You beat me to it as well RonanC, this type of behaviour is astonishing.
I drive quite a bit in France and Spain and although it can be a bit frightening when you're overtaking and someone comes up at speed behind you, they all know they have to drive on the right and overtake on the left. They move over straight after they've overtaken and the traffic flows really well.
I recently drove south on the M1 where a driver was in the overtaking lane doing 50mph and the tail of drivers backing up behind the offending vehicle was amazing. They ended up all dangeroursly undertaking.
Maybe the roads authority should place large signs on the side of the motorways 'drive on the left unless overtaking' until drivers get the message or threaten to issue penalty points to drivers who drive dangerously by obstructing traffic in the fast lane.
I just love driving in the continent because of this attitude.
Actually I came across loads of those signs in Australia that reminded people they drive on the left.
Of course it would be common sense to have them here, but all we just hear is the mantra that speed kills.
If you are driving at the legal limit in the third lane, why should some want want to overtake? is there a need to pull over?
Try and read the rules of the road or better still go drive on Spanish or French dual carriageways or motorways.
BTW it is not your or anyone elses job to police the roads, it is the job of the gardaí.
I merely asked a common sense question, if you are doing the legal limit in the third lane, only law breakers will want to overtake, is this you Mathepac?
I do not hog the 3rd lane but common sense must prevail, there is about a 6 mile stretch around the Cork bypass that require you to keep to the right because there is a constant filter of traffic joining the bypass from the left at the junctions, if you pulled to lane 1 and 2 you would be constantly changing lanes to allow them to enter from the left, I have even seen Garda doing this, it makes sense.
... We do know that the markings on a lot of roundabouts do not make sense, we only know which lane to go in because we do it every day, these were made by the same higher authority.
It is not a common sense question.
Again try driving in other European countries and see how they manage to lane change.
Of course we have heard instances of Gardai pulling over drivers for what they term lane jumping, so I would suggest they also drive on e.g Spanish motorways for a few hours and see where hogging the outside lane gets them.
And with regard to joining motorways and dual carriageways why do Irish drivers do the following:
a) when on the motorway in light traffic refuse to move out onto overtaking lane so that traffic can join smoothly ?
b) drivers joping motoway almost come to a stop at joining point of motorway, why aren't they up near motorway speeds at this point ?
I do agree with you that some of the road makrings at junctions and roundabouts are misleading and dangerous.
As regards driving on normal national routes why do some drivers drive along at 80kph, believing they are really safe and then just go through the next village 15/20kph above the 50kph limit.
It is mind boggling and it appears the only logical reasons are they have either a bomb on board that goes off below 60 and above 80 or they only have two gears.
