Fines for middle-lane hogs from this Friday
Tue, 13 Aug 2013
Motoring Research
New fixed penalties for careless driving – including needlessly hogging the middle-lane of the motorway – come into force on Friday 16 August.
According to the AA, almost a third of British motorists could be at risk of picking up a £100 fine and three penalty points for this under the new rules. So it has come up with some top tips for driving on the motorway, to help us all out.
What is poor motorway lane discipline?AA-Populus research, which polled 19,949 adults aged 18+ last month, has found that 29% of drivers admit to being middle lane hogs. This is the practice of staying "in lane two on a motorway in moderate, free-flowing traffic".
Also known as poor lane discipline, such as actions are in contravention of the Highway Code, which says you should always travel in the left-hand motorway lane – lane one – unless you are overtaking a slower vehicle.
This means you can also be a careless driver in the outside lane. The police will no doubt be handing out fixed penalties for that, as well as other inconsiderate driving offences such as tailgating and talking on mobile phones.
Who is most likely to be a middle-lane hog?According to the AA’s research, young drivers aged 18-24 are most likely to admit to the lane-hogging habit, with 41% suggesting as much during the survey. Those aged 45-54 admit to it the least (26%).
Regionally speaking, it’s London drivers who cast themselves most guilty (36%), while the results amongst Yorkshire and Humberside drivers (24%) suggest their lane discipline is best.
London drivers are also most guilty of admitting to sticking to lane three (7%); least likely to do so are drivers from Northern Ireland and Scotland (both 2%), says the AA poll.
What is lane one of the motorway for?As part of the process, the AA also surveyed motorists about what they thought lane one of the motorway – the one you should be using unless overtaking – is actually for.
Young drivers aren’t so hot on this either, which suggests slightly alarming things about the current state of driver education in the UK. They were the least likely to correctly identify lane one as the "cruising lane", with only 17% managing this correctly.
9% of 18-24 year olds thought lane one was the "lorry lane", while 5% thought it was the "acceleration/deceleration lane".
Automobile Association
The AA is quick to point out that there is currently no formal requirement for driving training on the motorway – in fact it is against the law to travel on one under L-plates, though the government is presently investigating changing this rule.
As things currently stand, 51% of those polled said they had taught themselves to drive on the motorway. Only one in 10 of those questioned had ever had a motorway lesson with a driving instructor after they had passed their basic test.
Managing director of the AA Driving School, Jim Kirkwood:
"We support the idea to allow learners on motorways under the guidance of a qualified instructor. Learning the correct way to drive on motorways is key to keeping you safe on these roads.
"It will also help ensure new drivers do not fall foul of the new fines."
What else can be done to improve driving standards?More learning is the obvious answer to improving driving standards, and the AA Charitable Trust has at least the beginnings of a solution.
It is funding free Drive Confident courses, where AA driving instructors offer two hours of tuition to help motorists better areas of their driving they feel need work.
Director of the AA Charitable Trust, Edmund King:
"We are pleased to see that at long last new powers will be given to the police to tackle the top three pet hates of drivers – tailgaters, mobile phone abusers and middle lane hogs."
The AA Driving School’s top tips for driving on the motorwayKeep left unless overtaking – return to the left-hand lane after overtaking, not forgetting to indicate, and check your blind spotFollow the two-second rule – give yourself enough time and space to reactAdjust for the conditions – slow down and follow the four-second rule if the road is slippery or visibility is poor.Control your speedIndicate in good time before changing lanesCheck your mirrors often – your situation will change quickly on the motorwayTake extra care around trucks and other large vehicles – they have bigger blind spots and slower reaction timesAnticipate what's coming next by sweeping the road ahead visually – look two seconds ahead, four seconds ahead, and 12 seconds ahead, and check your mirrors.Only use the hard shoulder for emergenciesTake regular breaks – about every two hours, to stop yourself becoming tired behind the wheel
More about learning to drive from MSN Cars:
By CJ Hubbard, contributor, MSN Cars