Why not drive in the middle lane at 70mph?

[WraithDukat]

So on the UK motorlanes you're supposed to keep left at all times unless overtaking.

Great in theory but the problem is you have people in the left lane going 40mph or less, in the right lane you have people doing 100mph+ sometimes.

So why not stay in the middle lane at 70mph? If I'm going that fast no one should be going faster anyway. If someone in the left needs to overtake I can move over to the right hand lane till they're at a safe distance.

If I 'keep left' I'm constantly weaving in and out. Surely it's safter to stay at 70mph in the middle lane.

 

[Spot261]

There's a minimum speed limit of 50mph on motorways I think, people shouldn't be doing 40

 

[MacLeod]

There's a minimum speed limit of 50mph on motorways I think, people shouldn't be doing 40

There isn't a minimum speed on a motorway if there was it would be highlighted with white numbers on a blue circle when entering the motorway. Sure certain slow moving vehicles are banned from the motorways.

But according to the Highway code

Rule 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. Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking. You MUST NOT drive on the hard shoulder except in an emergency or if directed to do so by the police, traffic officers in uniform or by signs.

As for the OP staying in the middle lane when doing 70mph, your speedo might be saying 70mph your actual speed might only be 63mph. Another drivers speedo might say 70 and they could actually be doing 67mph. Speedo's aren't exactly accurate as tyre gauge/pressure/car load can impact on the indicate speed as the speedo works out speed of the car based on the rotation of the wheels anything which impacts this even if it's only by a few mm can impact the shown speed.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

The biggest problem on motorways these days is not people going too slow, but nut jobs tanking down the middle and fast lane at 80/90/100 mph and even more, hell the amout of drivers i have seen cut into the outside lane or hard shoulder to overtake is just mind blowing.

Poor driving skills seem to have increased on the roads these days.

 

[Spot261]

There isn't a minimum speed on a motorway if there was it would be highlighted with white numbers on a blue circle when entering the motorway. Sure certain slow moving vehicles are banned from the motorways.

But according to the Highway code

Rule 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. Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking. You MUST NOT drive on the hard shoulder except in an emergency or if directed to do so by the police, traffic officers in uniform or by signs.

As for the OP staying in the middle lane when doing 70mph, your speedo might be saying 70mph your actual speed might only be 63mph. Another drivers speedo might say 70 and they could actually be doing 67mph. Speedo's aren't exactly accurate as tyre gauge/pressure/car load can impact on the indicate speed as the speedo works out speed of the car based on the rotation of the wheels anything which impacts this even if it's only by a few mm can impact the shown speed.

Thanks dude, I'm now totally justified in doing 25, always wanted to try that

I recently got a fine for doing 36 in a 30 zone, the letter stated I would have been ok at 35, they apparently allow 10% plus 2 mph, presumably allowing for that variance in speed measurement would be the reason. Shame really as I thought it was a 40 zone and was under

 

[Spot261]

The biggest problem on motorways these days is not people going too slow, but nut jobs tanking down the middle and fast lane at 80/90/100 mph and even more, hell the amout of drivers i have seen cut into the outside lane or hard shoulder to overtake is just mind blowing.

Poor driving skills seem to have increased on the roads these days.

People not allowing proper stopping distances is a pet hate of mine, they seem to have no idea how far you need to stop at 70mph

 

[MacLeod]

People not allowing proper stopping distances is a pet hate of mine, they seem to have no idea how far you need to stop at 70mph

It's been a number of decades since I took my test but from memory it's 315ft (on a dry road).

But you're right I drove around the country for a number of years for work and I hated driving on Motorway's esp. south of where I live. Going North from where I live wasn't as bad.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

People not allowing proper stopping distances is a pet hate of mine, they seem to have no idea how far you need to stop at 70mph

Yeap, some scary people behind the wheel these days.
It's ok, no crashes and no swearing,(well a teeny tiny little bit), but mostly just bad driving.........which is a change. lol

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[SPCTRE]

my advice is to move to Germany

 

[Ethros]

So on the UK motorlanes you're supposed to keep left at all times unless overtaking.
Great in theory but the problem is you have people in the left lane going 40mph or less, in the right lane you have people doing 100mph+ sometimes.
So why not stay in the middle lane at 70mph? If I'm going that fast no one should be going faster anyway. If someone in the left needs to overtake I can move over to the right hand lane till they're at a safe distance.
If I 'keep left' I'm constantly weaving in and out. Surely it's safter to stay at 70mph in the middle lane.

Yeah I agree with these, I've only been motorway driving for a few years now but always think this. It's fine if it's say post 8pm, but during the day the left lane is just FULL of buses, coaches and HGVs. If you get back into the left lane whenever there's a space you'll have a max of about 8 seconds before you need to come back out again and overtake the next HGV/coach going at 50/60. It just gets annoying and as you say feels even more dangerous. AND you need to get out of the left lane every few minutes too when you're driving past a motorway entrance and new vehicles are wanting to get on the motorway (and if you're in the left you're in their way)

And even a lot of the time in the middle lane you get HGVs overtaking other HGVs, incredibly slowly. The one in the left will be doing 50 and the one overtaking will be doing 55, so everyone then has to jam into the right lane

 

[WraithDukat]

my advice is to move to Germany

NEIN!

 

[Spot261]

my advice is to move to Germany

Are you kidding? I've been back and forth on those autobahns often enough to know they're worse!

 

[USS Firefly]

Are you kidding? I've been back and forth on those autobahns often enough to know they're worse!

I think he means, move to the Netherlands.
Our highways are great, just like the country

 

[Spot261]

I think he means, move to the Netherlands.
Our highways are great, just like the country

Now that I can believe!

