Stew Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Lane hogging only bothers me if they still sit there when there are clearly lots of cars wanting/trying to overtake them. What I really hate is lane hoggers in the left hand lane that REFUSE to move over when there is a joining/merging lane from a junction on a motorway or big A-road. You KNOW cars are going to be trying to move over and join the main carriageway.. give them some space to do so!! And then they have the nerve to swear or honk you when you are running out of merging lane and have to slip tightly in between them and some f*** off lorry. Although the sensible thing to do is move over and let someone from a slip road join the carriageway it is not the 'correct' way to do it. The vehicle merging onto the major road should adjust their speed to join. I always move over if it's safe but the highway code says the other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 undertaking is dangerous, i like to buzz them, basically from the left lane approach quickly move from the left over the middle and into the outside lane (when doing this pass very close to said hogger) and then go from outside all the way back to left lane with minimal gap to middle lane hogger. i find it tends to wake them up. yeah........ and 'buzzing' people doesn't sound dangerous at all. what for actually using the correct overtaking technique wow maybe i should under take like the other geniuses on here. ok so small gaps maybe isn't the best idea, but its not like i pull infront and slam on the anchors, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spursmaddave Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Maybe 'buzzing' is not the best name for it... Ive both overtaken and cut in quickly and undertaken before, i actually had a car toot me yesterday for indicating and pulling into the middle lane to overtake asxhe wasxin the outside lane and moving into the middle without indicating! That boils my p@@s!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Squee Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I love driving in the States and undertaking is (mainly) allowed there - in some ways I think it makes for safer driving as drivers seem to be aware of movement in both lanes. Maybe it works ok out there as, aside from around large cities, the motorways are a lot more quiet compared to over here - could be a bit chaotic on a snarled up M6 I guess! S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 undertaking is dangerous, i like to buzz them, basically from the left lane approach quickly move from the left over the middle and into the outside lane (when doing this pass very close to said hogger) and then go from outside all the way back to left lane with minimal gap to middle lane hogger. i find it tends to wake them up. yeah........ and 'buzzing' people doesn't sound dangerous at all. what for actually using the correct overtaking technique wow maybe i should under take like the other geniuses on here. ok so small gaps maybe isn't the best idea, but its not like i pull infront and slam on the anchors, Highlighted the bits that seem dangerous to me in red. I drive defensively so this seems unnecessarily aggressive to me. Maybe it's just exaggerated a bit to look cool.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I love driving in the States and undertaking is (mainly) allowed there - in some ways I think it makes for safer driving as drivers seem to be aware of movement in both lanes. Maybe it works ok out there as, aside from around large cities, the motorways are a lot more quiet compared to over here - could be a bit chaotic on a snarled up M6 I guess! S. Remember 6 lanes in the states Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMANALEX Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 undertaking is dangerous, i like to buzz them, basically from the left lane approach quickly move from the left over the middle and into the outside lane (when doing this pass very close to said hogger) and then go from outside all the way back to left lane with minimal gap to middle lane hogger. i find it tends to wake them up. yeah........ and 'buzzing' people doesn't sound dangerous at all. what for actually using the correct overtaking technique wow maybe i should under take like the other geniuses on here. ok so small gaps maybe isn't the best idea, but its not like i pull infront and slam on the anchors, Highlighted the bits that seem dangerous to me in red. I drive defensively so this seems unnecessarily aggressive to me. Maybe it's just exaggerated a bit to look cool.... Exactly what I was thinking Stew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 undertaking is dangerous, i like to buzz them, basically from the left lane approach quickly move from the left over the middle and into the outside lane (when doing this pass very close to said hogger) and then go from outside all the way back to left lane with minimal gap to middle lane hogger. i find it tends to wake them up. yeah........ and 'buzzing' people doesn't sound dangerous at all. what for actually using the correct overtaking technique wow maybe i should under take like the other geniuses on here. ok so small gaps maybe isn't the best idea, but its not like i pull infront and slam on the anchors, Highlighted the bits that seem dangerous to me in red. I drive defensively so this seems unnecessarily aggressive to me. Maybe it's just exaggerated a bit to look cool.... i read the road a long way ahead of me if its heavy traffic i use my judgement on manouvers, i have enough drive sense to know when and what is appropriate. 12 years driving and a clean licence should speak enough for itself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 Exactly what I was thinking Stew is there an echo in here or just a parrot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stew Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 undertaking is dangerous, i like to buzz them, basically from the left lane approach quickly move from the left over the middle and into the outside lane (when doing this pass very close to said hogger) and then go from outside all the way back to left lane with minimal gap to middle lane hogger. i find it tends to wake them up. yeah........ and 'buzzing' people doesn't sound dangerous at all. what for actually using the correct overtaking technique wow maybe i should under take like the other geniuses on here. ok so small gaps maybe isn't the best idea, but its not like i pull infront and slam on the anchors, Highlighted the bits that seem dangerous to me in red. I drive defensively so this seems unnecessarily aggressive to me. Maybe it's just exaggerated a bit to look cool.... i read the road a long way ahead of me if its heavy traffic i use my judgement on manouvers, i have enough drive sense to know when and what is appropriate. 