Am I in the wrong lane???

highdef

Driving home every day, I exit junction 8 west bound on the M4. At the top of the slip, there are 2 lanes neither of which are marked with any direction signs. From this, I deduce that the lane usage is as per the rules of the road - left lane for first or second exit up to 180 degrees (not sure if the 180 degrees part is a bit debatable though) and right lane for straight on if the exit has two lanes and any subsequent exits.
As I take the third exit (which is also over 180 degrees around the interchange), I always use the right lane. I stay in the right lane until I pass the exit before the my exit and then move into the left lane in preparation for exiting. The image below illustrates the situation:



In this image, I arrive in the right lane of the slip where it says "2 lanes on slip". Exits 1 and 2 are marked and exit 3 is where I exit. Note that there is only one lane on all exits.
The problem is that the majority of drivers decide to take the left lane no matter what exit they are taking, be it 1st, 2nd, 3rd or even 4th exit. Obviously this causes problems as I often find it very difficult to move back to the left lane in the 100 metres or so before my exit due to the fact that there is a continuous line of cars here, not too keen on letting anyone join. Am I tackling the interchange in the correct way or should I be in the left lane to start with? I almost feel like joining the rest of them in the left lane but I feel that I will just be codding myself and also putting myself at risk of being at fault in the even of an collision.
Anyone have any comments/advice?

corktina

you are technically correct.

highdef

And if you say it, then it's fairly safe to assume it's true Thanks

corktina

doesnt mean that its right though. might be easier to go with the flow if traffic is queued.

highdef

But going with the flow would not be right either though, would it? The main issue is that if I start off in the right lane (as I should do, by the book at least) and try to move from the right to the left lane between the second last and last exit, there is a chance of a collision when merging. If I collide with a vehicle that is already in the left lane that had started in the left lane from the same slip as me, I believe I would still be at fault. In fact, I'd bet money that I would be 100% at fault, despite the fact that the other vehicle had been an obstruction to me by driving in the incorrect lane and should not have been there at that time. Ah well, I'll continue as normal and be as cautious as normal so

Victor

corktina wrote: »

you are technically correct.

While technically correct, one also has the obligation to minimize risk.

Cookie_Monster

corktina wrote: »

you are technically correct.

The best kind of correct.



*bonus points for quote ID

foggy_lad

As cars are turning onto the n4 at exit 2 you should be looking for a gap to stick your nose into in lane 1 that is hopefully big enough for your car too and that way you will hopefully be in the correct lane as you approach exit 3.