Protocol for passing overtaking lane hogs

Chalk

undertake and be done with it.
on the bike i give them 3 5 - 7 second chances.

maintain a safe distance and then,
hover at the right looking at them in their right wing mirror, as in, if they checked it theyed see me.
same again at the rear view.
then over to the left.

at this point im convinced there never going to look back so twist the throtle and pass in the left lane,
probably be a few hundred yards ahead by the time they have a chance to go
"bloody bikers zipping up the inside lane......"

seamus

You forgot one option.

B + Flash lights once, then A if they fail to move/see you.

Chalk

ive flashed my lights in the way you mention a few time seamus.

each time the driver of the car has swerved at me as i pass.
not worth the risk imo

Cond0r

Ohh I so feel this pain every day on my way to work on the M50. There are constantly people that just plain refuse to move over even if the left lane is completely empty.
If any of you have ever driven abroad, UK, and Germany I would take as examples.
In the UK if there are 3 lanes you have the slow lane - with trucks/busses/slow cars all moving at the same speed, the middle lane with people doing the speed limit, and then the overtaking lane on the outside with people, well, overtaking.
If anyone stays too long in the overtaking lane they will immediately get flashed/beeped by drivers as this is the norm.

In Germany its about the same I think, and of course on some stretches of motorway you can do any speed you like, and most of the time people see you coming and move over without you having to do anything... and if you do.. it's usually flick the left indicator and they'll move over.

Irish people just have not learned how to use motorways properly, and in general have some EXREMELY bad driving habits regarding driver curtesy.

Funxy

What's even more annoying is heading along in the slow lane which is completly free of traffic, then coming around the corner only to see someone doing about 100 in the fast lane with noone else on the road. What do you do? Keep driving at your steady 120 in the slow lane, undertake and risk breaking the law. Or move to the fast lane come up behind, slow to their speed and wait for five mins before they realise your there :rolleyes:

BrianD3

Wait till the M50 gets upgraded to 3 lanes. Fun and games then. On 3 lane m-ways in the UK it's common to see drivers hogging the middle lane. On a 3 lane motorway both the outside and middle lane are overtaking lanes, the inside lane is for driving in and should be used if you're not overtaking anything.

When we get 3 laners here I envisage "double undertaking" occuring. Drivers hogging the middle lane will be annoyed with outside lane hogs and will undertake them while at the same time being themselves undertaken by drivers in the inside lane.

PS will people please stop using the terms "slow lane" and "fast lane". The more these terms are bandied about the more chance of confusion

Funxy

Im sorry about the use of 'slow lane' 'fast lane' Used to saying it that way seeing as very few other irish people know what your on about if you dont put motorway driving in simple terms! Was brilliant in the uk with the three lanes and i was plesently surprised to find myself in the inside lane flying along on many occasions

db

I was on the N7 a while back before the roadworks began. Approaching City West where there is a very long off ramp into City West. It's early morning and the traffic in both lanes is fairly heavy. The villain is going in and out of the lanes trying to weave his way through the traffic and not getting very far. Then he sees the new lane on the left and crosses two lanes to get into it, undertakes a few cars in the normal driving lane and just gets back out before the off ramp swerves away.

I continued on to the end of the M50 in Sandyford and there was my "friend" directly in front of me in the queue. Best laugh I had in ages.

jackal

People are always bull****ting on about this overtaking on the left being illegal. Why would one ****wit who is determined to stay in the fast lane - at say 31mph - be able to hold up an entire two lane motorway because anyone driving by him on the left lane would be breaking the law? Cop on!

Its a two lane road - so long as you stick to the limit, then you can drive away in the left lane, regardless of what idiots are doing in the overtaking lane.

Stark

It says in the rules of the road that there are certain situations where you can overtake on the left. One of them obviously is when there's a car turning right. Another is when traffic in the overtaking lane is moving slowly.

kermit_ie

The law says these are the only times where it it permissable to overtake on the left.

• When the driver ahead has moved out and given a right turn signal and you intend to go straight ahead or turn left.
• When you intend to turn left and have signalled this intention.
• Where traffic is moving slowly and the vehicles in the lane on your right are moving more slowly than the traffic in your lane.

The law however does not define how slowly traffic has to be moving...

blastman

Funxy wrote:

Im sorry about the use of 'slow lane' 'fast lane' Used to saying it that way seeing as very few other irish people know what your on about if you dont put motorway driving in simple terms! Was brilliant in the uk with the three lanes and i was plesently surprised to find myself in the inside lane flying along on many occasions

That's another thing about motorway drivers here, many of them seem to think their car will disintegrate over 100km/h. The number of cars doing less than 100km/h is amazing - does it indicate a general inability to handle a car at speed?

