# Pillock hogging the middle lane



## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

Shown on the news was a guy doing less than 60mph in the middle lane. The inside lane was clear.

A lorry is catching up so moves to the middle lane and gives the guy a quick flash.

So at this point you think okay the lorry driver shouldn't flash and Mr Idiot shouldn't be in the middle lane. The highway code being quite specific about what should of happened but Mr Idiot now thinks he is going to be a real clever dick and stick in the middle lane.

The lorry pulls out to the outside lane and starts to lean on Mr Idiot but he still won't pull over.

Obviously the lorry driver shouldn't have done what he did but Mr Idiot now gets on the news and shows off what happened because he recorded it with his dash cams.

The interviewer politely asks why didn't you just pull over instead of hogging the middle-lane... end of interview with Mr Idiot sitting there with a stupid grin on his face.

Personally he got what he deserved and I hope under the new rules he should get a ticket for sitting in the middle lane.


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2015)

*"I honestly thought I was going to die," he wrote in a police statement.**"My life literally rushed before my eyes. Whilst that sounds dramatic, I can honestly say I have never felt fear like it. I began shaking uncontrollably."*

He does sound like a plonker. Sadly, just another example of bad driving encouraging more bad driving by others.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Both at fault so not sure who to blame 

Mind you we've had our dual carriage way converted to 3 lanes and people constantly hog the right 2 and the left is always empty

Easy cruising for me when they're all doing 50/60


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## Will_G (Jan 23, 2012)

Yeah I find it to convenient he sells dash cams and just happens to have it all on tape. What a way to promote your own business by saying look what can happen


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

As much as I agree with the lorry driver nothing so minor can justify that. It could've been anyone (an old guy in his 80's for eg) who could've been killed etc if the worst happened. 

Have you got a link for the interview?


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2015)

Kimo said:


> Both at fault so not sure who to blame
> 
> Mind you we've had our dual carriage way converted to 3 lanes and people constantly hog the right 2 and the left is always empty
> 
> Easy cruising for me when they're all doing 50/60


...until you get done for undertaking.

Daftest motoring law going.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Middle lane slowing up the lorries. 

Feared for his life, but found himself back in front of the lorry again and slowed again 14 minutes later. 

Looks to me as if he was tying to wind the lorry driver up, which he succeeding in doing very well. The lorry driver shouldn't have reacted as badly though. 

Conveniently he's not only got a dashcam, he sells them!

Another example of someone with a dashcam creating an incident out of nothing. For all I see there is positives of dashcams, far far too often they are used for negative reasons. 

I think it's time to ban them from the road. They cause more issues than they are worth.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Here's the video for the people who haven't seen it.

You only get the edited version..

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-34933345


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Dick head winding the lorry driver up, feared for his life but stayed on the road right by the lorry for ages 

Wasn't he a ex police officer or something?


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Also having to be taken to hospital by ambulance for his injuries. :lol:

His car has a couple of minor dents and he managed to chase the lorry for long enough before requiring the ambulance. 

Wonder if he'll try to claim for injuries?

Both of them should be charged.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Did laugh when I saw the ' damage ' from repeated impacts from the lorry 

I've got more damage from stone chips ffs


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Clancy said:


> Dick head winding the lorry driver up, feared for his life but stayed on the road right by the lorry for ages
> 
> Wasn't he a ex police officer or something?


http://www.mattstockdale.com/

His website tries to make you think that. He was a candidate for the independent police commisioner role, but that's meaningless as he clearly didn't get the job. It's also independent and not the police.

Obviously someone who likes to pretend he's in a position of authority.


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## chrisyeti (Feb 26, 2014)

Kerr said:


> http://www.mattstockdale.com/
> 
> His website tries to make you think that. He was a candidate for the independent police commisioner role, but that's meaningless as he clearly didn't get the job. It's also independent and not the police.
> 
> Obviously someone who likes to pretend he's in a position of authority.


