Officers from Thames Valley Police recently pulled over five offenders in just one night in an attempt to stamp out the irritating, but often overlooked, road rule contravention.
Offenders were then publicly shamed on Twitter, including one motorist who remained in the middle lane for over seven miles, between Junction 4 (Heathrow) and Junction 6 (Slough Central/Windsor).
Another careless driver stayed in the middle lane between Junction 5 (Slough) and Junction 4, forcing others to use the outside lane to overtake.
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When it comes to lane hogging, 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 slow-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past.”
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Changing lanes is sometimes seen as one of the more dangerous motorway manoeuvres, spurring some motorists to stay in the middle lane to avoid having to ‘weave’ between other vehicles.
But the frustrating habit makes overtaking harder, as it funnels drivers into the outside lane, leading to congestion.
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Middle-lane hogging is classified as a ‘careless driving’ offence, along with tailgating and being distracted by eating and drinking behind the wheel.
New laws were introduced back in 2013 which gave police officers the power to hand out three penalty points and £100 on-the-spot fines to offenders.
The five drivers were stopped by Thames Valley Police between Sunday night (September 16) and the early hours of Monday morning (September 17) on the M4.
Copyright Press Association 2018. Motoring News articles do not reflect the RAC's views unless clearly stated.
Did you know, you can get fined for moving out of the way of an ambulance?
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