Plan B Forum

Drivers who needlessly hog the middle lane on motorways face fines of £100 as well as three penalty points under new government measures designed to crack down on careless motoring.

Fines for a number of other offences on the road – including using a handheld mobile phone while driving, or jumping traffic lights – are also expected to be increased from £60 to £100 after the unveiling of the package on Wednesday.

Traffic police will decide when motorists are considered to have been hogging the middle lane and issue on-the-spot fines to offenders.

Although some commentators have argued that fines are not necessarily the right approach for careless driving because cases are often not clear-cut, motoring organisations have long called for better lane discipline by drivers, which they say could dramatically solve congestion problems.

The Highway Code states: "You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear.

"If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past.

"Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking."

Unveiling the plans, transport minister Stephen Hammond is expected to describe careless drivers as "a menace" whose 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," he will add.

Patrick McLoughlin, the transport secretary, warned last month that sending a text message or making a phone call while at the wheel would land drivers with harsher penalties.

McLoughlin, who admitted that he had in the past used a mobile phone to make calls while driving, but would not do so now, told a conference in London last month: "We want to send a clear message to dangerous drivers: if you continue to show complete disregard for the safety of other road users, we will catch you – and we will punish you."

More than a million drivers have been convicted of using a handheld mobile phone behind the wheel since 2003, when using one other than for making an emergency call was made illegal.

Careless, reckless or hurried driving has been recorded as being a contributory factor in 16% of accidents, according to statistics from the Department for Transport.

A failure to look properly was the most-reported contributory factor in accidents of any severity and was mentioned in 42% of incidents.

Rule 264
You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past.

oldr_n_wsr wrote:My niece bought a new car (SUV) a month or so ago. She brought it over and I was checking it out. I noticed that when you turn on the signal directors, there is indicators that also flash on the outside mirrors (the driver can see them). I pointed them out to her and she was amazed. She had never seen them before. I took it as she doesn't signal often.