UK Fine for Middle Lane Hogging

Berty

So the UK have done it:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2159522/Drivers-face-90-spot-fine-points-wrong-lane-tailgating.html

Normally we get our laws from copying the UK on most things so maybe they will bring it in here.

pred racer

Just what we need, more regulations!

Henry Ford III

They may do, but is there any hope of consistant enforcement?

corktina

pred racer wrote: »

Just what we need, more regulations!

what we need is effective enforcement...the Traffic Cops in the UK will enforce their laws but the gardai simply won't bother.

This law in the UK is absolutely vital. Came back fro the UK last night and although their drivers are ten times better than ours at lane discipline, the odd oblivious middle lane crusier there causes congestion. From observation it is usually middle-aged women driving at just under the speed limit with their eyes firmly rooted on the road ahead (no head movement to indicate mirror use)..even saw one doing her nail-varnish (I never do that... :-)

Atomic Pineapple

What we need even before enforcement is education!

keithclancy

corktina wrote: »

what we need is effective enforcement...the Traffic Cops in the UK will enforce their laws but the gardai simply won't bother.

This law in the UK is absolutely vital. Came back fro the UK last night and although their drivers are ten times better than ours at lane discipline, the odd oblivious middle lane crusier there causes congestion. From observation it is usually middle-aged women driving at just under the speed limit with their eyes firmly rooted on the road ahead (no head movement to indicate mirror use)..even saw one doing her nail-varnish (I never do that... :-)

I wouldn't say their any better in the UK than Ireland.
Every time i'm there I see Tailgaters, Lane hoggers, people on phones, people driving way too fast (driving over the speed limit is fine as long as conditions allow but in p1ssing rain?)

They've had that rule for ages here and people still drive in the middle lane.

In Germany if you see someone driving in the left lane its because the right lanes is in absolute sh1te with bumps and pot holes.

getz

its just another police war on motorists,like one that is being used,the flashing of car lights,if you are driving down the road and you notice a police speed camera,its the norm [for most of us] to give a quick flash to other oncoming cars to warn them,as there is no law against it,the police have now come in with a charge of misuse of headlights,

Andy Magic

Before they enforce any more laws and charges on Irish motorists they should use the nearest motorway as part of the driving test but it would be good if they brought this law in here eventually, the M50 is an absolute mess because of this during rush hour. Only difference is we have issues with the people cruising in the overtaking lane rather than the middle lane and in Ireland people generally drive slower than in the UK (from my experience)

corktina

theres 10 times the traffic in the UK....if they drove like our lot the whole system would be gridlocked.

Too late for education, it will take 50 years for compulsory lessons to sort out the years of government not sorting out the rules on L drivers....

Atomic Pineapple

corktina wrote: »

theres 10 times the traffic in the UK....if they drove like our lot the whole system would be gridlocked.

Too late for education, it will take 50 years for compulsory lessons to sort out the years of government not sorting out the rules on L drivers....

Unless the world is going to end within those 50 years then it's not too late for education

Mint Sauce

pred racer wrote: »

Just what we need, more regulations!

If it stops hogging the middle lane, or sitting in the overtaking lane with no other cars ahead of them or beside them, then so be it.

Its them drivers that are causing a danger, or forcing other drivers to potentially break the ROTR to get past then, that are causing some of the problems.

Colonel Sanders

Without enforcement any law is pointless

I drive the M50 every day to work, most of the congestion problems I see are caused by 3 lanes worth of traffic piled into 2 lanes. 80%+ of people don't know or don't care that lane 1 is NOT a slow lane to be left empty. So as you approach an exit you have middle lane morons & people who never leave lane 3 breaking hard and making a dash for the exit causing a concertina effect

Same when people merge after entering the motor way. There's almost a "race" to leave lane 1 & get into the middle again causing a concertina. I've seen traffic being stationary in lanes 2 & 3 without a single car in lane 1. I've even seen people stop dead in lane 1 (which they could drive in) and queue to get into the middle FFS

I can observe this every day of the week yet nothing is done. Middle lane morons don't even think of the effect it's having

