They should deal with the undertaking texters & ban them for life. Grrrr
The trouble is sometimes you have to undertake because people just sit in the middle lane.
Also has anyone noticed that when you are overtaking (in the middle lane) you sometimes get a vehicle coming up behind and they sit behind you rather than moving out into the empty outside lane and then when you move into the inside lane they speed up past you.
They should target all bad driving practices, while there're at it. Also get BMW and Audi drivers to learn where the indicator stalks are.
Well said. I thought German cars were manufactured without an indicator stalk, or were not included in the instruction manual ! Middle lane hoggers are a big hazard and should be dealt with. Tailgaters should be heavily fined or banned for 6 months. I think these rules are long overdue.
Can they also use rocket launchers on the North Cray Road to dispose of BMW drivers who shoot down the outside when there is a queue approaching the roundabout because they are too important to wait beehind others??!! Argghhhhh!
Motorway tailgaters and middle-lane hoggers are to face quick justice with on-the-spot fixed penalties under new measures announced by the government.
From July, police will be able to issue £100 fines and three points for careless driving offences that currently have to go to court.
The idea is to free up the police from spending time on court cases.
Current fixed penalties for using a phone while driving or not wearing a seatbelt will also rise by £40 to £100.
The move brings careless driving offences into line with the penalties for similar non-motoring fixed penalties. Drivers will still be able to appeal against any decision through the courts.
People guilty of careless driving will face fixed penalties or the chance to go on a driving course, but the more serious examples will continue to go through the courts, where offenders could face much higher fines and penalties.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said: "Careless drivers are a menace and their negligence puts innocent people's lives at risk.
"That is why we are making it easier for the police to tackle problem drivers by allowing them to immediately issue a fixed penalty notice rather than needing to take every offender to court."
The AA said responsible drivers would welcome the changes.
"We are also pleased to see that at long last new powers and fines will be given to the police to tackle the top three pet hates of drivers - tailgaters, mobile phone abusers and middle lane hogs," said AA president Edmund King.
The RAC also welcomed an increase in fines to tackle the "plague" of mobile phone use.
RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "Anti-social behaviour is as big a problem on the roads as it is in wider society.
"Giving police more discretion to act, and freeing up resources to allow them to do so by cutting procedural delays in court, is good news.
"Raising the fine level to £100 is justifiable to tackle the plague of handheld mobile phone use which slows drivers' reaction times even more than being at the drink-drive limit or taking cannabis."
Tim Shallcross, Institute of Advanced Motorists: ''For on-the-spot fines, you need on-the-spot policemen''
But the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) said it had concerns about the message sent out by the changes.
Its director of policy Neil Grieg said: "This is a major change in traffic law enforcement and the IAM is concerned that issuing fixed penalty tickets for careless driving downplays the seriousness of the offence.
"Careless covers a wide range of poor to reckless driving behaviour that often merits further investigation.
"This could free up traffic police time and allow them to maintain a higher profile.
"But without traffic cops out on the road to enforce this new approach it will have little impact on road safety."
Richard Owen from the research group Road Safety Analysis said most motorists would welcome the changes.
He told the BBC: "We already know that the UK's motorways are some of the safest roads in the country, if not Europe.
"But of course, that relies on everybody playing their part and sticking to the rules and I think most motorists would welcome any further enforcement to make sure that people aren't lane hogging or maybe tailgating."
They should deal with the undertaking texters & ban them for life. Grrrr
Undertaking is more prevalent because of the idiots in the middle / outside lanes who are daydreaming.
It's about time this was dealt with because it causes chaos on the roads. When you drive on the continent it's surprising how well they follow the rules and pull over as soon as they have overtaken.
Us cyclists seem to have got away lightly on this thread so far.
Cyclists are a hazard to themselves with the way some of them ride
And don't get me started on motorcyclists
I was sat in traffic the other day crawling along in 1st when a motorbike screamed past, in the hard shoulder, doing 60 or 70. They are a fraction of a percentage of road traffic yet a very high percentage of people involved in accidents. It's not always the drivers fault. THINK BIKE they say but in reality it should be "Think about whether there is someone on a plastic rocket going well in excess of the speed limit who will be undertaking, maybe overtaking, and generally doing his own thing"
Most of these are unenforceable. And the fines stupidly low, amazed that driving with no insurance is only £300 add another zero if you really want to deter.
What happens if you are tailgating a middle lane hogger.. Double bubble for the plods i guess?
They should target all bad driving practices, while there're at it. Also get BMW and Audi drivers to learn where the indicator stalks are.
Well said. I thought German cars were manufactured without an indicator stalk, or were not included in the instruction manual ! Middle lane hoggers are a big hazard and should be dealt with. Tailgaters should be heavily fined or banned for 6 months. I think these rules are long overdue.
In fact most German cars are manufactured with large magnets down the right hand side which attract them to the crash barrier in the outside lane so they don't need indicators as they never move. (IMHO this is a major cause of undertaking as I frequently approach a junction in the inside lane at 70 with an empty middle lane and a procession of BMW/Mercs/Audis doing 60 in the outside lane - very difficult not to undertake in those circumstances - I class it as 'queuing traffic' and therefore legal)
Now talking about this on R5L.....interesting point, hogging the outside lane is just as bad as hogging the middle, better to stick with the train and definately avoid the M25 (when possible).
Hardly the worse driving offence, stop the tailgaters I say.
This. Tailgating not only causes more accidents but more unnecessary braking which leads to more traffic shockwaves, which in turn leads to more congestion.
