Perhaps I'm misinterpreting what's written but if the road ahead isn't clear, ie there's something in lane 1 chucking up spray, then I don't have to be in lane 1?

Btw, I don't represent the IAM

Chris

The implication I understood from your post is that you would not use lane 1 due to "spray". With no distance being mentioned, I took this to mean you would not use lane 1 at all in these conditions, regardless of other road users.

The implication I understood from your post is that you would not use lane 1 due to "spray". With no distance being mentioned, I took this to mean you would not use lane 1 at all in these conditions, regardless of other road users.

If there's spray, there's a vehicle in it, probably somewhere within the 400yds ahead of your front bumper.

Slightly o/t, but do you have an on-line HC source that still quotes individual rules rather than full pages, or is that a bit of copy and paste Chris?

Ken that was quoted straight out of my head :P;)

Or I'm lying and I just use the awful online version at Full contents : Directgov - Travel and transport

Chris

Ken that was quoted straight out of my head :P;)

Or I'm lying and I just use the awful online version at Full contents : Directgov - Travel and transport

Chris

That's the version I've already bookmarked :( I was hoping you'd got something that was still indexed to individual rules, like the previous official HMSO online.

The implication I understood from your post is that you would not use lane 1 due to "spray". With no distance being mentioned, I took this to mean you would not use lane 1 at all in these conditions, regardless of other road users.

That may well be the case - if lane one isn't clear because it's under an inch of water, I'd probably avoid it because of the risk of "aquaplaning", but I'd be looking to return to lane one when it was clear. Other road users always have to be considered which is why I mentioned "if it doesn't inconvenience anyone".

Chris

I thought lanes 1 and 2 on motorways were for other people?

Ken that was quoted straight out of my head :P;)

Or I'm lying and I just use the awful online version at Full contents : Directgov - Travel and transport

Chris

Now why would you use such an obviously corrupt website like that one ??? lmao

Timelord

Just wondering if it actually is an offence to drive on lanes 2 and 3 should lane 1 be clear. I know the highway code, but unsure whether you can actually get a ticket, or just pulled over and rapped on the knuckles.

I was in Portugal a few weeks back as a passenger in a friend's car, who told me it is an offence there, and apparently a significantly hefty one. They can pull you over and give you an on-the-spot fine, plus (I could be wrong here) some points to boot!

Perhaps because of that, but I did notice that, much like in most of Europe, drivers tend to be more respectful and aware of other road users, i.e. pulling over, facilitating overtakes, using the correct lane on motorways, correct use of motorway ramps, mirror-signalling before actually changing lanes, rather than signalling/changing at the same time, you know, that kind of civic cr@p you read about in the highway code but seldom see on British roads :rotz:

Just wondering if it actually is an offence to drive on lanes 2 and 3 should lane 1 be clear. I know the highway code, but unsure whether you can actually get a ticket, or just pulled over and rapped on the knuckles.

I was in Portugal a few weeks back as a passenger in a friend's car, who told me it is an offence there, and apparently a significantly hefty one. They can pull you over and give you an on-the-spot fine, plus (I could be wrong here) some points to boot!

Perhaps because of that, but I did notice that, much like in most of Europe, drivers tend to be more respectful and aware of other road users, i.e. pulling over, facilitating overtakes, using the correct lane on motorways, correct use of motorway ramps, mirror-signalling before actually changing lanes, rather than signalling/changing at the same time, you know, that kind of civic cr@p you read about in the highway code but seldom see on British roads :rotz:

AFAIK it's not an offence although it's prudent to follow the keep left unless overtaking and keep a good distance to allow stopping, slowing down in the case of emergencies or if the car in front slams the anchors on.

AFAIK it's not an offence although it's prudent to follow the keep left unless overtaking and keep a good distance to allow stopping, slowing down in the case of emergencies or if the car in front slams the anchors on.

Maybe they should make it an offence then, but then there's the whole issue about enforcing it... I mean, who in their right mind would send out regular patrols on the motorways when there are so many CCTV cameras to do that job for them

And despite my satirical comment above, I do have a lot of respect for the job the forces do on our roads, given the actual number of them out there.

On that subject, today a car reversed into an elderly man who had to be taken on an ambulance to hospital with fractures. There were, at one time, no less than 7 (SEVEN) police cars attending. A bit OTT if you ask me. By the way, it was not a fatal injury, rumour was it was just a broken leg.

Just wondering if it actually is an offence to drive on lanes 2 and 3 should lane 1 be clear. I know the highway code, but unsure whether you can actually get a ticket, or just pulled over and rapped on the knuckles.

It's not actually an offence, but if there's other traffic on the road it could be construed as "driving without due consideration for other road users".

It's my understanding that while the Highway Code isn't law, the vast majority of it is enforceable under other laws.

So that would be careless driving, as Ken says.

As above, there are laws related to this rule:

[Laws MT(E&W)R regs 5, 9 & 16(1)(a), MT(S)R regs 4, 8 & 14(1)(a), and RTA 1988, sects 35 & 186, as amended by TMA 2004 sect 6]

MT is the Motorways Traffic Regulations (England and Wales) or (Scotland) and RTA is the Road Traffic Act.

All are online on OPSI if you fancy a bit of light bedtime reading

Chris

Perhaps the spray thing would explain why there was a Mk3 Golf sat in Lane 3 this morning as I passed in a completely clear Lane 1. :confused:

My favourite bad driving karma story relates to when I was last on the Snake Pass, and a motorcyclist overtook on a solid white line. A short way down the road, I was a bit of debris in the middle of the road, and thought to myself, 'That looks like a motorbike chain.' Then, a bit further on, I saw a guy in all the biker gear trudging up the verge, and a bit further still, the bike that passed me, on its stand on the verge, minus its chain!

FWIW, the only bikes I've ever ridden were pedal-powered, but nevertheless the fact you look a total... on foot in all the gear was the main reason why I always carried a fairly expansive toolkit whenever I rode! :P