I've often asked "slow lane" advocates their reasoning for thinking there's a slow lane how fast should you be driving before you leave slow lane etc and have been given very elaborate (needless to say made up) explainations why the middle is the default lane. When you ask them do they really think that if everyone wants to drive at 100+ and as a result lanes 2 & 3 are congested you really should leave lane 1 empty they get an "oh yeah" epiphany but then the next day go back to sitting in the middle lane

Bring this in & enforce it. People often give out about speed traps in unfair locations being used as a cash cow. Enforce this & you'll have your cash cow but also improve traffic management & stress/blood pressure levels of those of us who actually know how to drive. Everyone wins FFS

corktina

draffodx wrote: »

Unless the world is going to end within those 50 years then it's not too late for education

too late for me....and anyone else over about 30...I'll be long gone

Colonel Sanders

Btw I never get this fascination with standards of driving in the UK. I've driven & been driven there many many times & middle lane stupidity is almostas rife in my experience

corktina

desoite 10x the traffic, Id much prefer to drive there simply because the drivers as a whole are way better, use their mirrors and indicators and above all, they anticipate and you can anticipate what they are doing.

Berty

People shouldn't take these two rules as an attack on the motorist. It is an attack of the ignorant motorist. In our own country you have millions spent on adverts to tell people who to use a roundabout, motorway and other such things but people still don't get it because normally their brains say "Ah I don't need to even listen to the advert because it must be about somebody elses driving becauses I'm driving 20 years blah blah blah"

I liked driving in the UK except for the driver who looked at my CE plate and gave me the finger. I assume he just hates Irish people. :rolleyes: In my defence I was heading to the port to get out of the country.

When I was on the motorway in busy traffic and wanted to switch lanes the other drivers would let you in with a quick flash. Here, they'd bunch up and pretend they don't see you.

So if you are reading this thread and don't understand what middle land hogging is then you are a problem on the roads and if you are reading this thread well aware of the problems with middle lane hogging then you won't get getting fined now will you(if they brought this in here).

I love the M7 as far as Nass. It gets all a bit pair shaped on the N7 bit and the M50 until I reach the M1 Northbound then it gets back to normal again. I blame the Dubs and the Plastic Dubs for the problems we face.

Colonel Sanders

Not actually sure how anyOne could whinge about a law that would actually assist the competent motorist

Maybe that's the problem people have with it, it would be bad for INCOMPETENT motorists.....

piston

We shouldn't even need these rules if drivers would wake up and look around them.

I've never driven in England or Wales but have cycled and driven a lot in Scotland and have found it to be an absolute pleasure with well mannered and respectful drivers. Very different from Donegal and Derry where I usually drive and cycle.

djimi

I agree with those that say we need enforcement; we already have plenty of motor laws in this country that arent enforced (unaccompanied learner drivers for example...) so introducing another law is not going to do a whole lot of use.

Guy:Incognito

pred racer wrote: »

Just what we need, more regulations!

We wouldn't need any if people drove properly

Colonel Sanders

Just drove home via the M50, the usual stupidity was prevalent needless to say

Moron of the day must go to the guy driving the "Smart Drive" driving school car out in the middle lane with little traffic around him

Must have been an instructor drivIng as:
a) he was on a motorway
b) there was nobody in the passenger seat

Good to know the education of our future drivers is in good hands......

josephsoap

Colonel Sanders wrote: »

Just drove home via the M50, the usual stupidity was prevalent needless to say

Moron of the day must go to the guy driving the "Smart Drive" driving school car out in the middle lane with little traffic around him

Must have been an instructor drivIng as:
a) he was on a motorway
b) there was nobody in the passenger seat

Good to know the education of our future drivers is in good hands......

Amazing :eek: Just to clear this up because I hear alot of people on here complaining about this and I just want to make sure I'm right......He obviously should have been in Lane 1 "Slow Lane" ?

I'm from the 'country' and the nearest motorway to me is over a hour away and I know how this works so who's the drivers blocking up the middle lanes