12 years driving and a clean licence should speak enough for itself But if you are intentionally 'buzzing' cars by passing close to the rear and cutting close to the front then it's sheer luck that you have no points. Driving like that seems irresponsible irrespective of experience, how fast your car is, how hard your dad is or what the road conditions are like. As I say, if the maneuver you pull off is safe then I think you've exaggerated the closeness of it all or have dramatised it for effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattMe Posted July 31, 2011 Share Posted July 31, 2011 I've done about 6 hours of motorway driving in the last 24 hours, and usually do a couple every day. I'm an "under-taker" I like to think I'm a safe driver, very aware of what's around me and conditions etc, and generally I don't think undertaking is dangerous. People should check their mirrors and blind spots when changing to either the inside or outside lanes, so in my opinion under-taking is no more dangerous than overtaking, if you are vigilant. There is the obvious 'they might not be expecting you' argument, which I think isn't really a very good one, as they might not be expecting anything at all considering they are sat in the middle lane. I find 50% of people I undertake generally move to the correct lane after realising, but you do get some foold who are totally oblivious and perhaps being a little bit lazy. The worst I noticed today was on 4 lane roads where people seem to have a fear of the 'slow lane' and just hog the other three. The thing is if there is more than one lane then the other lanes are purely for overtaking, and should be treated as such. Sadly there is no motorway training or tests to get your driving license in the UK, and it certainly shows. Although having said that, learners would (or should) usually be taken to a dual carriage way, where the same rules apply, and skills taught as on the motorways. There really isn't much we can do about it now, unfortunately. I think the correct, legal approach to a middle-lane-hogger would be to keep a safe distance behind and flash with your lights to let them know you are there, and if safe to do so they should move over, lesson learned, feeling a little embarassed about their silly mistake. I'm not an agressive driver and don't usually do that, which is why I under-take. People often take offence to other drivers pointing out they are doing something wrong rather than accept it. Strange how cars do that to people. A bit like internet forums sometimes Flashing lights... Does anyone realise that in the UK we all use our flash for the opposite of what is intended for? It's actually a warning signal, like your horn. You should never 'flash' someone (ooo-er!) to give way to them. If they were to pull out and have an accident, or someone drive into them after you signalled it was safe to do so, you could be held responsible. Strange, but true. Can you tell I've spent a lot of lone time in my car today? Sorry... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JetSet Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I love driving in the States and undertaking is (mainly) allowed there - in some ways I think it makes for safer driving as drivers seem to be aware of movement in both lanes. Maybe it works ok out there as, aside from around large cities, the motorways are a lot more quiet compared to over here - could be a bit chaotic on a snarled up M6 I guess! S. Well, most of the freeways or interstates are only 2 lanes and lane discipline is fairly reasonable but as you say around the cities where the number of lanes increase its so dangerous and the more lanes the more dangerous. Having driven through Denver in the rush hour, which lasts from about 6 in the morning to Ten at night you need to know exactly where your turn off is, in fact its best to just stay in lane 2. As for it being safer, I couldn't say for sure but the death rate on Motorway type U.S roads is astronomical compared to The U.K, but this could be due to other factors. For example in Colorado no need for bikers to wear crash helmets and the police can't stop you for not wearing a seatbelt, even though its the law to wear one Also many, many deaths on Freeways/Interstates are caused by drivers falling asleep Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Flashing lights... Does anyone realise that in the UK we all use our flash for the opposite of what is intended for? It's actually a warning signal, like your horn. You should never 'flash' someone (ooo-er!) to give way to them. If they were to pull out and have an accident, or someone drive into them after you signalled it was safe to do so, you could be held responsible. Strange, but true. Flashing your lights is to alert to another driver that you are there. That is the only official use for flashing your lights. Should someone interpret that as a signal to move and crash into you or others, it is their fault not yours and will be seen that way by the law too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 I used to do a lot of driving and middle lane hoggers really get my goat too. Im wary of undertaking in case they suddenly wake up and pull over, so usually have to end up moving over 3 or 4 lanes of traffic (if im on a 4 lane motorway for example, and hogger is in lane 3), over-take the person and then move back over 4 lanes to the inside lane. From what I can see its just that some drivers are so lazy they would rather stay in 1 lane, rather than move to the clear inside lanes. I sometimes even see this with the 4th lane, where you are happily cruising in the inside lane, and a car drives past in lane 4, lanes 2 & 3 are clear, but he is in lane 4 and just stays there. Police do take a dim view of undertaking as I found out once on my motorbike. I was following a car which was in lane 4, the inside 3 lanes perfectly empty and he refused to move over, so after a while of following him, I undertook him. Next thing, blue lights everywhere