The former "special constable" :lol: said he was driving southbound towards his home in Northampton when a lorry began flashing him, sounding its horn and driving up to the rear of his car.


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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

The current motorway driving standards are awful in this country.


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

It's quite simple allow overtaking on either side. They do in other countries. It would sort delays out by majority of traffic held up as they all have to use lane 3 to pass. It would also make people more vigilant all around and not just to their right. 
Middle lane hoggers are either the "I'm going fast enough so why should you go faster" type or the scared drivers that are frightened to change lanes. You see them come on, shoot to lane 2 and stay there until they need to exit, that's regardless of what they come across.


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## Kimo (Jun 7, 2013)

Hugh said:


> ...until you get done for undertaking.
> 
> Daftest motoring law going.


You can't under take but you can't lane hog so who'd be at fault? Lol


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

Matthew Stockdale, you sir at a total c*ckwomble!!!!

No, I don't agree what the lorry driver was right but even with an articulated lorry coming across the front of his car he still refused to move into an empty lane. The lane he should have been in all along.

Here's a plan, how about the lorry driver gets done for dangerous driving and this utter fanny gets fined for middle lane hogging, after all there's evidence of him doing so and it is an offence now right?



Kimo said:


> You can't under take but you can't lane hog so who'd be at fault? Lol


Overtaking to the left is illegal but keeping up with the traffic in your lane isn't.


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## turbosnoop (Apr 14, 2015)

Pair of idiots. Am glad they found each other


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2015)

Kimo said:


> You can't under take but you can't lane hog so who'd be at fault? Lol


For me, the vehicle to the right is at fault.

Unfortunately, there have already been several cases of the vehicle to the left being prosecuted instead.

Go figure.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Did it say he owns a dash cam company? Convenient publicity


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## possul (Nov 14, 2008)

At what point would anyone in the right mind stay in the same lane when a lorry is coming over to your lane, I'd be pulling left instantly whilst slowing.
He's an idiot, causes the situation and now has it all on film, which will go against him.
Police should watch the footage and see how long he's in middle lane and book him accordingly.
I don't think there has been any motorway journey for me which doesn't involve an undertake from me ( when cruise is on) and sitting at 68mph on the limiter in the work van, nothing worse than slowing everyone in the third lane whilst trying to overtake someone doing less the 68.
They should be doing more about this, bring out the law then not really enforce it.


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

I honestly think he engineered that situation in order to try and catch someone driving without due care / carelessly on camera. 

It's the same type of person who puts footage on YouTube giving off about everyone else's driving when they clearly are unable to drive safely and competently themselves. 

Give a cyclist a helmet camera.......

Cooks


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## possul (Nov 14, 2008)

Completely agree cookies


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Why is he driving with his hazards on? ( first couple of seconds on the video) 
Has no problem to follow the truck to his depot, and than need an ambulance to go to the hospital?
Should be fined for: dangerous driving, wasting police time, wasting NHS resources, trying to fraud, and for being a total knob!

The damage on the car is so minimal, that I suspect it is not caused by the truck, but been done before ( and would probably polish out) 
Hate this kind of people.


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## Cookies (Dec 10, 2008)

If he was having a problem with his car he should have left the carriageway, exited his vehicle for a safe place behind the armco barrier and phoned for assistance. 

What he shouldn't have done was sit in the middle lane with his hazards on. 

Cooks


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Not sure about "No such thing as bad publicity" but he's taking some stick on twitter and fb. His company page has had loads of 1* reviews and negative comments following today's story.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Here's the same guy again. Again engineering a scenario.

http://m.northamptonchron.co.uk/new...miss-on-northamptonshire-roundabout-1-6264093

Seems quite clear what sort of chap he is. He knows what he's doing, but then plays dumb as if he's the victim.


