Suggestions OT

[Tim Lamb]

Polite words to be used to the traffic cop who tries to fine Dennis or me for *hogging* the centre lane at 72.5mph?

[Nthkentman]

Polite words to be used to the traffic cop who tries to fine Dennis or me for *hogging* the centre lane at 72.5mph?

As far as I'm concerned Centre Lane Hogs should be even *more* heavily fined....

[Jon Connell]

"You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear" seems pretty clear to me regardless of whether you're speeding or not.

[AC]

I wouldnt bother. Most of them are the same sort of jumped up moron who bangs on about middle lane hogging, which is mostly puffed up nonsense designed to make the speaker think he is a superior driver.

[Muddymike]

"Sorry officer I promise to mend my ways" would be a good start.

The rule of the road is simple. You should return to the left hand lane after overtaking. This of course does not mean constantly bobbing in and out between slower moving traffic. Although I have to say its the lane 3 hogs that bug me the most. I drive a lot of long distances on motorways, indeed will be setting of on a

210 mile return trip mostly on motorways in about an hour, and its the odd idiot who just sits in lane 2 or 3 making no attempt to move over that causes the most tailbacks. HGV snail races are by far the worst. I once followed one for 7 miles watching the overtaking one drop back on inclines only to hold position in lane 2 (of a 2 lane motorway) trying to overtake another HGV in lane 1. Why do they do this?

Mike

[John Williamson]

My personal record for this is about 20 minutes. :-/

They do it because they're too idle to disengage the cruise control, and in too much of a hurry to get to their next tea break spot to even consider slowing down for the second or two that it would cost them.

I'd not mind the police picking on them, as every time they do the elephant race thing, it costs me at least a minute in lost time, as the vehicle I drive, while it is allowed to go faster than the trucks, isn't allowed into the third lane to overtake them.

These are the same lorry drivers that wonder why they get speeding tickets for doing 56mph on a single carriageway. (Their national speed limit on a single carriageway is 40mph, in case you're wondering.)

[Tim Lamb]

Which one do you fine? Both activities seem equally bad.

[Frank Erskine]

Couldn't hppen. Dennis wouldn't do more thn 70mph - it'd be illegal.

[Tim Streater]

*That* is certainly rude on a two lane road.

[RayL12]

Sorry officer but, my wife left me for a cop a few months back. When I saw you chasing me with those flashing blue lights, I thought you were trying to give her back to me?

[charles]

Snail racing is even more interesting on 2 lane dual carriageways

[Andrew Gabriel]

Is it even possible to disable that feature on BMWs and Mercs?

[Scion]

Andrew Gabriel put finger to keyboard:

Yes, but it has the unfortunate side-effect of making the indicators work again.

[Nightjar]

...

National speed limit means different things to different people:

Colin Bignell

[Big Les Wade]

John Rumm posted

I see this a lot on the A303. Why do so many people think it's a good idea to slow down when you overtake something? Baffling.

[John Williamson]

As it stands, the only offence being committed, even under the new law would be if I took my coach into lane 3 of a 3 lane motorway. Unless the police thought they could book the lorry driver for obstruction.

Nor do a lot of lorry drivers. One even wrote an indignant letter to his trade magazine complaining about it. He was put right extremely firmly.

Just for cmpleteness:-

Outside towns, where the national speed limit is in force. Cars, 60mph on single carriageways, 70 on dual carriageways and motorways.

Buses and coaches. 50mph on single carriageways, 60 mph on dual carriageways, 70mph on motorways, but all coaches likely to be in regular use now must have a road speed limiter set to 100kph fitted and working. They are banned from the outside lane (on motorways only) if there are more than two lanes.

Goods vehicles over 7.5tonnes. 40mph on single carriageways, 50 mph on dual carriageways, 60 mpoh on motorway. All large good vehicles must have a working speed limiter fitted set to a speed between 85 and 95 kph. They are banned from the outside lane (on motorways only) if there are more than two lanes.

If a lower speed limit is posted than the national limit for a vehicle type, the lower limit always takes precedence.

Minibuses are subject to the same speed lmits as cars. Vehicles over 3.5 tonnes which have a tachograph fitted are limited to 60mph and banned from the third lane on motorways.

When complaining about large passenger and goods vehicles speeding. be aware that their tachographs are calibrated to within 2% every few years, while your car spedometer is only required to read between 30 and

33 mph at an actual speed of 30 mph, and must never read a lower speed than your actiual speed. it is also not required by law to be calibrated after it leaves the factory.

[Scion]

Big Les Wade put finger to keyboard:

I used to car share with someone who was a nervous overtaker, if she wasn't sure that the car she was going to overtake was staying in its lane she would drive alongside its rear quarter for a while - right in the blind spot - before finally putting her boot down and getting past.

[Big Les Wade]

Scion posted

[John Rumm]

Thereby reinforcing the experience of having people pull out in front her no doubt..

[John Rumm]

That would make a car unroadworthy in Basildon where their use appears to be banned by EU directive ;-)