which lane?

[pipme]

If m/way relatively busy .. no sense driving inside lane unless at 60 or less.

manoeuvering, and all that entails is one of the most dangerous undertakings ( ) on a fast road, I would not feel comfy driving under 60 in the middle lane when higher speeds allowed.
But at 70-75 plus then middle for me unless inside is clear for a fair distance ahead .. then of course you may spend too much time watching your mirror gauging where the following stuff will get alongside .. just behind the HGV in the distance .. no doubt !!
You cannot please all of the people all of the time ... remember the guy on here believed he could exceed the speed limit to overtake !! not even logical is it ? Pays to read the book from time to time .. just to ensure the law and one's own logic are not at odds !!

P

 

[AdamW]

Breezer, a few issues with your scenario:

1) To get over or through two crash barriers at 40mph, even one, you would need to be the one driving the HGV.

2) Driving in the middle lane at 40mph is stupid.

3) Driving on a clear motorway at 40mph is stupid.

4) Anyone who crashes simply because someone parps their horn shouldn't have a licence anyway. What the heck would they do if a police car sounded it's siren?

As Pip says, middle lane at 70 on a clear motorway is fine. Just read my previous scenario (the one which I actually had).

Bird or similar (fox, confused person) comes out of the undergrowth at the side of the motorway, prances out into the carriageway. If you are going 70 on the inside lane then you may hit it, but in the middle lane you have a second or two extra thinking time. It happened to me, and because I knew there was nothing behind me in my lane (always observant) I was able to slam on the brakes, and instead of me hitting it the Merc that was doing 90 in the outside lane hit it I would hate to be the one to wash the car after THAT! Assuming the bumper didn't fall off later.

If I am driving at 70mph in the middle lane, why should anyone want to overtake anyway? And if they are intent on breaking the law, what is wrong with the outside lane?

Driving below 70 in the outside lane is the real problem here. The A1 north of South Mimms, I came down from the M25 in the middle of the night and found myself rapidly approaching some idiot who thought that 20mph was an acceptable speed for the outside lane. Flashed him, beeped him, but he wouldn't move over. So after a while I got pi**ed off and pulled out to undertake, I looked in his window and I swear the guy was asleep.

 

[masona]

Its people that sit in the middle lane that cause more accidents than any one else

Have to slightly disagree there, it is the inside lane that cause most accident because of idiot driving 40mph on the inside lane so hgv overtake them, then force me from the middle lane to the fast lane, the only time I use the inside lane when it's safe to do so. I work with over 60 HGV driver's and they all say they would rather us stay in the middle lane because of so many gear change they have to do or when getting cut up by idiot.

 

[david and julie]

Without doubt the safest lane is the inside one.

I have seen drivers escape serious accidents by being in it. Any defensive driver will tell you, this is the only lane that usually as an escape route. Namely the hardshoulder or even up the embankment.

You should also avoid motorway road works where you cross the carraigeway and face the oncoming traffic. Even at 40mph, if there was a problem the impact is 80mph.

I worked on the motorway for years and would urge you all to remember the above.

 

[AdamW]

We have a great motorway system and it is all fairly standardised, but perhaps we are forgetting an important point: local knowledge. All motorways are a bit different.

The motorway I use most often has dense forest mere feet away from the hard shoulder, and a big set of skid marks heading into a large tree at one point from a few months ago. Now THAT would have been nasty by anyone's book.

However, if the motorways you use have soft shoulders stretching away from the hard shoulder into empty meadows, then swerving off that way may not be too bad.

Also how do you drive on the motorway? I am not a compulsive speeder, 99% of the time I aim to keep my speed to exactly 70 by GPS (this translates to about 75 on the dial). It annoys me if the road is clear but someone is doing 60 in front of me, especially up hills for some reason (I think it shows lack of care). The other 1% of the time I am speeding because the traffic is all going that speed and it is relatively clear (e.g. my trip back from Wiltshire on the M3 going 90 with all the other cars this summer) even then I make sure someone else is going faster than me . Only once have I ever done a silly speed journey for any particular distance.

But if you like to pootle at 40, or even 30 (it is legal... just very stupid) then of course you shouldn't be in the middle lane with the normal people.

And lastly, what are the drivers like on that stretch? On some roads people seem very aggressive and rude, but on others they are friendly old souls. What applies to the M180 at 11am may very well not apply to the M25 near Heathrow at 8am (you'll be moving for a start).

So perhaps what this thread has shown is that we are all conscientious drivers who consider their actions, rather than slow coaches, road hogs and speed demons.

 

[pipme]

We actually let you out of Wilts

 

[planenut]

I do think there ought to be a minimum speed for motorway traffic, and that should apply from the slip roads, the majority of which have "give-way" markings at the point they join a through lane.
The minimum should apply when traffic is moving, so for most users of the western side of the M25 they should not have to worry.

 

[AdamW]

I believe there is a minimum speed of 30mph for the motorways. I am not sure if that is the speed you have to do or the speed your vehicle must be capable of.

I reckon that where feasible, they should upgrade sliproads so they are all of the type where it turns into its own lane, then after half a mile or so merge. And put chevrons with big bumpy catseyes along the divider between this and the motorway, try to stop the "my indicators are like a shield of steel" brigade. Also the catseyes would reduce the number of people who panic on sliproads and assume they are all of the "give way" variety without reading the big blue signs that show them otherwise.

Or perhaps we could overcome sliproads altogether: have steam catapults, like on aircraft carriers, that accelerate cars onto the motorway at decent speeds.

 

[planenut]

Or perhaps we could overcome sliproads altogether: have steam catapults, like on aircraft carriers, that accelerate cars onto the motorway at decent speeds.

I like that, then I can fit sidewinders to my car and eliminate those idiots poodling along in the middle lane. DAGADAGADAGA...........

 

[AdamW]

Provided they are going at 70, what is the problem?

Perhaps you should turn off the motorway and find a racing track, you bleedin' 'oooligan!