and the car was an unmarked police car. He then proceeded to go mental at me for undertaking, claiming it was dangerous etc.. Fortunately he then got called away to an emergency, so let me on my way. In my opinion, lane hoggers should be fined 3 points. They should be aware of their surroundings and know that if an inside lane (or lanes) are clear then they need to move over to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wackosr Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Jus think of how much cheaper it would have been to educate middle lae hogs by handing out fines, then it is to widen the motorways to 4 lanes. People now sit in lanes 2 and 3 That's pretty much what I said yesterday on my way back from Wales. M4 - m25 - m11. Inside lane empty, two lanes of clueless idiots and an overly busy not so fast lane trying to overtake them all. Unfortunately this leads to a slow slinky sping outside lane and lots of frustration as you struggle to get up to 60, let alone 70... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 Police do take a dim view of undertaking as I found out once on my motorbike. I was following a car which was in lane 4, the inside 3 lanes perfectly empty and he refused to move over, so after a while of following him, I undertook him. Next thing, blue lights everywhere and the car was an unmarked police car. He then proceeded to go mental at me for undertaking, claiming it was dangerous etc.. Fortunately he then got called away to an emergency, so let me on my way. If you went past in the inside lane (lane 1) and stayed in that lane, its technically not undertaking. Its only undertaking if you move back out in front of them again. If your lane (lane 1) just so happens to be moving faster then theres nothing wrong in that - not that half the Police in the country know that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leeroy Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 undertaking is dangerous, i like to buzz them, basically from the left lane approach quickly move from the left over the middle and into the outside lane (when doing this pass very close to said hogger) and then go from outside all the way back to left lane with minimal gap to middle lane hogger. i find it tends to wake them up. This. Add as much noise as possible and the recipe is complete I like the earlier suggestion of circling around them but I'm buggered if I'm going to waste my time on the 'tards Edited for completeness : The above is carried out in full awareness of proximity of other cars and prevailling road conditions - and always on empty roads (clearly, hence the maneuver). Also, all of the actions discussed so far only serve to make the over/undertaker feel better - I'm 100% sure that the middle lane hogs will not change their ways unless politely taken aside by the police Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vik54 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Share Posted August 1, 2011 OMG - I didn't realise we had so many eeejits on our own forum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 If you went past in the inside lane (lane 1) and stayed in that lane, its technically not undertaking. Its only undertaking if you move back out in front of them again. If your lane (lane 1) just so happens to be moving faster then theres nothing wrong in that - not that half the Police in the country know that And I suspect the vast majority of drivers don't know that either. Examples: Motorway - set maximum speeds in all lanes - the outside lane gets held up so do all those on the inside lanes hold back so as not being seen to undertake? Same situation in average speed camera locations - the 'outside' lane choose to go slower than the average speed allowed - so do the inside lanes hold back. Of course, no to both Motorbikes on multi lane carriageways - traffic held up so they travel between the lines of traffic effectively undertaking the outer lanes - an offence? Lost count the number of times I have seen police motorcyclists doing that with no blues and twos going. Overtaking - the onus is on the overtaker to do it safely on the right. The clot in front then moves over to the right without looking - who's fault? So why should the same principle not apply if someone moves from an outside lane to an inner one without looking? How many times have we seen drivers of all vehicles taking out cyclists/motor cyclists by making a left-hand turn without checking to see if it is clear to do so. In my book it is clearly safer to carefully undertake a middle lane hogger if you come up on the inside lane rather than move over three lanes and back again - the chances are that clown is oblivious to other road users and is equally a danger to someone overtaking on the right on the left. Surely that is safer, providing you continue to stay on the inside lane of course? That said, I am conscious that in the eyes of most police if I do that undertake like that I will be the one 'pulled' for allegedly unsafe driving rather than the middle lane hogger being pulled for driving without due care and attention. Dual carriageways are often worse nowadays with clowns sitting in the outside lane often doing well under the legal limit so that queues build up with (understandably) by those on the inside lane unwilling to "undertake". The frustration that then builds up further down the queues has far more potential for an accident, rather than a careful undertake. Its about time the police used the camera systems to send tickets to the inconsiderate middle/outer lane hoggers. If they started to do that the message might start to get through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjim Posted August 1, 2011 Share Posted August 1, 2011 "But I am doing dead on 70mph, so I can be in this lane" .... No, if you are doing 120mph on the motor way and there is nothing about, you should be in the inside lane. (If we take the speed limit out of the equation for a moment) I always come up behind them in the inside lane (as that is where I should be) move out to the overtaking lane, then pull back into the slow lane. All nice and safe with plenty of indication. Nothing to get angry about. The WORST thing round my way is the fact that the M54 is a two lane motorway! Now THAT is annoying! but I can't see anything ever happening to improve it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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