Middle lane, motorway, weekend

shifty_uk · 19 Jun 2010 at 19:44

Just....why?

Why is it totally acceptable for everyone to drive in the middle lane at the weekend?

You would assume it's only the driving imbeciles: mothers, women and oldies but it seems totally acceptable for everyone to drive like a **** at the weekend. Yet, somehow everyone seems to drive well enough on their weekday commutes...

/Rant.

stoke1863 · 19 Jun 2010 at 19:49

motors /

footman · 19 Jun 2010 at 19:51

It's called the Centre Lane Owners Club, anyone can join apparently.

snowdog · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:05

Because It's easier than slaloming between 2 lanes constantly, don't see the issue really unless the most left lane is empty for miles and miles or if the most right hand lane is filled with people trying to overtake said middle lane morons...

If the ''fast'' ( right one for you) lane is free then I don't really see the issue.

Jonny ///M · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:06

Makes it less relaxing worrying if said numpty in the middle lane is going to randomly pull out.

Janesy B · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:07

snowdog said:
Because It's easier than slaloming between 2 lanes constantly, don't see the issue really unless the most left lane is empty for miles and miles or if the most right hand lane is filled with people trying to overtake said middle lane morons...

If the ''fast'' ( right one for you) lane is free when I don't really see the issue.

Often in this country both the middle and 'fast' lane are crowded and the inside lane has the odd truck and you can't really undertake. Many times I've sat behind some divvy doing 60 in the middle lane flashing my lights and just got fed up and undertook.

ordinaryjoe · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:07

So that they can overtake the slower traffic in the left lane without having to continually switch lane or move into the left lane when they would be reducing the gap of the vehicle behind to something less than comfortable

snowdog · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:08

Janesy B said:
Often in this country both the middle and 'fast' lane are crowded

That's the problem then. Insufficient capacity.

Housey · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:09

If you are not overtaking and the inside lane is relatively clear you shouldn't be in it and if you are you are a poor driver.....and lazy.

mjt · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:12

They're called weekend drivers.

shifty_uk · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:14

I'm referring to an empty left lane, miles of clear road with a clogged centre lane filled with traffic cruising at 50-60mph...Which is often slower than the traffic in the left lane.

Undertaking is mostly the only option.

Fr0dders · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:14

if the outside lane is free why not just overtake them ?

never got this pet peeve with middle lane hoggers.

Janesy B · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:15

snowdog said:
That's the problem then. Insufficient capacity.

Selective reading there old chap, I went on to say the inside lane is often empty. If people learnt to use the full capacity of the roads (ie get the hell out of the way if you don't want to do 70 on the motorway) then congestion wouldn't be as bad at times.

shifty_uk · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:16

because at the weekend, the fast lane drivers travel 2mph faster than the middle lane drivers. When it's busy, it's just impossible.

Housey · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:18

mjt said:
They're called weekend drivers.

Sadly there are plenty midweek too.

The Edge · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:19

It's annoying when towing, or when two lorries decide they're going to have a snail race up a hill.

However, i think we all find ourselves asking if it's really worth pulling in when the next truck is 30 seconds away and there is no guarantee that you will be allowed back out to overtake because the morons doing 70 in the middle lane won't move out for you despite the outside lane being clear.

Inconsideration breeds more inconsiderate people.

Fr0dders · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:22

shifty_uk said:
because at the weekend, the fast lane drivers travel 2mph faster than the middle lane drivers. When it's busy, it's just impossible.

i tend to overtake said 60mph drivers with those doing 65mph, and make it pretty obvious i want to come past. Sit close enough to the back of the car i can still stop, but at the same time making it subtly obvious i want to come by.

If they ignore it, usually a flash of the headlights does the trick and i can proceed on my 80mph (err approximately 70 ish h'officer

) + way.

Theres very rarely a whole 100mile stretch of motorway with nothing but this sort of driver, just the odd one every now and again.

LOAM · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:26

Driving back to notts from Milton Keynes this morning on the M1 there was a shed load of breaking and lane switching up front, took a while to realise what was causing it but it was a woman doing ( I'm not kidding) 30mph in the middle lane. She was oblivious to the near carnage going on around her.

James_N · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:30

I joined the M6 the other day, did 10 miles, and pulled off at my junction and never once moved out of the inside lane, whilst everyone else messed around in the other 2 lanes, accelerating > braking > accelerating > braking.

Yet, in France, lane disapline is second to none. Us english should take a leaf out of their book.

InvaderGIR · 19 Jun 2010 at 20:47

snowdog said:
That's the problem then. Insufficient capacity.

No, the problem is people don't understand the idea of left lane being the lane to be in and middle and right being overtaking lanes. They assume middle is normal, left is lorry and right is 'fast'.