And two-thirds it seems have no idea that it’s wrong to do so!
According to new research carried out by Confused.com, nearly a quarter of UK drivers confess to hogging the middle lane on the motorway.
The comparison website company found that 24% of motorists owned up to hogging the middle lane when driving on the motorway, whilst 18% admitted to tailgating – both of these offences come under the ‘careless driving’ category and could result in a £100 fine and three penalty points if caught.
The study also discovered that two-thirds (66%) of motorists had no idea that an offence was being committed, whilst 54% said they stay in the middle lane purely by accident.
One in four drivers in the UK confess to lane-hogging © Copyright Graham Horn and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
However, it seems a number of drivers do hog the middle lane for a specific reason, with over a third (37%) confessing to staying in the middle lane as it saved them having to keep changing lanes, whilst 33% believe that driving in the middle lane ‘feels safer’.
The survey also found that 13% of motorists have been close to a near miss because of tailgating, whilst 12% said they’d been close to an incident caused by lane hogging. These findings led to Confused.com suggesting that the problem ‘needs to be addressed’.
However, the comparison website company, by way of a Freedom of Information request, found out that only 2,012 drivers in 2016 were fined for careless driving.
“Unfortunately, lane offences are difficult crimes to catch in the act, but hopefully allowing learner drivers to practice on motorways from June 4 is a step towards reducing the number of tailgaters and middle lane hoggers on our roads,” said Amanda Stretton, Confused.com’s motoring editor.
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