Well done Kent Police

[Marco]

I think a lot has to do with risk compensation - the safer the car, the more unsafe the driver. Manufacturers should stop dicking around with crumple zone, seat belts and airbags, and fit a steel spike to the steering wheel. I bet we'd see some better driving then

Yeah, that's a *very* good point! Such 'mollycoddling' simply breeds selfish, careless bad drivers, as it hides their deficiencies and encourages complacency. And anyone who confesses to liking being 'high up' on the road, and drives a huge 4x4 'bus', to facilitate that, but NEVER goes off-road, and can't park the fucking thing for toffee [HELLO brainless bints on school runs]:usually comes under that category!

Marco.

[Tim]

I rather embarrassingly found out decades ago that there is no offence of overtaking someone on the nearside (undertaking), I won't embellish, but those who know me can probably join the dots

Central lane hogging is actually a tad more serious than just mildly annoying. Around 40% of collisions occur in the right hand 'overtaking' or 'fast' lane as some call it. By hogging the central lane you are forcing most drivers to overtake using the right hand 'fast' lane where the greater majority of collisions occur, as most people believe you can't undertake, which you can. The road may have been empty for this driver, but it's a point of habit and drivers are creatures of it. If they do it when the roads are empty, they do it when it's full as well, so they need educating that's it's not best practice, potentially hazardous and an offence. Road policing units have been encouraged to enforce this for a number of years now, that's a Home Office directive, not a police officer having a bad day and looking for tickets! Collisions occur when drivers have to change course or alter speed and if you're hogging the central carriageway unnecessarily, it's a potential consequence and any collision on a major route is enormously expensive.

Any action where you cause another driver to unnecessarily change course or alter speed is careless or inconsiderate driving and punishable - it's quite simple really. Another great example is entering a motorway or road via a slip road. Those are give way lines as you enter, so you have to give way to the traffic on the main carriageway. Barrelling down and entering at speed causing anyone to change speed or alter course to accommodate you is actually an offence as well.

If you drive in the far left lane you are nearly twice as unlikely to be involved in a collision/incident as when driving in the far right or outside lane. Additionally, if something does happen you often have an escape area to head for to your nearside, in the other two lanes you've got nowhere to go except into other traffic, especially if it's busy.

We've still got pretty safe roads though, just check out some Russian dashcam footage if you don't believe me

[struth]

95% of time I'm in left lane. I'm not desperate for time. Just leave earlier and enjoy a relaxing drive with a good book is my advice

[Pigmy Pony]

95% of time I'm in left lane. I'm not desperate for time. Just leave earlier and enjoy a relaxing drive with a good book is my advice

Sounds like good advice, but I would want a book-holder mounted on the windscreen. Need my hands free for my knife and fork

[struth]

Sounds like good advice, but I would want a book-holder mounted on the windscreen. Need my hands free for my knife and fork

Audio book. Lol

[Pigmy Pony]

Great idea, now I can eat me dinner in complete safety

[struth]

I let my cars sensors take some of strain. I'm all for a pleasent run now. Fast or slow, it don't matter to me.

[Marco]

I rather embarrassingly found out decades ago that there is no offence of overtaking someone on the nearside (undertaking), I won't embellish, but those who know me can probably join the dots

Central lane hogging is actually a tad more serious than just mildly annoying. Around 40% of collisions occur in the right hand 'overtaking' or 'fast' lane as some call it. By hogging the central lane you are forcing most drivers to overtake using the right hand 'fast' lane where the greater majority of collisions occur, as most people believe you can't undertake, which you can. The road may have been empty for this driver, but it's a point of habit and drivers are creatures of it. If they do it when the roads are empty, they do it when it's full as well, so they need educating that's it's not best practice, potentially hazardous and an offence. Road policing units have been encouraged to enforce this for a number of years now, that's a Home Office directive, not a police officer having a bad day and looking for tickets! Collisions occur when drivers have to change course or alter speed and if you're hogging the central carriageway unnecessarily, it's a potential consequence and any collision on a major route is enormously expensive.

Any action where you cause another driver to unnecessarily change course or alter speed is careless or inconsiderate driving and punishable - it's quite simple really. Another great example is entering a motorway or road via a slip road. Those are give way lines as you enter, so you have to give way to the traffic on the main carriageway. Barrelling down and entering at speed causing anyone to change speed or alter course to accommodate you is actually an offence as well.

If you drive in the far left lane you are nearly twice as unlikely to be involved in a collision/incident as when driving in the far right or outside lane. Additionally, if something does happen you often have an escape area to head for to your nearside, in the other two lanes you've got nowhere to go except into other traffic, especially if it's busy.

We've still got pretty safe roads though, just check out some Russian dashcam footage if you don't believe me

All interesting stuff, Tim, so thanks for sharing. In particular, I hadn't thought of the far left vs far right lane in that way, and you're right

And yes, I've watched a few YouTube videos, showing 'drivers' in Russia They're bloody crazy!

Returning to what Steve (Piggurs) alluded to earlier, what they should be concentrating on more is improving the overall standards of driving, by making the test more difficult/challenging on more levels to pass, thus reducing the amount of incompetent numpties on our roads, than making cars easier to drive!!!

Cars that are designed to do everything (all your thinking and judgement) for you, simply encourage lazy, incompetent drivers - and which is one of the reasons why the standard of driving today is so poor, and getting worse, not better.



Marco.

[Audio Al]

I see this every shift it's a daily occurrence , Middle aged to older drivers think lane one is the slow lane for HGV's and the middle lane is for them to use at 45 / 50 miles per hour

[Pigmy Pony]

I see this every shift it's a daily occurrence , Middle aged to older drivers think lane one is the slow lane for HGV's and the middle lane is for them to use at 45 / 50 miles per hour

This is a problem which needs addressed - driving too slow is every bit as dangerous as driving too fast, it makes other drivers often take silly risks to get past them. These drivers (usually older folk) don't want to do their 50mph in the slow lane as they will be overtaken by the HGVs, which would scare them shitless. So they hog the middle lane, and because HGV's aren't allowed in the fast lane can cause real congestion problems.

Perhaps trucks should be fitted with those 'cow shifters' they used to have on the front of trains in the Wild West. That should do the trick