Funxy

I guess in a way it may indicate people are scared of driving at any sort of speed above 100. Thinking about it you never have to drive over 30mph when taking any lessons/driving test as its all done in city centers. It would be great to have an additional day course that everyone would have to take in safe driving, even if not tested on it at the end of the day. Just like having a compulsory amount of hours for driving lessons.

zod

then fine em!

AMurphy

kbannon wrote:

Ha ha ha ha - good one!
Mike - move this to the humour forum!

right, if the law was being enorced, there would not be a car hogging the "other" lane. I won't use "passing" intentionally.
So the chances of you getting nabbed for "under-taking" are very slim, unless the car you are underpassing is a cop-car and already doing 90mph.

however, just stay in the free lane and pass by, no need to pull about them, or any other antics, just sail by and be on your way.
if the drive in the "other" lane wakes up, gets all peed off, etc and speeds up, starts fingering (as happened me), etc, so what, let them, you hold your speed and carry on as before. The moment's too good to allow some other jerk driver to upset it.

happy miles.

DubTony

I usually give them a few seconds to pull over. If they don't I pull inot the left lane and wait a few more seconds. If they still don't pull over (unlikely at this point) then it's check mirror for cops , hug yellow line and boot down watching their indicators and front wheels just in case. Only once did someone pull in. Hogger was pressured by a gobsh!te behind (flashing and beeping) and decided to pull just after I accelerated. I used the shoulder and kept on going. Shame on the guy doing the flashing. He obviously didn't think that maybe he wasn't the only mad bastard on the road

The ones that get me though are the fúckers who accelerate as you undertake them. They then do their best to box you in. Had this on the M50 one night last summer with a guy in an old XJ6. When I got back out behind him he slowed down to 50 mph. I pulled into the left lane after overtaking something and off he went, but slowed so I caught him again. He travelled at the same speed as me 60mph until I was boxed in again.

Then the lunatic in me reared it's ugly head. I moved into the shoulder and overtook the car in front. When I came out again Mr XJ was just behind and beside me. But I had a clear road, and guess what, he had a hogger. So I slowed to the same speed as the hogger and boxed the bastard in. My exit was only a few seconds away so it didn't last long. Needless to say he got the finger as I went up the ramp. Stupid, I know. But the road rage - I mean, what can you do when the motorway monster inside takes over?

causal

What we need is PROPER SIGNAGE and PROPER ENFORCEMENT
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causal

AMurphy

DubTony wrote:

..... Stupid, I know. But the road rage - I mean, what can you do when the motorway monster inside takes over?

True. cool , but stay between the ditches if you can.

John R

DubTony wrote:

I usually give them a few seconds to pull over. If they don't I pull inot the left lane and wait a few more seconds. If they still don't pull over (unlikely at this point) then it's check mirror for cops , hug yellow line and boot down watching their indicators and front wheels just in case. Only once did someone pull in. Hogger was pressured by a gobsh!te behind (flashing and beeping) and decided to pull just after I accelerated. I used the shoulder and kept on going. Shame on the guy doing the flashing. He obviously didn't think that maybe he wasn't the only mad bastard on the road

One of the worst near misses I had was due to a lane hogger and a third car. The closest was due to a woman who did a 360 degree turn from the hard shoulder to the outside lane (facing the wrong way) and then onto the off ramp she had overshot but that's a story for a different idiot driver thread.

Not that long after I had been driving about a year or so I happened upon two cars doing about 50 in the outside lane of an otherwise empty motorway. The rear car was right behind the first one but the hogger was not moving over. After a minute or so the second car pulled into the left lane but didn't pass the first car, I was getting very pissed off at this stage and pulled right up to the hog flashing headlights at him. While I was doing this the second car slowed down and backed off, last I saw it was about 5-6 car lengths behind. I continued to try to force the idiot hog to the left for a while and eventually gave up and rather quickly decided to undertake. Quick glance in mirrors and left I went only to be met by feverish beeping and the sudden appearance of car right beside me in the side mirror. It turns out the second car had accelerated again while I was concentrating on the back of the hogger's head and she had positioned her car perfectly in my blind spot.


These days when I catch up with a lone lane hog as I am usually in the left lane with the cruise control on I do not even attempt to get them to move over, I just carry on as if nothing is there although I do keep a close watch on them in case they make a dive for the inside lane.

iregk

I think the general point here is that a) irish motorists are thick and dont know about it and b) some are stubborn ignorant and have a your not going to overtake me attitude.

I really pissed a guy in a big 4x4 off one night and he was not impressed. I was behind a young chap in a swift (306 gti myself) pulled out to overtake and from nowhere this 4x4 comes thundering up the back of me. Now im in the overtaking lane doing 70 (1 year ago so imperial system applied) and this ass starts to flash lights. Now regardless of overtaking lane or not 70 is still the max your allowed to go so I said fcuk him. The chap in the swift seeing this slowed to 50 as did I, boxed the prat in and dragged him all the way from the redcow to the tallaght exit of the M50. He was bulling. Only after the chap in the swift rolling around his car laughing at this stage pulled off I planted it and the look on the chaps face in the 4x4 was pure class.

