Telegraph journalist guilty of middle lane hogging, and proud

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The rules of the road are written so as to provide a safe, yet speedy environment for drivers to get from A to B.

We've all seen the consequences caused by exceeding the speed limit or using a mobile phone, but the spotlight has now been turned on 'middle lane hoggers' - drivers who believe that maintaining a constant speed in the middle lane of a motorway is in fact the best way forward.

Whilst neither speeding, nor driving too slowly, these drivers are now breaking the law, which was changed in 2013 to make lane hogging an offence, as well as other anti-social driving behaviour such as tailgating.

This month saw a van driver – believed to be the first in the country – prosecuted through the courts for obstructing the middle lane. It's a case that has caused one newspaper columnist to speak out in favour of middle-lane hoggers.

A Telegraph journalist, Allison Pearson, has caused controversy is a recent column, in which she proudly admits to being a middle lane hogger, suggesting that it is the best "place where you are safest from maniacs".

She went on to detail her "barely containable fury" at her fellow drivers, and her disapproval at their driving habits, describing them as "loonies", "Clarksons" and "random psychopaths".

However, far from agreeing with her assertion that her and other members of Pearson's self-dubbed "Central Lane Residents' Association" are the safest drivers on the road, almost all of the 1,500 commenters on the article criticised her way of thinking, with some suggesting she re-read the Highway Code, and other simply resorting to calling her a "dangerous idiot".

A reader poll included in the column shows that only 14 per cent of over 8,600 participating motorists admit to middle lane hogging, with the remainder claiming to use all three lanes correctly.

Do you middle-lane hog? What is your reason for breaking the law? 

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