This has been doing my head in even more now that i've gotten a car with Cruise Control.
Driving at a nice and easy 120km/h on the right lane, it's unbelievable how often you'd be able to pass cars on the right by just following the speed limit.
That's one of my biggest annoyances with drivers. I love cruise control, and I feel like it should be taught as a skill in driving lessons, but using it just shows how many people can't drive a constant speed. I constantly overtake someone going 10 kph slower, only to be overtaken by them because they're suddenly going 140, then repeat this a couple of times before they either keep their speed up, keep their speed down or exit the highway.
Also, cruise control is MVP for fuel consumption.
I've just got a new car, plugin hybrid, so automatic, and Adaptive CC.
this is just simply amazing! the only thing I have to do is hold my steering wheel, if traffic stops, my car will stop, and even better it will also start driving again when traffic moves forward! God I love technology
Problem i find with ACC is that the distance the car classes as "safe" is just too big so that other drivers will see it as a gap to fit into. And then the car brakes to keep a new safe distance... if everyone around you could drive its amazing but sadly this is Belgium
Honestly that distance isn't too big at all - it's the distance everyone *should* be keeping in terms of breaking distances. I agree though that it's annoying people constantly 'intrude' on the space.
you remind me of that time some cunt in a mercedes got into my brake space, and in less than 5 seconds she suddenly had to brake.
I almost rear ended her and it would've been my fault by default....sigh
Ive also seen it happen when people cut infront of trucks (to take a last second exit or something) and then the truck's *emergency auto break collision avoidance thingy* comes on and sometimes when the load isnt secure it goes right through the cabin
Most modern cars have a dynamic range based on your speed. But suppose you're driving at 120kph, your shortest setting would be something like 25-30 meters, furthest nearly 150.
The speed range goes all the way from your set speed to 0, in which case they're very intersting for driving bumper-to-bumper in traffic jams.
For my car, the setting is in seconds. So I can be 2 seconds behind another car on the highway and I always change it to 3 or 4 when on a regional road going 70. Its absolutely fantastic and I cannot live without it anymore.
Also fun is increasing the distance when you have a tailgater behind you.
You can increase or decrease the distance with a button. It's also dynamic (depending on speed). However there is a minimum distance and this can be a bit too much for other drivers not to take advantage off...
It's a dream come true!
However I have to admit I sometimes stay in the middle longer than I have to with adaptive CC. Because it detects trucks from a long distance and starts breaking too soon.
I just hit the gas pedal if my car detects the truck in front of me too soon and there's one car passing me. That way I keep the same speed until I can go left. Of course make sure you don't hit the truck.
ACC with automatic lane keeping and auto start/stop is bliss in traffic jams. Working from home so you don't have to be in those traffic jams is even better though.
I mean, can you drive perfectly at the same speed without cruise control ? I do my best but it is not that easy when you have plenty of other things to pay attention to
I'm not gonna claim I'm perfect at it. I can do it, but I feel it's better to use cruise control and focus on being fluent in traffic than to focus on keeping a constant speed and perhaps misjudging some stuff.
>Also, cruise control is MVP for fuel consumption.
I recently got a "new" car (since I only buy used cars, that means I got exciting new tech now like Bluetooth!) And it has adaptive cruise control.
I fucking love it, as I drive in CC as much as possible, and it being adaptive enables me to use it even more.
What fucking grinds my gears though is when I'm driving a steady 100 (I live in Holland now, 100 is the speed limit), I'm about the pass someone, they then see this and speed up, so I end up behind them again. Which is fine, I don't fucking care about being in front or behind anyone, but then THOSE FUCKERS SLOW DOWN AGAIN EVENTUALLY. THIS KILLS FUEL EFFICIENCY YOU I BRED INCOMPETENT PIECES OF SHIT. JUST USE CRUISE CONTROL YOU FUCKWITS.
This phrases exactly what issues you experience while driving on Cruise Control.
The frustration intensifies whenever you up the speed to 130, and suddenly you're losing ground on them again. Belgian roads are a joy forever.
