CLOC

Here's a scenario, fairly quiet motorway, inside lane heavily grooved by HGV's, car driver doing 70 - 75mph down the middle lane. Is he lane hogging? & will the Police book him? He's travelling at the maximum motorway speed so not holding anyone up & he's not risking tramlining by driving on the nearside lane.

I've found myself in this situation & thought am I doing wrong?!!
 
Some of those are so subjective - overtaking a queue pushing into a lane of traffic, inappropriate speed (sorry, do we not have speed limits ???), being in the wrong lane at a roundabout and pushing in... The first and last could simply be due to unfamiliarity with the roads. Be interesting to see how this is all enforced...
 
Chuffer said:
Here's a scenario, fairly quiet motorway, inside lane heavily grooved by HGV's, car driver doing 70 - 75mph down the middle lane. Is he lane hogging? & will the Police book him? He's travelling at the maximum motorway speed so not holding anyone up & he's not risking tramlining by driving on the nearside lane.

I've found myself in this situation & thought am I doing wrong?!!
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If you're speed (at the limit or not) in the middle/outside lane is holding people up, then yes you are being a MLM.

The chance of the police actually doing anyone for this is so low that you've probably got more chance of winning the lottery jackpot.

Last night I was crawling along the M6 (big jam J14-J16) and decided to get off at J15 and go cross-country. Got to the III/II/I markers and started indicating. It took a while to get to the actual junction as we were travelling at about 5-10mph, but was shocked when I heard a blast of horn from behind me on the hard shoulder as some tit had decided she was more important than the rest of us and was allowed to use the hard shoulder as her private short-cut.

I simply stopped for a few seconds to show them I wasn't impressed before flooring it around the nice, curvy, cambered slip road.

If police aren't able to monitor dangerous/careless driving like that, then why do we think they'll be able to monitor the rest of our driving transgressions'?
 
The "queue jumping" one is a slight worry. We've all innocently (and I'm sure not so innocently) found ourselves in the wrong lane at a roundabout before.
 
Bing said:
Some of those are so subjective - overtaking a queue pushing into a lane of traffic, inappropriate speed (sorry, do we not have speed limits ???), being in the wrong lane at a roundabout and pushing in... The first and last could simply be due to unfamiliarity with the roads. Be interesting to see how this is all enforced...
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that would have been me then in newbury last week... id have had at least 9 points

its just a load of tosh isnt it. and totally subjective to the driver. how much gap is allowed for those times where its just a bit busy and youve over taken some one and there is say 10 car lengths to the next car your catching up? so should you move over and then 10 seconds later move out agian? :headbang:

what abou those times (im sure we have all done it) where you overtake something and see another car ahead and think its not worth pulling in. said car then speeds up a it or you realise you've misjudged the speed and so sat not catching up quickly so effectively been sat in the middle lane...

as for some of the others its just bollocks. total knee jerk designed to get more people with points to feed money into the insurance industry or out of cars totally.
 
So where is the education for all this?

They bring the fines in, but don't educate people as to the correct procedures. ok, we should all know it anyway, but there is confusion on what's acceptable etc and as said, its subjective.
 
kevinmarkwhite said:
So where is the education for all this?

They bring the fines in, but don't educate people as to the correct procedures. ok, we should all know it anyway, but there is confusion on what's acceptable etc and as said, its subjective.
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Precisely, just talk to a few older drivers and see what the know about approaching roundabouts, using indicators - the lists goes on. I'm beginning to think everyone should have a heads up display of what's going on behind them on their windscreen.

I also think all road speed signs should be pro-active reminding everyone what the limit is and should be placed every mile or so. We should also get rid of that useless "de-restricted" or "national limit applies" sign as no one knows what the limits are. I've even come across a 30 year old who thought main road limits were 50/60/70 for single/dual/ and motorway.

Sorry getting on my high horse a bit, but as I can't even light up teh back wheels in disgust any more, I'm not having a good day. :evil: :o :driving:

Andi.
 
andicole0 said:
I've even come across a 30 year old who thought main road limits were 50/60/70 for single/dual/ and motorway.
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If he drives a van (that's something that was originally registered as a van, rather than a converted car/estate), then he's correct!

Hopefully these new rules will also allow the police to easily prosecute those that don't let you merge in turn - and I don't mean charging down the 'empty' lane and forcing your way in, but just trundling along a few MPH faster than the other lane with your indicator on waiting for a gap or for someone to wave you in (don't trust people who flash).
 
If there is an empty lane, then it should be used anyway as per highway code. But who knows, the police might describe it wrongly as queue jumping when you are actually doing the right thing.
 
kevinmarkwhite said:
So where is the education for all this?