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

Kerr said:


> Here's the same guy again. Again engineering a scenario.
> 
> http://m.northamptonchron.co.uk/new...miss-on-northamptonshire-roundabout-1-6264093
> 
> Seems quite clear what sort of chap he is. He knows what he's doing, but then plays dumb as if he's the victim.


Complete and utter bellend

Because he couldn't see the articulated lorry right there ? He was also in the merge side so should of dropped back

As the head of a road safety campaign he should also recognise in a merge situation it's safer for a car driver to slow down than force a lorry to brake heavily to allow a car in

Can't believe that made the news of any description though


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Gheezer said:


> Lets face it. The truck driver did exactly what we all want to do when we see these selfish drivers on the road! Give him a medal I say!
> 
> As for the roundabout he was also in the wrong, the truck clearly had precedence over his position on the road.


It wasn't just the fact the lorry had priority, it was the way he moved into that position to create a situation.

He was a distance behind the lorry, then accelerated and changed lane to pull alongside the lorry. He then stayed there knowing what was going to happen.

A nothing situation they nearly all drivers deal with every single day, is an issue to him.

The issue is him.

He's going to find the internet is a very small place.


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## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

The guys from Northampton, the lorry driver should have......


.........kept his distance:driver:


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

haha hes from northampton and will know that rpundabout very very well, as said you can see him speed up and create that situation himself.

looks like a *** too


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## TonyH38 (Apr 7, 2013)

The man is a first class pillock.


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## muzzer (Feb 13, 2011)

Link doesn't work


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## Rundie (Oct 2, 2007)

When he tells the operator that he has it all on dash cam the reply 'Superb' seems like acting and dubbed on?


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## Darlofan (Nov 24, 2010)

Exotica said:


> https://www.change.org/p/associatio...ium=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive
> 
> I'm signing because agree the individual driving the car deliberately staged the whole scenario for commercial gain or internet success..


I've signed it too. Clearly looking at this and other videos he is going out and goading other drivers for his own gain and publicity.


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## dandam (Apr 10, 2011)

Alex_225 said:


> Overtaking to the left is illegal but keeping up with the traffic in your lane isn't.


This is where I would like to understand - if you are in lane 1 and the guy in lane 2 slows down meaning that they are slower than you have you kept up with the flow of traffic in your lane, or have you deliberately undertaken ?

They will never change the law to allow undertaking because the driving standards are poor, the same as they will never increase the 70mph speed limit for the same reason.

He is a c*ckwomble though !!!!


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## Stephen Ellis (Nov 29, 2015)

People like him need a slap in the face with the flat end of a shovel.

It's disgraceful the amount of people who can't motorway drive in this country!


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## tPIC (Jul 14, 2013)

The car driver is a complet c*ck and the sort of person that should get zero attention. Self-publicising ****** that we all would want to run off the road from time to time, although admittedly in our imaginations. This will be a victory of claim culture in the end as I'm sure that he will get a pay out due to the legal letter of the law.

I'd never normally wish Ill on anybody, but this guy - I hope he never sells another dashcam in his life because of this. And I hope that somehow Lorry drivers are able to ID him in the future and make all his future journeys interesting..


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

dandam said:


> This is where I would like to understand - if you are in lane 1 and the guy in lane 2 slows down meaning that they are slower than you have you kept up with the flow of traffic in your lane, or have you deliberately undertaken ?
> 
> They will never change the law to allow undertaking because the driving standards are poor, the same as they will never increase the 70mph speed limit for the same reason.
> 
> He is a c*ckwomble though !!!!


If I'm doing 65mph in the left lane and someone is in the middle doing 60mph I would cautiously pass them. Of course I would execute caution but I wouldn't necessarily move across three lanes and back if I'm effectively keeping up with traffic and they're choosing to make a hazard of themselves.

If I was in the middle lane and a car in my lane was just sitting there I wouldn't overtake on its left I would always move to the lane to its right to pass. Making a conscious overtake to the left is illegal and obviously dangerous as they could suddenly realise and change lanes.