But its all ignorance. Personally I've no problem under taking. Sometimes that signals to a person to get out of the over taking lane as your not exactly over taking. But we need more traffic police for such incidents.

True story also what happened to a friend of mine. Driving down the M7 was over taking someone and came up behind a car in the over taking lane cuising along gingerly at 50 or so. He pulls up behind and the car dont move an inch. Actually slows down!!! Flash of the lights = slows down ever more. Not a sinner at this stage in the left lane so off he goes and under takes. As soon as he is past he pulls in front of the other car only to be met with a blue flashing light from that car!!!! A bloody garda unmarked!!!! Pulled him in and done him for dangerous driving!!!!

Chalk

iregk wrote:

irish motorists are thick and dont know about it
some are stubborn ignorant and have a your not going to overtake me attitude.

behind a swift.
pulled out to overtake
from nowhere this 4x4 comes thundering up the back of me.
The chap in the swift seeing this slowed to 50 as did I,
boxed the prat in

But its all ignorance.

check your mirrors before pulling out.
you sound like the person you mention in your first paragraph tbh.

BrianD3

just to add to the list of experiences
1) you're driving along in the driving lane. 100 metres behind you is a hogger in the overtaking lane. He's been sitting there for the past few miles and has made no attempt to overtake you or anyone else. Up ahead is a slower moving vehicle in the inside lane. You pull into the overtaking lane to pass him. But now that you're in "his" lane the hogger behind speeds up and accelerates right up to your arse as you're overtaking

2) You're in the driving lane. Behind you is another car in the same lane travelling at the same speed as you for the past few miles. You come across a slower vehicle ahead and pull out to overtake. Just as you do so, the car you are overtaking decides to exit off the motorway (probably without indicating) or pull over to the hard shoulder etc. You're momentarily in the overtaking lane with nothing in the inside lane. The guy behind sees the empty lane, floors it and comes right up alongside or undertakes you just as you're about to pull back in.

Cushtie

I think it's all down to education, as far as most drivers are concerned it's the "Fast Lane" and thats it. I hear the National Safety Council will be running a campaign later in the year to try and get the point across to drivers about overtaking, indicating at roundabouts etc.

What I think would be a great idea is to stick an information leaflet in with everybodys next Tax Renewal letter, setting out once and for all the protocol for motorway driving, negotiating roundabouts etc. Alot of people might not even read it but at least you are targeting the right audience and that has to be a good start. this coupled with proper signage on the motorways I think would go a huge way to rectifying the probelm.

jackal

To all the people whose stories are:
I was behind this arsehole, i got by him and then slowed down to box him in hahahahaha....

Are you sure you are not arseholes yourselves lads?

iregk

Chalk wrote:

check your mirrors before pulling out.

Strange comment to make considering I would never pull out without checking my mirrors.

I'm firmly in the more education and more signs for drivers group. Some dont have the cop on to move out of the way. I'm also firmly in the 120k is the speed limit group and if you flash me while im overtaking on the limit you can go and **** off...

dealgan

Dont forget us poor culchies, who haven't got any motorways, and like the thrill on driving on the right hand side of the road.

All those mad eejits in their big fancy cars can just ***k off and wait 'till we swerve across to the left to get off that fancy 2 lane motorway





j/k.
It is annoying when the outside lane is hogged, but even more annoying when you move to left lane to let someone faster go by, and they take aaaaages to go past, at 1kmh faster, and you end up stuck in the slower inside lane, going slower than you were originally.

My €0.02

Chalk

iregk wrote:

Strange comment to make considering I would never pull out without checking my mirrors.

I'm firmly in the more education and more signs for drivers group. Some dont have the cop on to move out of the way. I'm also firmly in the 120k is the speed limit group and if you flash me while im overtaking on the limit you can go and **** off...

then how in the name of god did a 4x4 appear out of "nowhere" behind you on a motorway?

Seth Brundle

dealgan wrote:

Dont forget us poor culchies, who haven't got any motorways, and like the thrill on driving on the right hand side of the road.

Jim McDaid!!!

iregk

eh speed. the chap was absolutely flying. easily over the tonne and where just before the red cow the m50 goes up and over a type of hill.

comanche

iregk wrote:

Strange comment to make considering I would never pull out without checking my mirrors.

I'm firmly in the more education and more signs for drivers group. Some dont have the cop on to move out of the way. I'm also firmly in the 120k is the speed limit group and if you flash me while im overtaking on the limit you can go and **** off...

1. when making any lane changing manouvre on a road with more than one lane (or overtaking on a single carriage way and when turning left for cyclist or mopeds!) check your blind spot as well as your mirrors!!!! ...

2. its not up to you to police the road, if someone is travelling faster than the speed limit so what, are you jealous or something, leave em to it and get out of their way!!