Leave the middle lane to fast-moving vehicles

I REFER to “Stop this might-is-right madness on our roads” ( The Star, March 13). The writer should ask herself why so many vehicles tailgate her along the highway.

She should have the answer but unfortunately is unaware of it. The simple answer is that her vehicle is hogging the middle lane of the highway.

The bus/truck driver is simply trying to tell her to move to the third, slow, lane.

She is not alone; there are many thousands of others who are not aware that they should be on the slow lane if they are travelling at a snail’s pace.

The problem is that many motorists don’t realise that by travelling at 90kph in the middle lane, they are taking up valuable space when monopolising the middle lane.

That’s why there is always a third lane for those who want to travel at relatively slower speeds. But these motorists feel that this slow lane is not meant for them, but only for heavy vehicles.

These middle-lane hoggers seem to be saying to themselves “If you want to overtake me, please do so on the fast lane or even use the slow lane; I have every right to travel on this lane based on the speed limit of 90 kph”.

This line of thinking is okay when traffic flow is normal.

But during rush hours and peak periods (such as Sunday evenings and eve of a long weekend), many road users get disgusted with such motorists.

The writer says she finally gives in. But why does she only give in after being forced to, and taking a long time to do so?

Is it so difficult to move to the slow lane so that the middle lane can be used more productively in terms of traffic moving at a faster speed?

PAUL SINGH, Kuala Lumpur.