Having witnessed another accident a couple of weeks ago, I have come up with the theory that a cause of rear-end shunts in slow moving traffic in the outside lane is that where the outside lane is moving more slowly than the inside lane, that goes against the natural assumption that the inside lane is the slower.
Therefore drivers in the outside lane tend to judge their speed by reference to the traffic in the inside lane, maintaining a few miles per hour advantage, and whilst looking at the traffic on the inside tend to overlook the fact that the traffic in front of them is now moving more slowly than the inside lane.
They then appreciate that fact too late to match their speed to their own lane and end up in the boot of the car in front.
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I agree.If drivers actually drove in the correct lane in the first place, ie. pulling over to the left after overtaking, then there would be less tendancy for the outside lane to snarl up in the first place.
--
\"Nothing less than 8 cylinders will do\"
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It is much simpler than that - there are too many idiots in the outside lane who do not leave enough clearance between cars so when someone brakes and one of the idiots is not paying sufficient attention you get a collission.
In these circumstances the inside lane is just as quick and much safer - generally the truck drivers leave adequate gaps and all the idiots are in the outside lane!
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"generally the truck drivers leave adequate gaps and all the idiots are in the outside lane!"
You what? you cant get a fag paper in the gaps most truckers leave.
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...and then you get the situation where the outside lane is clogged, inside lane full of trucks, and nobody wants to be in the middle lane because they would be at risk of being swiped on either side by someone swooping out to over/undertake the traffic in front of them. Three lanes are effectively reduced to two. I notice this phenomenon most on M4 (london end) and M25. Better driver education required.
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"generally the truck drivers leave adequate gaps and all the idiots are in the outside lane!" You what? you cant get a fag paper in the gaps most truckers leave.
Perhaps it'd better if everyone drove like that - then any collisions would be nothing more than minor 'touches', like railway wagons bumping together.
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Oi! That's my theory!
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Except the poor "engine" at the front when it hits the buffers?
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Driving in and out of Edinburgh each morning now I very rarely leave the inside lane. Worst case scenario is that both lanes are going at same speed.
However, it is much more relaxing, I can sit a comfortable enough distance away from vehicle in front to anticipate speed changes and very rarely have to use my brakes, whereas the brake lights are constantly flashing in the cars on the outside lane, even though they are not travelling any faster!
I love sitting on the inside as you approach an on ramp, flashing a car to join the lane, 9 times out of 10 they will immediately move over to the outside lane and then hammer on the brakes! Meanwhile I just keep going at the same speed past them on the inside..
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Since one is not supposed to 'undertake', if a stream of traffic in the outside lane is moving at 65 mph, people who don't want to travel at less than 65 mph heed to be in the outside lane.
In that situation I'd be content to go a bit slower and stay in lane 2 or 1, but then sometimes one gets trapped behind a much slower vehicle, especially where there are only 2 lanes like on the northern section of the M11.
Crazy, but true!
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Since one is not supposed to 'undertake', if a stream of traffic in the outside lane is moving at 65 mph, people who don't want to travel at less than 65 mph heed to be in the outside lane.
I think passing on the left is allowed if the traffic is moving in continous streams? As long as you don't go weaving in and out of lanes to get ahead I doubt the police would even stop to warn you for doing 65 in lane 1 if lane 3 was doing 50.
To make motorway journeys relaxing, I find it's best to either be at 90mph or 60mph. Obviously both have their drawbacks but it's less stressful than following the rest of the pack in the speeds between!
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This has been discussed many times before, but a common cause of third-lane congestion is one truck passing another at a relative speed of less than 1mph, forcing all car and van traffic to use the fast lane. When this bottleneck persists for two or three miles, congestion is hardly surprising - and there isn't much point in staying in the slow lane. Could not the slower truck ease off slightly to shorten the problem? - but this doesn't often seem to happen.
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I've just returned from Germany where there are many restrictions on lorries overtaking, especially on uphills. The result is a long chain of lorries obeying the law, and quite civilised behaviour with car drivers in the other two lanes.
However I personally think that lorries are not the menace that others do, especially their "tailgating" one another. I see far far fewer lorry accidents than car accidents from that cause. OK, you might be worse off if squashed between lorrires, but IMO the likelihood is far less than between two cars.
Another most common cause of third lane congestion is, IMO, people's willingness and desire to drive at excessive speed, and not have anyone else in front of them, and to a smaller degree, other people trying to police the speed of others. And of course those that simply aren't concentrating, dawdling along in the middle lane when lane 1 is empty.
In fact, on the E40 through Belgium yesterday I got caught behind a police convoy which travelling at the speed limit from Liege to Brussels (maybe 20 - 30 miles?). The build up of cars behind, waiting to exceed the speed limit, was considerable, and led to bunching in itself.
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Perhaps it'd better if everyone drove like that - then any collisions would be nothing more than minor 'touches', like >>railway wagons bumping together.
Maybe but I wouldn't want to the "filling" in a 44 ton artic "sandwich"! :-)
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>>It is much simpler than that - there are too many idiots in the outside lane who do not leave enough clearance between cars so when someone brakes and one of the idiots is not paying sufficient attention you get a collission.
Exactly. I've taken to driving in the inside lane and progress is much more pleasant and often quicker in heavy traffic - read M62 Leeds-Mcr in the rush hour (or M61 or M60 or M1). I quite enjoy watching the idiots who swap lanes at every gap and actually get there no faster (and often slower) than me in the relaxed lane with the lorries.
-- Lee Having a Fabialous time.
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