Stick to the slow lane? It’s too risky!
AM I the only driver who considers the inside lane of a motorway to be the most dangerous? I have been driving for decades and am mindful of the Highway Code — always to drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear and, after overtaking, to return to the inside lane as soon as I am safely past (Mail) — but on many occasions, I have quickly regretted being in the inside lane. There is no flow of traffic, especially on a three-lane motorway, as there are constant speed changes when drivers weave across to exit and huge lorries slow down at the slightest incline, blocking the view of road signs to smaller vehicles in their wake. We’ve all encountered the nervous motorway driver who crawls along causing tailbacks, inevitably having to be overtaken by vehicles who then manoeuvre back into the inside lane. As for traffic joining the motorway, who wants to be in the inside lane then? You get the boy racer slicing across both lanes to reach the outside lane, the inexperienced driver who slows down instead of keeping a steady speed to join the motorway and cavalier drivers who join whether there’s a space or not, causing you to brake. I’ve loved being in the inside lane when the traffic is spaced out on four-lane and less busy motorways, but this is rare. Do other drivers have a solution to these problems or am I in danger of being called a middle-lane hogger? SHarOn granville,
Saltdean, e. Sussex. MIDDLE-LANE hogs are a nuisance on the M3 and the M25. Why doesn’t the South have similar signs to those in the North that say: ‘If you’re not overtaking, move over!’ There would be far fewer problems if motorists were reminded about this rule every few miles.
JUDY garDiner, verwood, Dorset.
I APPRECIATE the wake-up call, and I will be more conscientious about moving back to the left-hand lane. However, I wonder what type of driver causes more danger: the one driving at 70mph, technically hogging the middle lane, or the one tailgating with the intention of driving above the speed limit? It reminds me of the comment my son once made about someone driving ‘at a silly 30’ in a 30mph zone.
BOB Bell, Croydon, Surrey.