A MOTORIST has been slammed as “selfish” for making a classic motorway blunder – although some people admitted to not seeing what they had done wrong.
Dashcam footage sent road users into a spin after showing a white van hogging the third lane as other cars followed behind.
Dashcam footage showed a white van hogging the third laneTwitter
The clip also showed a series of other cars follow suit as they cruised along the motorwayTwitter
The clip was quickly flooded with comments from other bemused motorists after it was shared to Twitter.
It was captioned: “When’s this going to be addressed more, miles of lane 3 hogging on the #M25”.
And many motorists blasted the driver for their “dangerous” habit, slamming their lane-hogging as “shocking”.
“A perfect example of why motorways get clogged up with congestion”, said one.
Another driver said it causes numerous potential risks, including “dangerous and unnecessary clogging, tailgating and undertaking”.
Traffic officer and road safety advocate Dave Harford also chimed in, stressing that it is a “huge issue”.
“Driving at its best – NOT”, he continued.
“This happens on motorways all over the UK – I’d love to know why people do it”.
But not everyone saw the problem with the practice, with some feeling it may be “safer than constantly changing lanes”.
Another driver questioned: “If there’s no inconvenience or hindrance, who cares?”
However, according to statute 264 of the Highway Code, drivers should always stick to the left lane “unless overtaking”.
“If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so,” the rule adds.
Hogging the outer lanes on a motorway is also deemed as dangerous driving under the law, and could land you with a £100 fine and three penalty points if you are given a fixed penalty notice.
And since 2013, police have had the power to hand out on-the-spot fines for drivers cruising along in the middle lane.
KNOW THE RULES
Analysis of more than 70 hours of motorway footage across the UK, commissioned by Direct Line Car Insurance, found just 23 per cent of drivers travel predominately in the inside lane.
The research found that 27 per cent drive in the outside overtaking lane.
For the remaining half, most said they hog the middle lane as they assume they will have to overtake slower vehicles further up the motorway, so they may as well stay where they are.
Others claimed they stay in the middle lane just so they don’t have to change lanes as much, while almost a quarter do so because they think they can drive faster than in the inside lane.
Rob Miles, director of car insurance at Direct Line, said: “Our analysis of traffic flows shows that millions of drivers risk prosecution by travelling in the middle and outside lanes when the inside lanes are entirely clear.
“It’s important that we increase awareness of the rules and penalties, primarily because they exist to keep road users safe but also drivers face serious fines and endorsements that will stay on their record for four years.
“Many motorists claim they want to avoid changing lanes to overtake, but this is a crucial skill and in-car technologies such as blind spot and safe distance warnings can help drivers to travel safely.”