My understanding of it is that if you're travelling within the limit in your lane (moved to the left that is) that you are allowed to keep up with the traffic in your lane, even if the lane to your right is moving more slowly but you should never overtake on another cars left, as in come up behind them and deliberately move to the left to pass.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

For his own commercial gain, he makes a family loose their income, just before Christmas.
This driver will struggle to find re- employment because this guy want to score?
What kind of world has this become?
It's easy this time of year to wind people up, a lot off people ( and especially in logistics) are under a lot of pressure to get the job done before Christmas, I don't defend the manoeuvre of the truck driver at all, but I certainly can understand.
I you overtake a car in the 3rd lane (illegal) because he is holding up traffic you want to go back to the middle lane as soon as possible, you don't expect this car who had his hazards on to speed to try to stop you from returning to the middle lane. 
People like the car driver should loose their driving license for live and should pass a traffic exam before they even allowed to return to the queens highway on a pushbike.
I will never buy anything whatsoever from this pillock company!


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

I can see a link on his Twitter account, but it asks me to log in to see the content. 

I'm not doing that. 

Anyone got access or a dodgy log in?


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## Phillloyd (May 27, 2013)

Why is the camera car driving in the middle lane with his hazards on?


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## chrisc (Jun 15, 2008)

be hopes the lorry driver gets a ****ing over it third lane in one of them and driveing up is **** like that middle lane hogger or not


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## MagpieRH (May 27, 2014)

I saw this, I think it was on the BBC website, where he claimed to have been petrified. On first viewing, it does seem shocking but then I thought about it - aren't lorries and HGVs missed to 56mph? In which case, the driver concerned must be doing approx 50mph in the overtaking lane of a clear motorway.

Unless there was a variable limit in place, I'd call that dangerous driving.


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## Kerr (Mar 27, 2012)

Not sure why he's blaming the BBC for the editing. His own extended video was worse.

If he was just on his way home and about to exit, why was he in the middle lane?

I like the way he suggests the lorries just appeared from nowhere. If he didn't see them before it flashed its lights, he's been driving without due care and attention. 

It wasn't whiplash he went to hospital with. He thought he had a blocker artery. Yeah Yeah. 

It didn't look like anyone else was doing 50mph. I wonder if the limit really was 50mph? There didn't seem to be any indication it was.

I just don't believe the guy.


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## Stephen Ellis (Nov 29, 2015)

Some parts of his story seem a bit over dramatic to me, although i do sympathise a bit with the beeb twisting!


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## MagpieRH (May 27, 2014)

Exotica said:


> http://www.mattstockdale.com/statement-of-matt-stockdale/
> 
> That's it , it's the BBC's fault.


Yeah, that's a typical "it's everyone else's fault" type statement. I particularly like the "imagine the driver was someone inexperienced/elderly" bit. He then says he drives a lot with cameras on his cars - if you drive as much as he seems to be suggesting then this can't be the first time something of this ilk has occurred, so his panic response send compete rubbish to me - as others have said, most people would probably brake if a lorry starts to come across their path.


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## Alex_225 (Feb 7, 2008)

Exotica said:


> The man himself
> 
> View attachment 44467


He uses that cap to cover the c*ck on his forehead!


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## pantypoos (Aug 7, 2014)

What a knob.


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## AllenF (Aug 20, 2012)

Why is he in middle lane ..... oops sorry lane 2 
Lane 1 ( aka slow lane ) is free.
He wasn't keeping up with the flow he deliberatly lifeted to screw the hgv up. What a knob trying to pick a fight with 44tonnes in a car. And thinking because his car is cameraed he can get away with it.... people getting wise to this stunt now but obviously forgot to tell him


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## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

I was expecting the driver to be Ronnie Pickering.