 

[MacLeod]

Yeah I agree with these, I've only been motorway driving for a few years now but always think this. It's fine if it's say post 8pm, but during the day the left lane is just FULL of buses, coaches and HGVs. If you get back into the left lane whenever there's a space you'll have a max of about 8 seconds before you need to come back out again and overtake the next HGV/coach going at 50/60. It just gets annoying and as you say feels even more dangerous. AND you need to get out of the left lane every few minutes too when you're driving past a motorway entrance and new vehicles are wanting to get on the motorway (and if you're in the left you're in their way)

And even a lot of the time in the middle lane you get HGVs overtaking other HGVs, incredibly slowly. The one in the left will be doing 50 and the one overtaking will be doing 55, so everyone then has to jam into the right lane

That would mean you would have travelled around a 1000ft or 330yards, and if it would only take 8-10 seconds to pass the next vehicle in the left lane then you wouldn't really be expected to move back into lane 1.

 

[Asbo Zaprudder]

Surely it's safter to stay at 70mph in the middle lane.

People have been prosecuted for doing just that, which does seem unfair, but they have to have been hogging the middle lane for several miles. I've often seen middle-lane hogs travelling at 50-60mph - they are really annoying with their impeding of traffic.

However, my pet peeve is people who travel on ordinary roads at 40-45mph whatever the speed limit - even in towns. They're a fscking menace.

 

[Snaploud]

It's been a number of decades since I took my test but from memory it's 315ft (on a dry road).

(As a U.S. driver) I learned it as the two second rule. Figure out how much distance is driven (at your current speed) in two seconds, and that's the minimum gap needed between yourself and the car in front of you. Alternatively, slow down (to produce more of a gap) if it takes less than two seconds to reach the part of the road the car in front of you had reached two seconds prior.

 

[Butters]

So on the UK motorlanes you're supposed to keep left at all times unless overtaking.

Great in theory but the problem is you have people in the left lane going 40mph or less, in the right lane you have people doing 100mph+ sometimes.

So why not stay in the middle lane at 70mph? If I'm going that fast no one should be going faster anyway. If someone in the left needs to overtake I can move over to the right hand lane till they're at a safe distance.

If I 'keep left' I'm constantly weaving in and out. Surely it's safter to stay at 70mph in the middle lane.

If you remain in lane 2, other road users will have to cross from lane 1 to lane three to get past you, and then cross back to lane 1. That’s a riskier manoeuvre than just changing one lane, and it’s really annoying.

If you move to the right, lane 3, so that another could pass on the left, that would be entirely unexpected, and contrary to the Highway Code.

Also, the speed limit isn’t enforced on the motorway, outside of the congestion control, not in any meaningful way. On a good day it’s perfectly safe to travel at 85mph with little risk of prosecution. Remaining in the middle lane when not over taking presents an unnecessary hazard,

Even at 85mph, there will be others that wish to overtake. It’s not our place to enforce the speed limit. Their life, their risk, but impeding others may contribute to an accident that wouldn’t have happened, if I was out of their way in lane 1.

 

[MacLeod]

If you remain in lane 2, other road users will have to cross from lane 1 to lane three to get past you, and then cross back to lane 1. That’s a riskier manoeuvre than just changing one lane, and it’s really annoying.

If you move to the right, lane 3, so that another could pass on the left, that would be entirely unexpected, and contrary to the Highway Code.

Also, the speed limit isn’t enforced on the motorway, outside of the congestion control, not in any meaningful way. On a good day it’s perfectly safe to travel at 85mph with little risk of prosecution. Remaining in the middle lane when not over taking presents an unnecessary hazard,

Even at 85mph, there will be others that wish to overtake. It’s not our place to enforce the speed limit. Their life, their risk, but impeding others may contribute to an accident that wouldn’t have happened, if I was out of their way in lane 1.

There is the supposed 10%+2 guidance that the Police use not sure how true that is. So on a Motorway you would likely get away with doing 80mph without drawing too much attention from the Police (conditions and traffic flow permitting)

However leaving speed aside for a moment it is a motoring offense to remain in the middle lane(s) when lane 1 is clear it's a £100 fine and 3 penalty points. Lane 1 is the driving lane lanes all other lanes are for overtaking.

 

[WraithDukat]

If you remain in lane 2, other road users will have to cross from lane 1 to lane three to get past you, and then cross back to lane 1. That’s a riskier manoeuvre than just changing one lane, and it’s really annoying.
.

Yes, but if I kept left all the time I'd literally be doing it constantly then having to break when someone is going past at 20 over the speed limit and won't let me out to overtake.

If you move to the right, lane 3, so that another could pass on the left, that would be entirely unexpected, and contrary to the Highway Code.

I mean't if they were moving over to let someone in off the slip road mostly.

Also, the speed limit isn’t enforced on the motorway, outside of the congestion control, not in any meaningful way. On a good day it’s perfectly safe to travel at 85mph with little risk of prosecution. Remaining in the middle lane when not over taking presents an unnecessary hazard.

It doesn't matter, it's still illegal and dangerous.

Even at 85mph, there will be others that wish to overtake. It’s not our place to enforce the speed limit. Their life, their risk, but impeding others may contribute to an accident that wouldn’t have happened, if I was out of their way in lane 1.

You could say the same thing about lane positions though, it's not other peoples place to enforce my lane position.

a £100 fine and 3 penalty points. Lane 1 is the driving lane lanes all other lanes are for overtaking.

If you're doing 85 it's a higher fine than that (up to thousands depending on your salary) and 3 points on your license.