R K Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Taxy taxy! Who defines 'hog'? Fine money is easy money. Not grief (h/t eddie temple) EDIT: They will issue the fines at the roadside. It is likely that only the worst drivers, who misbehave over half a mile or more, will be fined and given penalty points. So at 60 mph half a mile = 30 seconds. So the Tories are going to potentially fine anyone £100 who remains in the middle lane for longer than 30 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
interestrateripoff Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Middle lane taxing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest eight Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 In today’s crackdown, fines for uninsured drivers are set to rise from £200 to £300.' Excellent. Still about 1/20th the cost of a policy for some 18 year olds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloo Loo Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 some people sit in the lane becuase they find overtaking, checking the mirror, acceleration sense, all impossibilities....now they gonna worry some more.... Im sure the Police have better things to do 90% of the time...like driving at 50 in the nearside lane and 80% of drivers refusing to overtake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motch Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Middle lane taxing. I wonder if this includes lorries who cannot pass other lorries for 3 miles at a time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winkie Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frank Hovis Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Allow undertaking and the problem of middle lane hoggers is solved at a stroke. (I do this anyway when the motorway's quiet) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motch Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I wonder if the police will use their discretion properly on this one. Could be some easy pickings catching a few sitting in the middle lane on a deserted motorway at 3am Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tired of Waiting Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 'Drivers who hog the middle lane of a motorway face £100 fines and three penalty points If you are going at the speed limit, 70mph, isn't it safer to stay in the middle lane than changing lanes all the time? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cashinmattress Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 UK Highway Code states: 138: On a three-lane dual carriageway, you may use the middle lane or the right-hand lane to overtake but return to the middle and then the left-hand lane when it is safe. It does not state a minimum speed limit on a dual carriage way, only that you may NOT exceed the maximum. If you are overtaking a whole pile of slower moving vehicles such as lorries and cars+caravans/trailers then you have a case. Otherwise you are being an inconsiderate git and should be fined. Middle lane drifters are the bane of motorcyclists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer466 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I wonder if this includes lorries who cannot pass other lorries for 3 miles at a time. It was the introduction of speed limiters which caused this. All wagons over 16t have to have a limiter fitted, The speed limit for heavies is 60mph on motorways but invariably firms will have them set at around the 55/56 mph mark for best fuel efficiency. So when you have one wagon set to 55mph and the other set to 55.05mph you can see where the problem is. So by bringing in limiters they have created a problem they can now exploit and tax..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffy666 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Allow undertaking and the problem of middle lane hoggers is solved at a stroke. (I do this anyway when the motorway's quiet) There's been a few occasions where I've seen (*cough*) a middle lane hog overtaken and undertaken at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinker Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 More stress for people using a car. More temptation to raise revenue by over-zealous, targeted officials. Yes middle line hogging can be annoying but there really are worse things. If I'm particularly bothered, I might make a point of overtaking then moving into the nearside lane to shame the middle lane hogger. It really does seem like fiddling whilst Rome burns. The point about uninsured drivers, should be to address the ridiculous cost of insurance for young people. Of course, the people making these statutes never had such problems - could learn to drive, buy a cheap run-around to start off and get insurance that cost less than the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R K Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 If you are going at the speed limit, 70mph, isn't it safer to stay in the middle lane than changing lanes all the time? Fine this criminal! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oliver Sutton Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 More stress for people using a car. Less stress for people who drive properly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
durhamborn Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I havent hogged the middle lane since i left work because i was sick of paying 54% of my income in tax.Now i have my own business that pays no tax i use £9 a week of diesel instead of £45 a week.So im sure the government will be pleased about that. Tax bill including all tax down from £12k a year to £1600.They can stick their middle lanes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motch Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 It was the introduction of speed limiters which caused this. All wagons over 16t have to have a limiter fitted, The speed limit for heavies is 60mph on motorways but invariably firms will have them set at around the 55/56 mph mark for best fuel efficiency. So when you have one wagon set to 55mph and the other set to 55.05mph you can see where the problem is. So by bringing in limiters they have created a problem they can now exploit and tax..... I'm not sure if i have this right, but in the 1980's before limiters my dad used to shunt units around quite a bit and i think he used to say they could get some up to 100mph! