I hate

I usually hate motorways, but driving on a speed restricted motorway due to roadworks is the exception. Everyone seems to behave at 50mph, but not at 70mph. The reduction in difference in speed between vehicles feels so much safer too. Most likely more fuel efficient too.

Love the zen calm of a average speed camera zone. There’s always a couple of nobs who blast through it at 65 or something, but you can console yourself with the knowledge that they’ll likely get a ticket for it.

There is definitely some serious fuel money to be saved by sticking to 55-60 on the left.

The proliferation of the phrase 'deep dive'

Fuck off.

Almost always bandied about by people who spend all day at the shallow end

Oooh. People who say ‘I remember’ before telling an anecdote. Obviously you remember, that’s how your able to tell me. It’s rife.

The reduction in difference in speed between vehicles feels so much safer too.

Makes changing lanes much harder and you are more likely to spend ages in someone's blind spot though.

I use both the M3 and M4 smart motorways a lot. Nobody seems to drive in the new lane created by removal of the hard shoulder. All that upheaval has resolved nothing. I assume drivers don't want to have to think about the possibility of a broken down vehicle in their lane so avoid having to think at all.

Middle lane is the best lane, you guys are missing out

Left - too slow, lorries, horses (why are there always so many of these on the move?), old people
Right - terrifying BMWs
Middle - lovely, delicious, just the right temperature

Driving in the middle lane for no reason is a very British thing. I've never seen it to the same way anywhere else in Europe. The mainlanders are more in to extremely aggresive tailgating.

I mostly assume it’s because no fucker actually knows how to drive properly on a motorway and so sticks to their same bullshit habits but with an extra lane hanging off the inside of them. Middle lane wankers go to being 3rd lane wankers. It’s a massive failing of the driving learning / testing process that you have to be a qualified driver before you can go on a motorway and everyone is expected to teach themselves how motorways are supposed to work. Because there are so many inquiring auto-didacts among the driving population.

It does feel like adding a fourth lane has done little to solve congestion, as might have been predicted and that construction money should have been spent on driver education and ensuring lane discipline for efficiency.

Nah. Lemonade is right, it’s the easiest lane. Just sit back, switch off and relax, no need to keep having to shift lanes to overtake something slow or get out of the way of something fast.

And, granddad, learners have been allowed on motorways since 2017 or something.

It’s a massive failing of the driving learning / testing process that you have to be a qualified driver before you can go on a motorway

That's why they changed the rules. Learners can now drive in the motorway with a qualified instructor in a dual control vehicle.

The general standard of driving is terrible. Lots of people driving in a way that they wouldn't pass their test but there is no enforcement so they don't care.

Problem is when you try and do the right thing and go left you end up getting stuck there behind every lorry as the middle lane 4 lyf cars wazz past constantly with no space for you to pull out again

I have never experienced this occurrence for longer than ~30secs.

I’d be interested in seeing numbers on how many people actually take this option up. Don’t see why it isn’t part of the test tbh. If you can’t merge properly, can’t properly plan an exit at the correct junction, and have no idea which lane you should be in at any given time then you’re a fucking liability.

Tho, as you say, most other components of driving are covered by the test and everyone appears to be shit at those too, so why I think this would have any impact on standards I do not know.

Don’t see why it isn’t part of the test tbh

'cause if you take your test in Norfolk or Cornwall there isn't a motorway for miles?

From Wood Green or Hither Green (which appear to be the test centres nearest the centre of London?) getting out to a motorway and back during the test wouldn't leave much time for anything else.

Lemonade is right

This.

Where are the rest of you lot driving? 1996?

Occasionally the M4 at night allows you to use the left hand land unobstructed, maybe the A3 on a couple of stretches at night, that bit of the M40 near the beginning where it first opens up. But that's hardly the rule is it?

Where do we stand on flashing people who are in the wrong lane? Mrs upsidedown tells me off for it and says I'm a grumpy old man; she's probably right.

Better than tailgating them in to submission!

The general standard of driving is terrible.

And yet we have pretty much the safest roads in the world.

Mrs upsidedown tells me off for it and says I'm a grumpy old man; she's probably right.

Depends on why you're doing it. Load of people get antsy about middle lane hogging without knowing why the person is driving there (inner lane congested with slow moving traffic).

For me, as long as the traffic in the middle lane is moving faster than the left lane it's fair game. They're passing slower moving traffic after all.

Yeah I really don’t get the problem as long as there’s another lane for you to overtake at 90mph.