To issue FPNs for driving too close could mean more camera/videos to detect such
It would be simple to do with modern technology …
Set a camera to detect a vehicle and then count down for 2 seconds
If another is detected within those 2 seconds then a picture is taken
It would also need a constant re-writing video perhaps for 10 seconds
If a picture is taken by the camera then the previous 10 seconds of video is saved
That would sort out any vehicle which cut in too close just prior to the camera
The coppers will have a field day through any stretch of motorway roadworks. They could fine a lorry driver a minute for tail gating.
Ka-ching.
rob22888:
The coppers will have a field day through any stretch of motorway roadworks. They could fine a lorry driver a minute for tail gating.
Ka-ching.
What is hard about keeping the correct safe distance in road works ?
Lots of posters celebrating this but…
I guess it will be fairly soon that we read along the lines of " I pulled into the centre lane to let a truck join the carriageway and then he got to 56 mph and left me hanging in the centre lane, along came plod and ticketed me for it".
Or maybe
" on a two lane carriageway struggling to pass another who wouldn’t back off, when plod did me for blocking outside lane for 2 miles.
del949:
Lots of posters celebrating this but…
I guess it will be fairly soon that we read along the lines of " I pulled into the centre lane to let a truck join the carriageway and then he got to 56 mph and left me hanging in the centre lane, along came plod and ticketed me for it".
Or maybe
" on a two lane carriageway struggling to pass another who wouldn’t back off, when plod did me for blocking outside lane for 2 miles.
You would deserve both tickets for hogging middle lane especially the second one haha.
I very much doubt you would get a ticket though, as the intention is to over take, as long as your making progress.
A few weeks ago coming out of Manchester I sat in the middle lane for about 8 miles over taking everything in me truck.
What sort of maximum distance between 2 vehicles in lane one would be acceptable to stay out in lane 2 when your going faster would it be considered as lane hogging?
del949:
Lots of posters celebrating this but…
I guess it will be fairly soon that we read along the lines of " I pulled into the centre lane to let a truck join the carriageway and then he got to 56 mph and left me hanging in the centre lane, along came plod and ticketed me for it".
Or maybe
" on a two lane carriageway struggling to pass another who wouldn’t back off, when plod did me for blocking outside lane for 2 miles.
I don’t think it will because the remit for a FPN will be a driver who deliberately stays in an outer lane for quite some time when they could reasonably use a nearside lane for that length of time or put another way, the driver has unreasonably inconvenienced other road users when a safe alternative was available
I disagree.
I think that plod would consider that someone stuck in the outside lane at 56mph should back off and drop in behind the vehicle that he is unable to pass.
Staying out in the hope that sometime in the next hour or so he will get past, is I would consider, careless driving and as such could be ticketed.
It’s not strictly lane hogging, but apart from the headlines the story is actually about careless drivng offences not just hogging and tailgating.
del949:
Lots of posters celebrating this but…
I guess it will be fairly soon that we read along the lines of " I pulled into the centre lane to let a truck join the carriageway and then he got to 56 mph and left me hanging in the centre lane, along came plod and ticketed me for it".
Or maybe
" on a two lane carriageway struggling to pass another who wouldn’t back off, when plod did me for blocking outside lane for 2 miles.
You would be overtaking tho. This new law thing is about folk who sit in the middle lane mile after mile rather than move over to the left when its clear.
This new law thing is about folk who sit in the middle lane mile after mile rather than move over to the left when its clear.
That is what the headlines suggest but if you read the article it applies to much more.
There have been laws that you could be prosecuted with for lane hogging for decades.
i.e. due care and attention, etc, any of the blanket laws would have worked.
del949:
This new law thing is about folk who sit in the middle lane mile after mile rather than move over to the left when its clear.
That is what the headlines suggest but if you read the article it applies to much more.
There have been laws that you could be prosecuted with for lane hogging for decades.
i.e. due care and attention, etc, any of the blanket laws would have worked.
Yes one of many different things announced but in terms of the main announcement its making reference to those who basically sit continually in the middle lane when the nearside lane is empty ie middle lane hoggers.
It would be ridiculous to suggest a driver making a routine overtake on a motorway would be pulled. Those who are side by side, against the same vehicle, mile after mile then maybe but then again no one would complain if they did get pulled and fined.
A driver sat at 56mph in lane 2 of a dual carriageway for miles on end trying to overtake, could be done for speeding as well as lane hogging. Two fines and potentially 6 points in one.
Double ka-ching.
This will do wonders for the koffers, assuming the plods are there to enforce it.
The most simple solution would be to make all motorways single carriageway. 
