04 March 2024 , 09:07
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Police have called out an "inconsiderate and careless" driver who was hogging the middle lane on the motorway near Oldham.
The driver was slammed in a social media post by the force, who scolded them as an "example of poor driving." The car was going 45mph in the middle lane of the M60 and was stopped by police and reported for careless driving.
A Tweet posted on X by GMP Traffic this morning (Sunday) reads: "Sitting in lane 2 at 45 mph when lane 1 is empty is inconsiderate and careless and an example of the poor driving that some drivers seem oblivious to. This driver was stopped and reported for careless driving on the #M60 near Oldham."
Middle-lane hogging is classed as a traffic offence under careless driving legislation, along with tailgating, accidentally running a red light and being distracted by eating or drinking. In 2013 new laws were introduced that give police officers the power to hand out on-the-spot fines of £100 and three penalty points for careless driving.
The RAC states: "During busy periods, middle-lane hogging can cause congestion as traffic funnels through the outside lane to pass a lane hogger. If the driver in the middle lane moved over, the same traffic could be split over two lanes.
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"Many also see staying in the middle lane as selfish, because if someone is correctly following the Highway Code and driving in the inside lane when they catch up with a middle-lane hogger, they then need to move across two lanes to overtake the lane hogger to avoid ‘undertaking’. This also means the overtaker has to complete four lane changes in total, instead of two."
Rule 264 of 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."