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geezer466 Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 I'm not sure if i have this right, but in the 1980's before limiters my dad used to shunt units around quite a bit and i think he used to say they could get some up to 100mph! Before limiters I have had around 75 out of a high power DAF with an empty 40 foot trailer on the back. (at night on a deserted M6). Diesels were still governed and 100mph is pushing it a bit although the Irish (no slur intended) were pretty adapt at over riding things. I would happily sit at 60MPH on the speed limit and they would go past me like I was stood still. Invariably you would seem them later on on the hard shoulder with a police car in front of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rxe Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 There is a capacity issue as well. Having driven quite a bit on the M4 recently, the inside lane is generally empty apart from a lorry every half mile, the middle lane is sparsely populated with people going a bit faster than the lorries, and the outside lane is rammed with people trying to overtake. People won't pull out of the outside lane, because the other twats in the outside lane then close the gap and won't let them back in again. Eventually someone loses their rag and undertakes a whole load of cars because the inside lane is empty - which is of course pretty dangerous, because the brain dead middle lane hogger won't look as they pull left. Broadly I agree with this - anything that persuades drivers to consider driving in the left hand lane when it is clear has to be a good thing. Tailgating - they haven't gone far enough. There is no excuse to be driving 3 feet from the car in front at 70 (unless they have just pulled out in front of you). I would have tailgating as a dangerous driving/9 point offence. All this is moot - there are no plod on the motorways anymore so the chance of getting caught is zero. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billybong Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 With the population predicted to increase by all those millions the middle lanes getting "clogged up" is just going to get worse - like congestion most everywhere these days. There'll be plenty of opportunities for more "crackdowns" and the associated fines/taxes as time goes on. It's not the first time that a crackdown on middle lane hoggers has been announced. The one reported in the mail is just another one over decades. For sure journalists (and politicians) must look up archive articles and headlines and decide to roll them out again usually with a different slant or spin to bring it upto date - mobile phones, facebook and twitter etc this time. The middle lane hogger is a hardy perennial to draw the reader in then there's the chance to have a go at all the other stuff as well (mobile phones, twitter, facebook ...... you name it). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sour Mash Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2335986/Roadhogs-face-100-fines-Crackdown-motorway-drivers-clog-middle-lane.html 'Drivers who hog the middle lane of a motorway face £100 fines and three penalty points These include using a hand-held phone at the wheel, speeding, jumping lights and failing to wear a seat belt. All bar the last also carry three penalty points. Police officers, guided by the Highway Code, will have to decide who is guilty of hogging the middle lane or tailgating – getting too close to the car in front. The £100 fines are to be announced in a written statement by road safety minister Stephen Hammond and follow a public consultation exercise last year. They will issue the fines at the roadside. It is likely that only the worst drivers, who misbehave over half a mile or more, will be fined and given penalty points. Occasional offenders will be given the chance to go on a driving course similar to those offered to speeders. In today’s crackdown, fines for uninsured drivers are set to rise from £200 to £300.' more fiddling while rome blows up. Brilliant! About time someone did something about 'middle lane morons' who make motorway driving more of a hassle for everyone else, even if the motive is most likely more about revenue generation than promoting good driving standards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motch Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 All this is moot - there are no plod on the motorways anymore so the chance of getting caught is zero. maybe the plan's to scare a few over to the other lanes by a bit of headline news as there's not enough police to enforce fully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snafu Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 As a foreigner the UK highway code is a bit bizarre. Cars constantly veer between lanes. Like, I can tell if it makes sense to go into the left hand most lane and will quite happily hog the middle lane for another 10-15 seconds if I know I am overtaking the lorry 300 yards further ahead. Whereas locals will go to the lefthand most lane - then veer back out 5 seconds later? eh? I've now been forced to adopt the British way of driving - so constantly veering in and out. Just dumb. Tail gaiting is dangerous as hell and some seriously stupid undetaking that occurs when you try and keep a safe distance to the car ahead. Just ugh. I love driving on all other roads as british drivers are actually very helpful typically - but on motorways people just don't think. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snafu Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 Oh and one thing that needs fixing - people don't know how to secure loads in this country. THe amount of unsecured cargo on trucks scares me. And if it is secured it's tied down with a strap or two that would not cope with an accident. Scares me this. Trucks should be stop checked and reported. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cybernoid Posted June 5, 2013 Share Posted June 5, 2013 As a foreigner the UK highway code is a bit bizarre. Cars constantly veer between lanes. Like, I can tell if it makes sense to go into the left hand most lane and will quite happily hog the middle lane for another 10-15 seconds if I know I am overtaking the lorry 300 yards further ahead. Whereas locals will go to the lefthand most lane - then veer back out 5 seconds later? eh? I've now been forced to adopt the British way of driving - so constantly veering in and out. Just dumb. Yep agree. I believe this 'I'm more correct than you' mentality that causes some lane nazis to almost chop the front off of someone who dawdles in the middle lane (in the name of safety I might add?) is a British peculiarity. The population is so oppressed, so weighed down by rules and regulations and uniformed idiots with power complexes that eventually they just turn into an extension of the police state themselves and tut tut at everyone else for breaking any 'rule' regardless of whether it makes any sense. If the issue is efficient use of road space they should allow overtaking on either side, as they do in the us. But it's not of course, it's some antiquated nonsense that makes no sense with traffic volumes and road conditions as they are these days and just another revenue raiser. Anyone supporting this is the enemy! More seriously, there are perfectly acceptable reasons to stay in the middle lane the most obvious of which is the road condition of the left hand lane. You will find 'tram lines', indentations caused by many heavy lorries over the years in that lane and depending on the separation and tire width of your vehicle and whether you are towing anything these can be downright dangerous to drive in. Or rather dip in and out of which is usually what happens. If someone is in the middle lane overtake them. It's not hard. The traffic police as ever can do one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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