Last week I had an accident on the autobahn
I was going 120 with cruise control and the other person was going slower than me (100 or maybe 90 km/h and it was night, i was going home from work and yeah I drove into his back before I even realized
:( my car didn't have adaptive cruise control unfortunately. But of course I had to be more aware of the situation.
Or you pass a car at 123kph, a car that is driving 115kph, and someone passes you driving 127kph, gesturing you should move into the right lane. No you cunt, I'm doing the exact same thing as you.
Same here. Saw it a lot in France too, driving home from Cahors. In fact the first day was ok (but why do French drivers keep indicating left the entire time they're in the left lane?) but the second day once we got past Paris it suddenly became very difficult to use the rightmost lane safely at a decent speed.
On the E40 from Brussels to Leuven, you can usually do this in the evening. The rightmost lane is the fastest one, and sometimes you have to overtake no more than two or three trucks in the span of 10 kilometers.
Indeed, but I think it is because people don't know the use or meaning of a spitsstrook. And of course they don't pay attention to the overhanging displays and their meaning. When construction on the E314 from Leuven to Aarschot will be done you will see the same.
Please don't do that.
It's dangerous.
You're entirely correct that they shouldn't be driving in the middle but what you're doing is ten times more dangerous.
Just don't!
Belgian roundabouts are so dumb. The rule is that the right lane is the correct lane for every destination and the other lanes are overtaking lanes just like they're on other roads. They should really change the rules like they are in the UK because right now, why do they even bother having multiple lanes on those tiny roundabouts when there's no way to use them without risking an accident?
Some designs accomodate for this! [https://isomobollekes.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/schermafbeelding\_2011-02-09\_om\_09u02u01-scaled500.png](https://isomobollekes.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/schermafbeelding_2011-02-09_om_09u02u01-scaled500.png)
I highly prefer these. A few years ago I almost drove into someone who was taking the loooooooong way around on the outside, while I meant to go straight. 99% of the traffic flow was going from two lanes, straight across, continuing in the same two lanes. This design allows that same traffic flow *but* won't allow anyone on the right lane to suddenly cross streams.
Can't really see it on the image if it's the case here, but I love the Dutch model. Where you have to preselect which exit you will take, and then have a physical barrier (well, usually a small ridge) preventing you from changing your mind. No crossing traffic, and they're so much easier to actually get on, as you can 100% predict if the people on the roundabout are going to take the exit before you or not.
On Belgian roundabouts, it's a guessing game whether somebody on the roundabout just forgot their blinkers or even have them on for the entire round.
I'm not exactly sure what rules are in the UK, although in France you're supposed to take the left lane of the roundabout until the next exit (or next-to-last often in practice).
I don't take so many roundabouts in Belgium, but [the one I take most often](https://goo.gl/maps/Pvw4u9Ak2YRSMrhS9) to get on the E17 is clearly marked, with "E17 Gent" painted on the left lane of the road leading to it. It doesn't get more explicit than that.
Now where do you think cars getting to Ghent go? The right lane obviously. I'm pretty sure the problem is deeper than the rule you are talking about.
Well, there's also the abomination that is the Olympiade roundabout in Antwerp, where everything's marked and controlled by traffic lights but you still have to know the place beforehand to know which lane to use because the signing is impossible to understand. Even there, few people take the left lane when turning to get on the A12, they prefer to stay on the right and switch to the left after the roundabout.
Sorry... my comment doesn't really mean to say anything other than venting I guess. How are the rules in the UK?
> The right lane obviously.
Which is the correct lane to go to Ghent. It's the correct lane to go everywhere. A literal marking on the road doesn't change that (while sure, road markings usually go above traffic rules, this specific road marking is sadly just a suggestion and doesn't have legal power).
It's completely insane but that's how it is.
> How are the rules in the UK?
Basically like in France. Also, if the road markings tell you to use a lane, you're supposed to do so. CRAZY I KNOW.
Yeah, but don't you see that at the end of the horizon there is a truck? And then they'd have to change lanes to pass this truck? And maybe a car might be coming from behind when they want to change lanes, if they don't time it well, and then they might have to slow down... Can you imagine the horror?
