Nabbed in the outside lane of 3 lane motorway.

[jimmyg352]

Not me I might add. My son just phoned asking what the law is about this. I said it wasn’t allowed unless circumstances deemed you had no option. His FIL was nabbed on the A1M between Boroughbridge & Dishforth seemingly not aware of the rule. He has years of towing experience including towing abroad.

I’m sure the law states all manner of examples when you can/should/have to use that lane but me, I just keep out of it!
What would be the penalty?

 

[otherclive]

I found myself unavoidably in the outside lane on the M6 heading south. I was on a two lane section in the outside lane but after a serviced the slip road became lane 1. There was so much interaction between joining traffic and traffic what had been the inside lane I deemed it safer to stay out until the HGVs had sorted themselves out. Didn’t feel comfortable wrt infringing the law.

 

[Tux]

It's illegal to be in the outermost lane with a trailer on a motorway with three or more lanes. Found myself accidentally in lane 3 / 3 before. Sometimes you get a stretch with is just two lane when suddenly you go past a slip road and another lane suddenly appears on the inside I always get back over ASAP when that happens. Of course you often get a twit refusing to leave a gap for you to pull back into or undertaking.

 

[borderbilly]

Not me I might add. My son just phoned asking what the law is about this. I said it wasn’t allowed unless circumstances deemed you had no option. His FIL was nabbed on the A1M between Boroughbridge & Dishforth seemingly not aware of the rule. He has years of towing experience including towing abroad.

I’m sure the law states all manner of examples when you can/should/have to use that lane but me, I just keep out of it!
What would be the penalty?

Penalty! I think they will hang him at dawn.

 

[Mel]

Also recently found ourselves in lane 3 when lane 2 unexpectedly became lane 3. Pulled over asap. However on two occasions on the same recent journey, there was an abnormal load plus its escort vehicle straddling lanes 1 and 2 on a 3 lane motorway. (Twice). This put all of us including everyone towing and the HGVs in the outside lane. No idea what the law says in this circumstance but we just followed the HGVs.
Mel

 

[Tux]

One would hope common sense and discretion would prevail in the minds of any traffic plod witnessing the above unfold.

 

[jimmyg352]

One would hope common sense and discretion would prevail in the minds of any traffic plod witnessing the above unfold.

You’d hope so! Pretty unavoidable by the sound of it.

 

[Hutch]

One would hope common sense and discretion would prevail in the minds of any traffic plod witnessing the above unfold.

I would hope so if you were passing at say 40 mph, but if you were having to pass at 60 then that might be different.

 

[JRT]

Sometimes very occasionally and very briefly I find myself not using the outside lane......

Forgetting that I can use it when I haven't got the 'van on the back......

 

[Beachball]

i just come back from our break i was in the outside lane today on the M56 saw a caravan towed by a car he had his foot down at the time i was overtaking him i was touching 77mph .

 

[Buckman]

i just come back from our break i was in the outside lane today on the M56 saw a caravan towed by a car he had his foot down at the time i was overtaking him i was touching 77mph .

I always thought that the speed limit on UK motorways was 70mph? Were you on the autobann in Germany?

 

[JRT]

i just come back from our break i was in the outside lane today on the M56 saw a caravan towed by a car he had his foot down at the time i was overtaking him i was touching 77mph .

I think I would have left him or her to it and just pulled in behind and let them get on with it rather than create an additional hazard by exceeding the speed limit just to overtake them.

 

[Tux]

I think I would have left him or her to it and just pulled in behind and let them get on with it rather than create an additional hazard by exceeding the speed limit just to overtake them.

I’m pretty confident Beachball didn’t create a hazard by doing 77mph rather than 70 mph.

 

[Buckman]

I’m pretty confident JRT didn’t create a hazard by doing 77mph rather than 70 mph.

It was not JRT doing 77mph in the outside lane.JRT simply stated that like us, they would move over and let the idiot pass.

 

[JRT]

I’m pretty confident JRT didn’t create a hazard by doing 77mph rather than 70 mph.

Then your confidence is well founded, because I didn't.

(You appear to be getting muddled about the guilty party)

 

[Robert_374373903]

I just could not imagine going into the third lane unless the inner ones were blocked. Even second lane I try to get back to inner one soon as possible.

 

[Mr Plodd]

I just could not imagine going into the third lane unless the inner ones were blocked. Even second lane I try to get back to inner one soon as possible.

But not everyone is like you! (Or me of course. Please excuse me for a moment, I need to adjust my halo)

 

[Bluetonic]

It's illegal to be in the outermost lane with a trailer on a motorway with three or more lanes. Found myself accidentally in lane 3 / 3 before. Sometimes you get a stretch with is just two lane when suddenly you go past a slip road and another lane suddenly appears on the inside I always get back over ASAP when that happens. Of course you often get a twit refusing to leave a gap for you to pull back into or undertaking.

been in that situation too, it's not nice

 

[Tux]

Then your confidence is well founded, because I didn't.

(You appear to be getting muddled about the guilty party)

Edited accordingly.

 

[JRT]

Edited accordingly.

Ok then.

Let me put it another way.

Which do you think would be the safest option.

1 - hold back, keep below the legal limit and let the speeding caravanner press on and pose a risk to others due to their outfit potentially becoming unstable.

2 - try to overtake them and in doing so exceed the posted speed limit, (and for what purpose anyway).

I think sensible people would go for option 1

 

[Buckman]

Ok then.

Let me put it another way.

Which do you think would be the safest option.

1 - hold back, keep below the legal limit and let the speeding caravanner press on and pose a risk to others due to their outfit potentially becoming unstable.

2 - try to overtake them and in doing so exceed the posted speed limit, (and for what purpose anyway).

I think sensible people would go for option 2.

I would opt for option 1.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

Another vote for option 1!

 

[otherclive]

Option 1 too.

 

[Dustydog]

How accurate is BBs Speedo ? His indicated 77 was probably 73/74?
A lot of speed cameras, not all , will have a margin of leeway in your favour.
Those who religiously travel at the indicated 70, like me 😇, will know you are continuously overtaken. Rules and Law are not to be broken but unwritten flexibility seems to have crept in .
Stating the old adage , to be PC, break the speed limit at your own peril😉

Tolerances for speed cameras in the UK

advanced-driving.co.uk

 

[Buckman]

How accurate is BBs Speedo ? His indicated 77 was probably 73/74?
A lot of speed cameras, not all , will have a margin of leeway in your favour.
Those who religiously travel at the indicated 70, like me 😇, will know you are continuously overtaken. Rules and Law are not to be broken but unwritten flexibility seems to have crept in .
Stating the old adage , to be PC, break the speed limit at your own peril😉

Tolerances for speed cameras in the UK

advanced-driving.co.uk

To be honest I often exceed the speed limit indicated on the speedo, but use the speed on the Satnav as it is a lot more accurate. When towing on the motorway the speedo shows 60mph, however I am actually doing 58mph, but I am quite happy to stay at that speed.

I do speed up to the Satnav 60mph if over taking a slower vehicle in order to get past it quickly, safely and allow following traffic to flow smoothly. If I exceed 60mph while towing, the Satnav goes ballistic with all sorts of aalrms ringing.