Poor motorway driving standards

[Steve L]

Yet again I feel that I have to raise the subject of poor driving standards on our motorways.

Drivers young/old and male/female still persist in lane hogging. They seem to think that the middle lane is their safe haven and that they do not have to use the nearside lane despite it being totally empty for as far as the eye can see!!

The highway code does indicate that the nearside lane is not a "slow lane" and should be used as the primary lane when no other traffic is on the motorway. The other lanes are only there for overtaking traffic that is travelling slower in the lane to the left of you. It is both daangerous and illegal to undertake by going faster in the lane to the left of the traffic infront of you, even if that lane is empty due to their inappropriate driving.

I firmly believe that if the police spent 50% of their time issuing fixed penalty fines for bad lane discipline they would earn ten times the revenue of speeding fines.

Driving tests today still do not involve motorway driving which i think is disgracefull. My daughter has looked at "pass plus" not only as a tool to improve her skills but also to benifit from cheaper insurance. But the insurance companies seem to reward pass plus with only a poultry few pounds reduction in premium, which doesn't encorage people to spend £130 on the additional lesson. Her instructor even said that a day withme would teach her just as much as he could.

On this subject, I believe all drivers should take an assesment every five years to try to maintain a good level of driving standards. Also there should now be driver training and assesment included as part of all new driving tests.

But of coarse I guess the old cherry of not enough people and time will come up as the excuse for not doing it.

You don't even see a government training add on the tv to try to make drivers aware of their obligations.

Steve L.

 

[Dustydog]

OMG Steve

You're going to set Shadie Sadie off again!!

We've done the HGV centre lane overtakers to death.

No more motorway madness.

And yes I do agree with what you say. Strange that in my experience they are also the speedsters on site!!

Cheers

Alan

 

[parker1158]

Steve you have just hit on one of my pet hates - middle lane drivers, they seriously make my blood boil. I'm of the opinion they are just plain lazy.

 

[Gumbo]

We live 80 miles from the nearest Motorway your suggestion is Not Practical. The cost involved with extra tests is also Not Practical the Goverment take enough money out of motoring without you adding to it.

 

[Hamer_5041128]

Steve in Leo,

I am a member of the Institute of Adavanced Motorists and an observer for them.

Try to persuade your daughter to contact your local group and take the test.Tuition is free, only a small membership fee.

By going to a group soon after passing her test she will improve her driving skills before getting into dare i say bad habits.

Hamer

 

[ShadySadie]

Steve should be a little more relaxed, take a little more time and don't be in such a hurry, if the drivers that seem to trouble you hinder your progress, pull over and take a break at one of the many lovely service areas.

The only important people on the motorways are lorry drivers, even when you post that others are hindered on motorways they don't read or see that part of your post.

Steve, you must be more tolerant and consderate of others on the road ;-)

 

[xtrailman]

steve

what speed are these middle lane hoggers doing?

 

[mcghee]

i had an experience a couple of years back which is exactly the kind of thing your talking about steve.

travelling in the inside lane of a fairly quiet m6 i came up behind a lorry. i had been aware of a 1 series bmw in the middle lane just behind me, travelling at exactly the same speed as me for miles. i indicated my intention to make my way into the middle lane, expecting bmw man to make use the empty outside lane. but no.

so with a few car lengths to spare i pulled out into the middle lane anyway. you may criticise me for that if you wish.

bmw man at this point stood on the gas pedal and swerved past me in the outside lane, giving me abuse as he went, though he refused to pull of the road when i signalled i would rather like him to.

so why didn't he move out when he saw my intention to overtake the lorry? same reason he spent the next 15 miles in the middle lane when the inside lane was empty.

a prime example of an idiot, who probably went home to tell his wife stories about the madman with the caravan who cut him up. probably thinks he's the best driver in the world.

 

[Chrisbee]

Education is the answer but first of all you need to convince drivers that they need educating. I'll put a fiver on it that everyone who contributes to this thread thinks their driving is safe and the problem lies with the other "idiots". I subscribe to this line of thinking myself but of course I am a good driver!

Maybe using the correct terminology could help? It's not the "slow, middle and fast lane". This suggests that if you are driving at 60mph plus then you should not be in the "slow" lane, the "middle" lane is the place to be. I call them lanes 1,2,3 etc.

Whilst on the subject, if people called parking lights just that instead of 'side lights' perhaps they wouldn't drive round at night without using their headlamps.

 

[Robert_374373903]

Last night we were on the A13 towards Dartford toll where there is two lanes going into going into four and a slow moving car stayed in the third lane instaed of moving over to the left. I over took in the outside lane and was on my own and looking back i could see these hgv and others all bunching up so not to overtake in the inside lanes.Looking again the car went into the left as the same time as another car was about to "undertake" in the inside. How there was not a collision amongst this lot i don't know.

 

[Gumbo]

When we get rid of the lunacy of NO under taking the problem will be resolved. It works fine in the US and they are thicker than we are!!!!!!!!!

 

[mistermac]

Hi

I'm afraid Steve's daughter's instructor has got it all wrong.

And Steve has too.

Having been a driving instructor in the past, I know that 'Pass Plus' is an excellent way for youngsters to gain valuable experience of motorway driving. I also know that it can reduce insurance quotes by about 50%. I taught one lad who had a very, very basic Ford Fiesta.