I also hate drivers who won't move out of the middle lane. But any change to legislation won't make any difference. First, there are hardly any police patrols to catch you. Second, your defence would be "I was driving in the middle lane because the pot holes and damage caused by the trucks made the inside lane very dangerous and unusable, so I was actually driving safely". (BTW, I drive German and always use my indicators, its usually the people in poxy French tin and Nissan Micras who don't know how to use the indicator stalks. (Although since the manufacturers moved the stalk to the left-hand side of the steering wheel from its natural and proper position on the right, I concede that it is difficult to indicate and change gear at the same time.)
During busy time the hard shoulder can be used (if road signs permit) as an extra lane so it would be 70mph, but in my experience in busy periods it is about 10-20mph. as they are normally part of a variable speed limit.
Quick quiz no googling.. What is the speed limit on the hard shoulder
Just as guess and probably wrong, but is it 70mph? You need to get up to speed when re-joining the main carraigeway.
Technically correct, but will alter depending on the speed limit of the road (not all hard shoulders are on motorways) and also depending on the vehicle you're driving............
Really can't see the point in this. To actually issue the on-the-spot fine, you have to be seen by the police. Very rarely see an old bill car on the motorway these days.......................
Comments
Also get BMW and Audi drivers to learn where the indicator stalks are.
Also has anyone noticed that when you are overtaking (in the middle lane) you sometimes get a vehicle coming up behind and they sit behind you rather than moving out into the empty outside lane and then when you move into the inside lane they speed up past you.
Middle lane hoggers are a big hazard and should be dealt with. Tailgaters should be heavily fined or banned for 6 months. I think these rules are long overdue.
And clearly others agree as when I do it I soon have a long queue of people behind me who are doing the same thing.
From July, police will be able to issue £100 fines and three points for careless driving offences that currently have to go to court.
The idea is to free up the police from spending time on court cases.
Current fixed penalties for using a phone while driving or not wearing a seatbelt will also rise by £40 to £100.
The move brings careless driving offences into line with the penalties for similar non-motoring fixed penalties. Drivers will still be able to appeal against any decision through the courts.
People guilty of careless driving will face fixed penalties or the chance to go on a driving course, but the more serious examples will continue to go through the courts, where offenders could face much higher fines and penalties.
Road Safety Minister Stephen Hammond said: "Careless drivers are a menace and their negligence puts innocent people's lives at risk.
"That is why we are making it easier for the police to tackle problem drivers by allowing them to immediately issue a fixed penalty notice rather than needing to take every offender to court."
The AA said responsible drivers would welcome the changes.
"We are also pleased to see that at long last new powers and fines will be given to the police to tackle the top three pet hates of drivers - tailgaters, mobile phone abusers and middle lane hogs," said AA president Edmund King.
The RAC also welcomed an increase in fines to tackle the "plague" of mobile phone use.
RAC Foundation director Professor Stephen Glaister said: "Anti-social behaviour is as big a problem on the roads as it is in wider society.
"Giving police more discretion to act, and freeing up resources to allow them to do so by cutting procedural delays in court, is good news.
"Raising the fine level to £100 is justifiable to tackle the plague of handheld mobile phone use which slows drivers' reaction times even more than being at the drink-drive limit or taking cannabis."
Tim Shallcross, Institute of Advanced Motorists: ''For on-the-spot fines, you need on-the-spot policemen''
But the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) said it had concerns about the message sent out by the changes.
Its director of policy Neil Grieg said: "This is a major change in traffic law enforcement and the IAM is concerned that issuing fixed penalty tickets for careless driving downplays the seriousness of the offence.
"Careless covers a wide range of poor to reckless driving behaviour that often merits further investigation.
"This could free up traffic police time and allow them to maintain a higher profile.
"But without traffic cops out on the road to enforce this new approach it will have little impact on road safety."
Richard Owen from the research group Road Safety Analysis said most motorists would welcome the changes.
He told the BBC: "We already know that the UK's motorways are some of the safest roads in the country, if not Europe.
"But of course, that relies on everybody playing their part and sticking to the rules and I think most motorists would welcome any further enforcement to make sure that people aren't lane hogging or maybe tailgating."
It's about time this was dealt with because it causes chaos on the roads. When you drive on the continent it's surprising how well they follow the rules and pull over as soon as they have overtaken.
Cyclists are a hazard to themselves with the way some of them ride
And don't get me started on motorcyclists
I was sat in traffic the other day crawling along in 1st when a motorbike screamed past, in the hard shoulder, doing 60 or 70. They are a fraction of a percentage of road traffic yet a very high percentage of people involved in accidents. It's not always the drivers fault. THINK BIKE they say but in reality it should be "Think about whether there is someone on a plastic rocket going well in excess of the speed limit who will be undertaking, maybe overtaking, and generally doing his own thing"
rant over. I'm off back under my rock
What happens if you are tailgating a middle lane hogger.. Double bubble for the plods i guess?
(IMHO this is a major cause of undertaking as I frequently approach a junction in the inside lane at 70 with an empty middle lane and a procession of BMW/Mercs/Audis doing 60 in the outside lane - very difficult not to undertake in those circumstances - I class it as 'queuing traffic' and therefore legal)
It is them who should be fined.
(BTW, I drive German and always use my indicators, its usually the people in poxy French tin and Nissan Micras who don't know how to use the indicator stalks. (Although since the manufacturers moved the stalk to the left-hand side of the steering wheel from its natural and proper position on the right, I concede that it is difficult to indicate and change gear at the same time.)
There is a driving lane and two overtaking lanes.
Really can't see the point in this. To actually issue the on-the-spot fine, you have to be seen by the police. Very rarely see an old bill car on the motorway these days.......................