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Middle lane hogging is an age-old motoring frustration that shows no sign of going away yet.
It's a particular issue on UK roads, with a recent survey of National Highways reveals that one in three drivers surveyed admit to middle-lane hogging.
There is even a national campaign broadcasting radio, TV adverts and social media posts targeting lane hoggers and attempting to change their ways.
Here we take a closer look at middle lane hoggers, answering the questions: is it illegal, why do people do it and is it ever justified?
Why is middle-lane hogging bad?
During busy periods, middle-lane hogging can cause congestion as traffic funnels through the outside lane to pass a lane hogger.
If the driver in the middle lane moved over, the same traffic could be split over two lanes, spreading the flow of traffic to prevent it bunching up in the other lanes.
Many also see staying in the middle lane as selfish, because if a person needs to pass the middle lane hogger, they may have to go into the left lane to pass. Which is a no no for trucks.
While aggressive driving and undertaking cannot be justified under any circumstances, middle lane hogging is said to be a primary cause of frustration among motorists, and the resulting actions some drivers take to get around lane hoggers causes danger to all road users.
Why do people middle-lane hog?Is middle-lane hogging ever justified?Is middle-lane hogging illegal?What should you do if you see a middle-lane hogger?
Despite widespread publicity around the fines for careless driving since their introduction, middle-lane hoggers are still a common sight across the US.
While annoying, you should resist the urge to react because being overcome with road rage is more dangerous than lane hogging.
Avoid reacting because you may get more than you bargained for. Try to move to the left lane when safe to do so.
How can middle-lane hogging be stopped?
There are laws in place to stop middle lane hogging but police officers have so much more to deal with and generally let it slide.
Education, rather than punishment, is a more viable way of reducing the number of lane hoggers in the long term.
Highway lessons are not a part of learning to drive and they are not part of the driving test.
If student drivers were given practical lessons in lane discipline, this would help reduce the number of lane hoggers.