Mercedes driver fined after hogging outside lane for FIVE miles

A Mercedes driver has been fined after cruising in the outside lane for five long miles, with two emptier lanes sitting to the left. It’s the kind of stubborn road habit that turns a calm motorway into a row of clenched jaws. **Five miles. One lane. A fine that didn’t need to happen.**

The morning started as a grey smear over a busy stretch of motorway, the kind that hums with quiet urgency. A silver Mercedes sat welded to the outside lane at an unwavering 68mph, as if the tarmac belonged to it alone. Cars stacked up behind, tugging at their patience like loose threads on a jumper.

Indicators flashed, tempers too. Undertakes bubbled and died. The middle lane rolled past like an empty corridor, ignored. No drama, no swerving, just that steady, maddening pace. *You could feel the collective sigh building, even with the windows up.* Then the blue lights snapped on.

Five miles in the “fast lane”—and what it really costs

Let’s start with the simple bit: the outside lane isn’t yours to keep. It’s an overtaking lane, not a place to set up camp. One car sitting there for mile after mile creates a ripple of poor choices behind it—tailgating, sharp lane changes, risky undertakes.

When a driver anchors themselves to the right, everyone else starts solving the puzzle in the worst way. You get bunching. You get brake lights flickering like nervous twitches. You get near misses that never make the news. And at the heart of it sits a perfectly ordinary car, doing a perfectly avoidable thing.

Officers in an unmarked traffic car followed the Mercedes for five miles—outside lane only, no obvious reason to be there, two freer lanes to the left. The stop was calm, the conversation polite. The outcome: a £100 fine and three points for careless driving. Lane hogging has been on the police radar since the fixed penalty powers arrived a decade ago, and this fits the template.

Ask around and you’ll find this isn’t rare. An AA poll last year found more than half of drivers list lane hogging among their top irritations. Anecdotally, it’s a weekly sight. Some call it selfishness, some call it anxiety, some call it habit. Either way, it wastes bandwidth on roads already running hot.

Why do people do it? Partly the “fast lane” myth that never seems to die. The outside lane feels safer to some—fewer lorries, fewer merges, a clear view. There’s also the speed-limit fallacy: “I’m at 70, I’m legal, so I’m fine.” Not quite. Under Rule 264 of the Highway Code, you should keep left unless overtaking. Lane choice isn’t about speed alone; it’s about flow, sightlines and courtesy.

There’s psychology too. Motorways make us slip into autopilot. We hold a lane because changing feels like effort. Our brains choose comfort over precision. That’s human. Still, the road only works when the small disciplines hold. **Rule 264 is not a suggestion.**

How to fix your lane discipline without thinking about it all day

Try the “20-second reset”. After an overtake, scan 12 seconds ahead. If there’s no slower vehicle in view that you’ll catch in 20 seconds, move left when it’s safe. Mirrors, signal, smooth steer. Treat the outside lane as a short platform, not a seat.

Use a gentle speed differential when overtaking—about 5–7mph more than the vehicle you’re passing. You’ll spend less time exposed on the right and feel less hunted by faster traffic. On smart motorways, match the overhead limits first, lane choices second. And if you find yourself drifting right from habit, anchor your default to the left and work outwards only when needed.

We’ve all had that moment when a clear motorway lulls you into lazy lane-keeping. That’s normal. The common traps are easy to name: sitting alongside a middle-lane cruiser for comfort, shadowing a car to “hold space”, or staying put because trucks in lane one feel big and unpredictable. Be kind to yourself, then correct the move. Let’s be honest: nobody does that every day.

Here’s what traffic officers tell me time and again:

“The outside lane isn’t a destination. It’s a tool you use briefly, like a turn of the steering or a tap of the brakes.”

• Keep left, overtake, return left. That’s the rhythm.
• Avoid matching speed with the vehicle beside you. Pass decisively, not aggressively.
• If vehicles are stacking behind you, that’s feedback. Free the lane.
• On three-lane roads, think: left to cruise, middle to prepare, right to pass.
• On four-lane stretches, the outside lane is still only for overtaking, not for “making progress”.

Beyond one ticket: what this says about how we share the road

This wasn’t a dramatic pursuit or a viral dashcam clash. It was a tiny choice played out over five miles, nudging dozens of other choices along the way. That’s the thing about motorways. Every lane change is a social act, whether we feel it or not. **Move left, make space, breathe.**

The law is there to hold a pattern that keeps strangers in harmony at 70mph. We do our bit not by perfection but by presence. Notice your lane. Feel the flow, not just your speedo. On a good day, that looks like easy choreography. On a bad day, it’s the difference between a smooth commute and a rolling knot of frustration. The fine is a footnote. The habit is the headline.

FAQ :

• Is lane hogging actually illegal in the UK?There’s no specific “lane hogging” offence by name, but cruising in the outside or middle lane without need can be careless driving. Police can issue a £100 fixed penalty and three points.
• What does the Highway Code say about the outside lane?Rule 264: keep left unless overtaking. Use the right-hand lane to pass, then move back left when safe. It’s not a fast lane, it’s an overtaking lane.
• What if I’m overtaking multiple vehicles in a row?If traffic is dense and you’re passing a sequence of slower vehicles with minimal gaps, you can remain in the overtaking lane while you complete that sequence. The moment there’s clear space, return left.
• Can I be fined if I’m at the 70mph limit?Yes. Speed compliance doesn’t override lane discipline. Sitting at 70 in the outside lane with emptier lanes to the left can still be careless driving.
• How do smart motorways change things?Follow the overhead speed limits and lane signals first. The keep-left principle still applies. Red X means the lane is closed—never use it, even to overtake.