They bring the fines in, but don't educate people as to the correct procedures. ok, we should all know it anyway, but there is confusion on what's acceptable etc and as said, its subjective.
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Hmm. Sorry - and I'm really not criticising anyone here - but that's what the Highway Code publication is for. Please don't flame me - just saying is all.
 
trouble with the highway code is that - once people have passed their test, they never pick it up again or heaven forbid go and buy any new versions as they come out.

So you end up with a situation where some people are driving to rules which could be years out of date and/or aren't aware of the new rules/guidance.

The only way to improve things would be to introduce compulsory periodic re-testing which requires further training - but that's a whole other discussion :D
 
gannet said:
trouble with the highway code is that - once people have passed their test, they never pick it up again or heaven forbid go and buy any new versions as they come out.
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Guilty your Honour......passed test 38 years ago and not looked at since. :(
 
Surely they could use some of the 'road/car tax' (aka VED) to provide an addendum of changes to the Highway Code each year which you get with your tax disc.
 
mmm-five said:
andicole0 said:
I've even come across a 30 year old who thought main road limits were 50/60/70 for single/dual/ and motorway.
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If he drives a van (that's something that was originally registered as a van, rather than a converted car/estate), then he's correct!

Hopefully these new rules will also allow the police to easily prosecute those that don't let you merge in turn - and I don't mean charging down the 'empty' lane and forcing your way in, but just trundling along a few MPH faster than the other lane with your indicator on waiting for a gap or for someone to wave you in (don't trust people who flash).
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He drives a Ford Focus and a Honda CBR600.

Andi.
 
This is one reason why i am getting a car cam fitted!

On the whole i welcome the move... Although doubt it will be enforced... Lack of plods on the road/ bothered... And it is so subjective... Find a copper having a bad day and he can do you! Doubt he would need any evidence.


Sent from my iPhone 5 using Tapatalk
 
Car cam is a good idea, front and rear facing if possible.

The upshot is the Highway Code is the bible, but I'm waiting for the next release of Roadcraft to be released at the end of the month. That's the police drivers handbook and has some interesting guidelines in about staying in the lane you're in if you'll have to change again within a certain time, or if you'll cause the driver behind you to have to brake.

Picture this, you're driving at the posted limit and you pull out to overtake and do so, but if you pull back into lane 1 you'll have to pull out again within 20 seconds so you stay put. Lane hogging?

Or if you pull in you'll leave less than the guideline 2 second rule between you and the car behind? Which is more considerate, stay put and possible lane hogging or pull in and be inconsiderate (and possibly leave the driver behind open to a tailgating ticket)

The whole thing, while trying to address the right issues, is ill thought out, subjective and likely to snarl up the courts with people appealing.

The only possible upside is I hope the elephant racing HGV drivers will get nicked for lane hogging...
 
Stuart Truman said:
Car cam is a good idea, front and rear facing if possible.

The upshot is the Highway Code is the bible, but I'm waiting for the next release of Roadcraft to be released at the end of the month. That's the police drivers handbook and has some interesting guidelines in about staying in the lane you're in if you'll have to change again within a certain time, or if you'll cause the driver behind you to have to brake.

Picture this, you're driving at the posted limit and you pull out to overtake and do so, but if you pull back into lane 1 you'll have to pull out again within 20 seconds so you stay put. Lane hogging?

Or if you pull in you'll leave less than the guideline 2 second rule between you and the car behind? Which is more considerate, stay put and possible lane hogging or pull in and be inconsiderate (and possibly leave the driver behind open to a tailgating ticket)

The whole thing, while trying to address the right issues, is ill thought out, subjective and likely to snarl up the courts with people appealing.

The only possible upside is I hope the elephant racing HGV drivers will get nicked for lane hogging...
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Agree with the scenario's you quote.

Will the Police cars use their video as evidence...i.e that would work in both ways.
 
kevinmarkwhite said:
Will the Police cars use their video as evidence...i.e that would work in both ways.
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I'm sure there'll be some occasions of "Sorry sir, but there's been a technical error and the video has been overwritten."

I'm being intentionally cynical as I've been pulled over twice (in 20 years) for allegedly speeding when I know I"ve been within the limit, and when I've vehemently denied it and asked to see the video I've been told it wasn't available due to technical reasons and I'd be "let off with a caution...this time".

If I'm speeding I'll know it, and I'll hold my hands up straight away and get it over and done with ASAP.

99% of the time I get pulled over (which isn't more than once a year) - for small amounts over the 'threshold' - I'll be contrite, polite, accept their bollocking and I'll be on my way with nothing more than a flea in my ear.

I've even even 'let off' for speeds where I've thought I'd be up for a ban. It slows you right down for a week or two, and then you realise it's just luck of the draw as to whether your going to get a tug.

I don't drive as quickly now. I'm happy to cruise at an indicated 85mph on the motorway without worrying about cameras or trafpol, but I rarely see any trafpol on my commutes up and down the motorways other than those speeding to an accident or the odd 1 in 100 miles who's pulled someone over.
 
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