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A significant number of UK motorists remain confused about the rules surrounding middle lane driving, despite the offence carrying financial penalties and the potential to increase risks on the motorway network, according to new research from Nextbase.
The dashcam manufacturer found that three in five drivers do not fully understand the legal requirements relating to middle lane use, while only one in 18 motorists can correctly identify the penalty for the offence. The findings are based on a survey of 2,000 UK adults and suggest there is a considerable gap between how drivers perceive their motorway behaviour and their actual knowledge of the rules.
Under the Highway Code, motorists should remain in the left-hand lane unless overtaking. However, despite this guidance, 17% of respondents admitted they would naturally drive in the middle lane when traffic levels are low, while a further 10% said they would move directly into the outside lane even when there is no need to overtake.
Perhaps most surprisingly, many drivers regard middle lane hogging as a more serious safety issue than using a mobile phone behind the wheel, speeding, tailgating and failing to indicate. Those who view unnecessary middle-lane driving as a problem cited a range of concerns, including that it restricts traffic flow and makes it harder to move between lanes safely, and that it leads to unnecessary overtaking manoeuvres.
The survey also highlighted a disconnect between confidence and knowledge among younger motorists. Although drivers aged 17 to 24 were among the least likely to know the law on middle-lane use, nearly 8 in 10 said they were confident they used motorway lanes correctly. Regionally, London recorded the highest proportion of drivers who default to the middle lane, with almost three in 10 admitting to the habit.
Bryn Brooker, head of road safety at Nextbase, said, “Middle lane driving doesn’t get the same attention as using a phone at the wheel or tailgating, but the risks are still high. When drivers sit in the middle lane unnecessarily, others are forced into overtaking manoeuvres they wouldn't otherwise need to make, and that creates danger. The fact that most people don't even know it’s illegal means it goes unchallenged every day on Britain's motorways.”
Driving instructor and content creator Francis Noakes, better known through the popular Driving School TV channel, added, “The confidence gap is what really stands out in this data, and it is something I see every day on the road with my students. Most drivers genuinely believe they are doing the right thing, but the numbers tell a different story. Until awareness improves and enforcement catches up, middle lane driving will stay one of the most common and most overlooked problems on UK roads.”
The research also suggests there is support for stronger enforcement. More than half of motorists surveyed backed the use of cameras to identify and penalise drivers who unnecessarily remain in the middle lane, while only a quarter opposed the idea.
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