If you are driving the maximum speed allowed ( on a motorway for instance), does it matter which of the?

Question

Lanes you drive in? Because Theoretically there should be no-one trying to overtake you...

Also if you move out of the way of someone tring to go faster are you facillitating or aiding and abetting a Crime?

I know you should drive in the left lane, that was not the question.

Answer 1

yes i see your point

speed limit for this country (UK) is 70mph.. but dont forget that is the maximum, doesnt mean that is the speed you HAVE to do.. if road conditions are bad obviously we need to drive slower

you should drive on the inside lane even if you are going maximum speed and the middle and outside lanes are for overtaking only.

but you already know that ;-)

it amazes me what speed some cars overtake me at when im doing 70mph...... but thats up to them

i understand what you are trying to say though.....

why, if you are doing 70mph isnt it ok to drive in the outside lane, they shouldnt be anyone to overtake you lol

but let the police deal with the lunatics, if you try and stop them driving faster by staying in the outside lane they will just tailgate you and are more likely to be the cause of an accident.

there are some craaaaaazy drivers out there though and you canbt be responsibe for other peoples actions

stay safe

Answer 2

Lane discipline

238: You should drive in the left-hand lane if the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower moving vehicles it may be safer to remain in the centre or outer lanes until the manoeuvre is completed rather than continually changing lanes. Return to the left-hand lane once you have overtaken all the vehicles or if you are delaying traffic behind you. Slow moving or speed restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking. You MUST NOT drive on the hard shoulder except in an emergency or if directed to do so by signs.
MT(E&W)R regs 5, 9 & 16(1)(a) & MT(S)R regs 4, 8 & 14(1)(a)

239: The right-hand lane of a motorway with three or more lanes MUST NOT be used (except in prescribed circumstances) if you are driving

* any vehicle drawing a trailer
* a goods vehicle with a maximum laden weight over 7.5 tonnes
* a passenger vehicle with a maximum laden weight exceeding 7.5 tonnes constructed or adapted to carry more than eight seated passengers in addition to the driver.
Laws MT(E&W)R reg 12 & MT(S)R reg 11

as to aiding and abetting a crime no you would not be facilitating the crime you are only doing as directed to by the highway code.

Answer 3

Yes it matters which lane you are in, you should drive in the left as the middle and right lane is for overtaking. I can understand in an ideal situation where everyone stuck to the max legal limit, everyone would be in the left.

"Also if you move out of the way of someone tring to go faster are you facillitating or aiding and abetting a Crime?" No you are just avioding them tailgating you.

Answer 4

No, you're not aiding and abetting a crime, because the Highway Code says that you should, if you can, let traffic moving faster than you pass safely. The far left lane is for normal driving. The middle lane is for passing them and the outside lane (NOT called the fast lane) is the overtaking land. You should NOT drive in the lane, only use it to overtake and then pull back into the middle.

Answer 5

It is quite common in the South of England for drivers to use the middle lane of motorways to cruise at 50/60 mph, leaving the left hand lane empty because there was a lorry in it ten miles back.

Towing a large trailer in the left had lane, and staying within my maximum speed limit, I often pass these cruisers without changing lanes ( as I'm not allowed in the outside lane whilst towing).

These 'cruisers' are the assh*les that are more likely to cause a major incident, then again, they save me the trouble of lane changing.

Always drive in the lefthand most lane that is compliant with the speed you wish to use i.e. don't hog the middle lane at 50 when you are legally allowed to to 70 in the nearside lane.

And before anyone complains about the terminology - I stated 'passing' not 'overtaking' - the second of which involves lane changing, passing on the left is permitted within the highway code.

Answer 6

You should only drive in the fast lane if you are overtaking or if there is too much traffic to do otherwise. You would not be aiding or abetting a crime, merely getting out of the way of an accident waiting to happen.

Answer 7

I cant understand some of these previous comments. There is no such thing as a fast lane ,they are all rated at 70 mph, and you should return to the inside lane if your view ahead is clear, unless you have to carry out an overtaking manoeuvre to pass slower traffic.We could double the capacity of the motorway system if people stopped dawdling at 60 mph in the middle lane for mile after mile when the nearside lane is clear.

Answer 8

Are you bonkers?!?!

Of course it matters what lane you drive in. You should always pull over once you have over taken even if you are on a dual carriage or a motorway. And just coz 'theoretically' no one should be over taking you, doesnt give you the right to 'police' the roads by driving in the fast lane bang on the speed limit

It's legal to 'under take' as long as the driver is doing the speed limit.

And getting out of the way is simply a courtesy regardless of what speed the other driver is doing.

Can you imagine trying to argue this to a fireman or an ambulance driver. "Well, you shouldnt be going over the speed limit....."

Please stop being a 'champion' for the sunday driver brigade

Answer 9

I guess you are talking UK as you say Motorway, not Freeway or Autobahn
How do you know what speed you are going? Does your mate carry a radar gun? I have and at "70" most cars are doing between 63 and 67 MPH, This is because speedos have to be within 10% accuracy and tyre diameters vary getting bigger as they wear, and temperature affects them so to ensure in a worst case scenario the speedo shows faster than the car is going they set speedos at between 9% and 4% fast. So when you sit in lane thinking you is doing 70m you probably aint and are just being a total egotistical pillock and the bloke trying to get past may be rushing someone with a broken leg or bleeding to death to hospital., or like I used to rushing samples between hospitals for urgent tests, or even more serious late for work.
Keep to the left and watch my mate crapper dont come past down the hard shoulder at 175MPH on his R1, might need some serious stain remover on the drivers seat if that happened ( not many speed cameras on the Hard Shoulder)

Answer 10

Where I live it is law to drive in the right lane and use the left for passing only....this allows traffic to keep moving for everyone involved. You are not aiding abetting a crime - you are cutting down on it. In the era of road rage it's easier to let the moron go by you and continue with his day than it is to make him mad behind you.