The one driving rule that gets ignored all over the UK every day

The Highway Code is a set of rules that tells us what we can and can't do on the roads. If you break these rules, you could be stopped by the police, fined and get points on your licence.

Some driving offences are well-known and obvious, like speeding or running red lights. But some aren't as clear and often get ignored. There's one driving rule that gets ignored all over the country every day. It's so common that, in reality, the police can't do much about it. This rule is, of course, middle-lane hogging, reports WalesOnline.[1]

If you drive on the motorway regularly, you'll probably see this most days - you might even do it yourself without realising it's wrong. It's easier to spot when the traffic is light. You might see cars travelling alone in the second or third lanes for no reason. It can be annoying when it's quiet, but when it's busy it can cause frustration and add to the traffic.

This is because drivers wanting to pass these vehicles should, according to the code, move into outside lanes to get past them (undertaking is seen by the code as dangerous). As cars change lanes to overtake then, this causes traffic to build up. For instance, someone wanting to overtake a vehicle sat in the third lane of a four-lane motorway will have to move all the way to the outside lane in order to overtake them in the manner the Highway Code says they should.

It's easy to see how congestion will build up at busier times, with all the braking, checking and switching lanes - the thing many drivers enjoy doing least on a motorway. It disrupts the smooth flow of traffic we all hope for on motorways.

Anyone not familiar with the Highway Code may think they have the right to drive where they like on the motorway but this is not the case. Drivers should always stay on the inside lane on motorways when they are not overtaking another vehicle, except for when moving over to allow other vehicles onto the motorway at slip roads, for example.

This rarely happens in reality and it's common to see busy outside lanes even when cars are not overtaking others. I see it almost every time I go on the motorway, meaning it's a law that is very often ignored and possibly not even known by many.

And there's not a lot that can be done about it. The police might try to show they mean business by catching some drivers, as they did with this driver, but they don't have enough people to watch all the cars on the roads, so many will just keep on doing it.

The RAC, a group for drivers, says the same thing, as Birmingham Live reports[4]: "The new fixed penalties (introduced in 2013) were intended to reduce the number of people lane-hogging and carrying out other acts of careless driving on UK motorways, but it's still prevalent today."

They argue that there aren't enough traffic police to catch drivers who persistently hog the middle lane, and this behaviour can't be detected by cameras like speeding can. They believe education is more effective than punishment in preventing this issue. They also stated: "If learner drivers were given practical lessons in lane discipline, this would help reduce the number of lane-hoggers."

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References

  1. ^ reports WalesOnline. (www.walesonline.co.uk)
  2. ^ Man taken to hospital after being struck by vehicle on Anglesey (www.dailypost.co.uk)
  3. ^ Conwy farmer Gareth Wyn Jones may 'rethink' use of social media after latest death threat (www.dailypost.co.uk)
  4. ^ as Birmingham Live reports (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
  5. ^ The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here’s how to sign up (www.dailypost.co.uk)

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