 

[Chrisbee]

Passing the ADI test may well put someone in the top 2% of skilled drivers but that is only relevent if they practice what they preach. In my experience a driving school car with only the instructor on board is a positive menace on thr road! I think many have the belief that because they are "highly trained" it is ok for them to drive in a mannor which without doubt would lead to prosecution were they to be spotted by the police.

 

[Gumbo]

I am a voulnteer for a charity and sometimes I need to drive a charity owned car. So I needed to have a lesson from a driving school instructor to assess if I was safe to convey other people ( insurance requirement )

I passed my test in 1974 so I was experienced, the Instructor taught me so much in 1 Hour I was absolutley gob smacked. My entry to Roundabouts was Cavlier, my use of Mirrors left a lot to be desired. At the end of the lesson I realised how bad my driving had become, I was a danger to others which has now been corrected thank godness.

 

[Steve L]

Hi Mark. I am one of the 2% gang having been iam trained, rospa trained and also approved as a test driver by Lotus and Aston Martin.

My daughter's instructor didn't know my credentials so I too was a little suprised at his comment. But as she had already done dual track and night driving, I guess he thought there was not much more to cover.

The Pass Plus doesn't seem to have such a marked benifit these days to her insurance premium. the most we have seen is

 

[ShadySadie]

I only passed on the advice of truckers and wise sages here Steve.

You may not be able to keep up to speed on the Motorway, but try a little harder here ;-)

The irony obviously over took you, it probably used the hard shoulder!

 

[Mikey1]

I had a similar experience to mcghee

Travelling home on the M25 on a Saturday night with the van on back ,the road went from 4 to 3 lanes with the 4th lane going off to Chertsey,i indicated to pull over and a Mercedes CLK car sat on my shoulder not letting me out i slowed down but they still remained on my shoulder after 1/2 mile i eased out in the next lane hoping they would see me and let me out.

They took great offence to me pulling out although i was running out of road and gave plenty of warning,they put their lights on full beam,undercut me and pulled back out in front of me then proceeded to brake hard causing me to come to a stand still.

They then took off at speed and proceeded to exit the motorway.

reported to Police,but nothing ever happened.

 

[Gumbo]

Sad thing about this Mikey is they could probably see it all through the camera network. They would also have the reg no but to much bother even to send out a standard warning letter.

We should be a little more like Singapore if the Indicator is on then they are pulling out !!!!!!

 

[DEANO3528]

It might be the lorry driver in me, but I do tend to give the 'hoverer' the chance to clear me, and if they keep hanging on, the indicator goes on, and if they are still there then that's a shame as I am on the way out. You can only be nice for so long before it gets a little tedious.

Traffic cops used to sort this stuff out but a camera can't. There is no substitue for having them on the roads doing their jobs.

 

[Clockwork_374390647]

I can't condone the CLK driver, but the jnc 11 M25 has good warning of the inside lanes being the turn off lane a long long way before the actual junction or half mile distance so I do wonder how the incident arose.

 

[Mikey1]

I do wonder too.

I was in the 4th and started to indicate a good 1/4 mile before the lines between the lanes closed up to indicate the 4th lane heading to Chertsey.

I do indicate my itentions early but i do get so frustrated when other drivers dont read the situation ahead,they can see you approaching a slower vehicle but dont adjust speed to allow you to pull out.

 

[Thorpedo]

Having read much of the thread above It does suggest that infact this is not about good or bad driving, after all that is just a perception or an opinion, what's good to you may be bad to me.

It seems this is about lack of tolerance.

I notice comments like "THEY didn't adjust THEIR speed..."

and "if they are still there then that's a shame as I am on the way out".

Seems as if we want someone else to do all the adjusting and make way for us.

A few years ago after 2 speeding convictions I was bricking myself about another so I decided that rather than blame the speed camera's I'd slow down.

Driving is now much more of a pleasure. I have time to anticipate traffic around me, I don't get steemed up if I'm stuck behind a lorry or someone ignores my indicator, I'll just slow down and wait for the next gap. I certainly saving my wallet and the planet in reduced fuel. To be frank, slowing down makes little difference to my journey time.

I'm sure I do things which other people don't like just like I see things I wouldn't do.

So Chillll people, put Enya on the CD player, lay back, slooooo down, relax and smile.

Chill

 

[Mikey1]

Thats not the case at all Thorpedo

I dont get steamed up at all.

Its about reading the road ahead and around you,not about rushing about and getting from A-B quickly.

I tow at just under 60 mph with van.

If i can keep momentum by pulling into the flow of traffic instead of slowing down then accelerating hard when there is an available gap surely this is better?

To be honest i find that people who stay in the middle lane of the motorway and other who are on their mobile phones are ones that tend to be problematic.

It is still "i dont want to stuck behind a caravan syndrone"

 

[jo_374385568]

the same happened to me mikey on the m6 in cumbria there was a lane closure due to bridge damage 3 years ago and I indicated as soon as the signage was there but if it wasn't for the nice folks in a people carrier I would of had to stop as alot of people have the attitude i'm not getting stuck behind a caravan but I have been held up by cars doing 40 or 50 on motorways and when your on an incline that doesn't help when towing a large outfit and yes I do pull back over as soon as possible

 

[Jimbob1]

Hi Ray,

In asnwer to you question they are doing 70m.p.h. plus thats why they think its clever to stay in the middle lane.Further to that wouldn't it be a good idea to to put up information boards on motorway bridges to try and educate these rather ignorant people that they should return to the nearside lane after overtaking other vehicles,I do feel that one of the worst motorways for this type of behaviour is the M3 plus the M5.Jimbob