My worry is that your going to be fined in a situation such as; you’ve just joined the motorway when its quite busy, you need to increase the gap between you and the vehicle in front. You can’t brake hard because the truck behind has just flashed you out and that would be 1.dangerous and 2.rude. So your both slowly easing off increasing the gap, but you don’t have a 4 second gap yet so what if plod decides your tailgating and gives you both a ticket? Is common sense going to be taken into this or is it just going to turn into a revenue raising scheme? I think the latter.
If the government was serious about improving driving standards it would put adverts on the telly and other media reminding drivers how they should be driving. A little bit more carrot before trying the stick.
Did anyone see the clip on the 6.30 ITV news tonight of the Sensible Transport wagon tail-gating ? I think he was getting a little bit irate. If you missed it the 10 o’ clock news will probably show the same clip.
Those who are side by side, against the same vehicle, mile after mile then maybe but then again no one would complain if they did get pulled and fined.
That was the scenario I was talking about, not routine overtaking even if passing lots of vehicles.
But I can see the situation whereby you pull out to let a vehicle join and he accelerates to the same speed as you and doesn’t let you back in (lots of complaints about this on here every week) this leaves you out in the second lane, so unless you back off you run the risk of a ticket and points… even though you have tried to be courteous driver.
Or even when climbing a hill whilst passing and then run out of enough steam to get past, again leaving you out in the second lane.
Another scenario I can see regarding hills etc, is when a heavier vehicle just clears the slower one, then loses a bit of steam and fails to maintain speed, will the nearside vehicle who goes up inside the overtaker be at risk, and we all do / have done that
I am not saying that it is a bad law, merely that those who were celebrating the implementation of it may come to regret being so happy about it.
Before anyone starts saying it, I realise that all the TN drivers are the ones who in this position would simply knock a couple of clicks off and drop in behind the other truck… wouldn’t they
Going to be busy then…the plod, it happens every few minutes… 
I think most of us on here know what’s right and wrong when driving on a motorway roll: but I think this is another money spinner for those who need funding.I personally feel that with limiters on trucks we have to drive closer to the vehicle in front than we would choose so there may be a few dodgy fines coming our way.Has for Noris and Nelly plodding a long on a day out they will proberly get away with it .I heard the stupid women on Jeremy Vine today saying if she is doing 70 in the middle lane people would have to break the law to pass her 
Yes, she was a bit silly…but correct!
A bit like this comment
I had one the other day coming back from my mates. 4:30am not one single vehicle for as far as the eye could see and a car sat there at 65mph glued in the middle lane. Why do they not realise
Yes the car driver was in the wrong but as there weren’t any other vehicles “as far as the eye could see”, it’s hard to see what harm he was doing.
So what would really be the point in fining him ?
del949:
Those who are side by side, against the same vehicle, mile after mile then maybe but then again no one would complain if they did get pulled and fined.
That was the scenario I was talking about, not routine overtaking even if passing lots of vehicles.
But I can see the situation whereby you pull out to let a vehicle join and he accelerates to the same speed as you and doesn’t let you back in (lots of complaints about this on here every week) this leaves you out in the second lane, so unless you back off you run the risk of a ticket and points… even though you have tried to be courteous driver.
Or even when climbing a hill whilst passing and then run out of enough steam to get past, again leaving you out in the second lane.
Another scenario I can see regarding hills etc, is when a heavier vehicle just clears the slower one, then loses a bit of steam and fails to maintain speed, will the nearside vehicle who goes up inside the overtaker be at risk, and we all do / have done that
I am not saying that it is a bad law, merely that those who were celebrating the implementation of it may come to regret being so happy about it.
Before anyone starts saying it, I realise that all the TN drivers are the ones who in this position would simply knock a couple of clicks off and drop in behind the other truck… wouldn’t they
I know truckers can be suspicious of the Police but i am pretty sure they won’t have a stopwatch on us the moment we find ourselves in the outside lane failing to pass within 5 seconds. Like you said, these powers of prosecution are already available anyway.
del949:
Yes, she was a bit silly…but correct!
A bit like this comment
I had one the other day coming back from my mates. 4:30am not one single vehicle for as far as the eye could see and a car sat there at 65mph glued in the middle lane. Why do they not realise
Yes the car driver was in the wrong but as there weren’t any other vehicles “as far as the eye could see”, it’s hard to see what harm he was doing.
So what would really be the point in fining him ?
No harm other than another road user (me) having to make a unnecessary additional maneuver just to go around them due to their complete negligence or highway code understanding.
If they sit in the middle lane at 4 in the morning then there is a ■■■■ good chance they do this through the day as well. Its just poor driving no matter.