s also safer, particularly if there`s a hard shoulder to the left of you, though, as discussed on the other thread, the cretins at the DofT are trying to get rid of the hard shoulder as an economy measure.....

 

I have put more of your quote in bold as you requested and it`s fair enough, though I have to say more than a few readers will think you`re being inconsistent between your first sentence and the rest of your post. Equally I`ve also reminded potential readers that most "middle laners" are also in the middle lane "because there`s traffic to overtake". The area for disagreement is generally about how long the driver has to be in the lane he`s moving into for it to be a worthwhile manoeuvre. I`m firmly of the opinion that it`s not worth any driver changing lanes if they`re not going to be in the new lane for at least 20 seconds. I have actually proved by calculation that it`s not worth changing lanes for anything less than 15 seconds * but, not unusually, most members of the Motoring Mafia are not interested in mere facts.

 

* Assuming all vehicles are sticking to the recommended distances between vehicles.

Edited January 12, 2016 by Justin Smith

[L00b 441]

In my experience relatively few "middle laners" stay in the middle lane when there is absolutely nothing in the inside lane as far as the eye can see. Some do but not many. What`s far more common is the motorway is reasonably busy and they don`t want to have to change lanes only to have to pull back out again into a line of traffic. Thus, almost by definition, as the motorway gets busier drivers will be less likely to move into the inside lane. Isn`t that basically what you`re saying, but in the outside lane in your case ?

How often do you drive on the M1 at rush hour, morning and/or evening?

 

Weekdays, come 08:00 AM, if you are northbound and happen to needing to get into the overtaking lane shortly after J31 (or before it) to pass slower-than-70 traffic (before the 50 averaged section after the M18 northbound ramp), which is most of the traffic most days it seems, the traffic is solid across all 3 lanes all the way past J33, and more frequently than not past 34S and further.

 

Same again southbound come 17:00, all the lanes are solid from before 34S until the M18 turnoff, then it clears.

 

Add a single broken down car or artic (or fender bender) on any of the lanes in that section (like yesterday evening), and it's not only solid, but quasi-static. It's ridiculous. And needs sorting one way or another.

Incidentally, other than the fact you imply you break the speed limit, I`m really that bothered about what you said. If a car is doing the speed limit I don`t really see that it matters what lane they`re in and, in fact, how long they stay in it, because, by definition, no vehicle should be overtaking them anyway.

There's the problem in one, which won't ever get solved with you by the look of things.

 

Discussing driving rules and practice with you is quite clearly a pointless exercise.

Edited January 12, 2016 by L00b