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## digistats (Mar 28, 2015)

Who


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## Exotica (Feb 27, 2006)

New statement added

http://www.mattstockdale.com/statement-of-matt-stockdale/


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## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

Matt Stockdale, The Movie. Out soon.

At least he has owned up to an offence.

He's still a knob though.


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## AMD (Dec 30, 2012)

I wonder if dashcam footage of middle lane hogs would be followed up by the police

To overtake a middle lane hog you have to make 4 lane changes on a regular motorway, and 6 on a 4 lane.

To be honest I prefer the American system of overtaking in any lane, it ends up in a more even use of the available carriageway, however I dont think we will ever be "allowed" to do that here - shame


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

just one of those people you want to punch without evening knowing them or them opening their mouth


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## Arvi (Apr 11, 2007)

AMD said:


> I wonder if dashcam footage of middle lane hogs would be followed up by the police
> 
> To overtake a middle lane hog you have to make 4 lane changes on a regular motorway, and 6 on a 4 lane.
> 
> To be honest I prefer the American system of overtaking in any lane, it ends up in a more even use of the available carriageway, however I dont think we will ever be "allowed" to do that here - shame


I think I've read somewhere (may have been a link within one of the posts here) that the police have said they wouldn't have time to investigate people providing video footage of middle lane hogs. Guess they may only pursue it if it led to a accident.

My dash cam is being fitted soon.


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## ardandy (Aug 18, 2006)

If every offense was prosecuted then we'd be in a police state, which everyone would b*tch about.

Do someone doing 42mph in a 40mph and people say it's over the top. 

There really is no pleasing most people. I think we the public like a good moan!


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## transtek (Mar 2, 2007)

ardandy said:


> If every offense was prosecuted then we'd be in a police state, which everyone would b*tch about.
> 
> Do someone doing 42mph in a 40mph and people say it's over the top.
> 
> There really is no pleasing most people. I think we the public like a good moan!


And instead of spending all that extra money on police watching videos, it would be better to have more of them on the roads as well as spending more on driver training (or re-training), as well as school classes for cycling and pedestrians in school.


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## Exotica (Feb 27, 2006)

After reading through all that **** (his statement) for a second time, I have to wonder why he was 'distracted' to see a flash of headlights behind him, " A flash of light distracts you from behind, you look into your rear view mirror...it dazzles you. You blink and re-focus, there is now a HGV bearing down on you…" I would have seen the lorry and known it was there for ages. I would also have known that he was catching me up. Over dramatising the situation with all the claptrap like "alarmed and distressed" And "all you can do is grip the steering wheel tight and hope for the best. Unless you have ever experienced someone aggressively driving a 30-40 tonne HGV behind you, or at you, and ask any person who has, it is very, very easy to simply say, “…why did you just not move over?” – Well, all I can say is, until you have been in such a situation, you have no idea, and I mean absolutely no idea, how that sort of acute stress disables your normal thought process. And "However I’ll say this, imagine now, its not me or you driving, instead... 

...the driver is your pregnant wife, your mother, your father, your 85 year old grandfather or grandmother...or perhaps it’s your son or daughter; they have not long past their test. 

Do you honestly and truthfully believe that anyone, regardless of who they are, should have their life put in danger, and that of other motorists because they didn't happen to move out of the way quickly enough?

What if their vehicle had spun out, hit the central reservation, hopped over into the northbound carriage killing an entire young family in the process? And it goes on and on. Emotional claptrap that's usually the sort of stuff you see and hear on tv shows that are playing to an audience, just like this idiot. If you have an artic or anything else beside you that looks like it's going to side swipe you, you either move over out of the way, brake or accelerate, not just sit there watching it all happen for the sake of bigging yourself up.

Yes the lorry driver is an idiot for doing what he did for whatever reason he did it, but this Stockdale character is an **** of the highest order with very little in the way of driving skill, anticipation or plain and simple common sense !


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## Olly13 (Jun 22, 2015)

I have signed it too very bad!


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