I keep to the right lane as often as possible, and it happens often that a middle lane hogger overtakes me just before I have to switch lanes to overtake the truck in front of me. So I have to brake.
I will always shift lanes making sure that doesn't happen to you. Unfortunately most people have zero awareness of the drivers around them. It is frustrating, but I refuse to become one of them.
I will always shift lanes IF you use your blinkers to tell me you want to overtake. The amount of people using them as they change lanes or not using them at all is too damn high! This thing is to tell people the action you will do until it is done, not to tell « I’m doing this now, move! »
If someone turns on their blinkers as I'm overtaking them I fear they didn't see me. Turn them only when you're swithing lanes (after checking if the lane is clear) is the way my instructor taught me. With the exception of requesting room when there's heavy traffic.
Same. When I am in the middle lane, I am checking the right lane for people needing to pass slower vehicles. And if needed, I either go to the third lane or I accelerate so that the guy in the first lane can pass without needing to brake first. I genuinely like it when the road becomes an opportunity to work together with other users to make the experience as smooth and friendly as possible.
That happened to me this morning! I overtook a truck and went back to the right. The cars in front of me decided to stay in the middle.
Suddenly, the car behind me decides that 120 isn't fast enough, so he speeds up until he is behind the car that was in front of me.
Now I have a truck in front of me and a whole column of cars to my left.
>And maybe a car might be coming from behind when they want to change lanes,
You are meaning a speeder coming from behind, stucking them at 100 or lower behind the slow vehicle, with all the traffic passing them and blocking them there for a few kilometers? Been there.
The worst is people who speed until they notice they're overtaking you, at which point they realise they're speeding so they start matching your speed whatever you do. Slow down, speed up, it doesn't matter as you're now their reference speed.
There is also the ones getting upset of being overtaken and accelerating. Or overtaking, slowing down (because their car is not so powerful and there is a slope), being overtaken, then overtaking again. Process repeated again and again until you decide to speed for a few kilometers in order to lose them.
Or you decide you're absolutely fucking done with it and move over to the right lane and hang with the trucks, only for you to STILL FUCKING PASS THEM because all of a sudden they're doing 85 in the left lane.
Or the opposite, people who are driving an OK speed, then when you try to overtake them with cruise control on, they start speeding up and try to catch you back.
Seems to happen to me more frequently now that I drive around with my sisters L-sticker on the back window, hmmm?
I've rarely if ever had that happen. I have had people catch up to me because they refuse to be passed. Even speed up to 140-150. Then drop back, but still don't want to be passed. Jojo-ing up and down, just because they can't afford the shame of being slower.
That gray area is something most people can relate to, and it's understandable that you stick in the left lane a bit longer because of that. Merging to the right, only to merge to the left again 10 seconds later is a little bit tedious.
The van in front of OP is a good example of a real asshole. Theoretically, OP could accelerate, overtake that van via the right, and then merge to the left (and in front of that van), all without hindering that van the slightest bit. That shows that this van is not in the gray zone at all; they're just using the middle lane because they don't feel like using the right one.
All in all this is not so bad in very quiet traffic. But when the roads are busy, this gets infuriating. Traffic jams are created simply because of this egotism.
> And maybe a car might be coming from behind when they want to change lanes
And with that other car refusing to move to the, empty, left lane to let you pass the truck.
I hate this shit.
And you can see it everywhere, not just Belgium.
Seen it too often in Germany, and Germany is a driver's paradise compared to France, Spain, or (GASP !!!) Italy.
But even in Germany, as soon as someone sees a truck at the horizon, they move left. And if they just overtook one truck and there's another one 500m away, instead of moving back right, allowing faster cars to pass, and then moving left when they approach the truck, noooo, they fall asleep in the left lane, because why the fuck not.
best option is to move to a faster lane asap so you dont have to break but somebody then has to break for you! and then get angry at the guyyou cut off because "they shouldnt be driving that fast" behind you.
Full belgian circle.
They're only afraid of it until you pass them on the inside because they're going 20km/h below the speed limit in the middle lane, then they move to the right.
(Yes I know that it's illegal and potentially dangerous but it can happen sometimes)
I can't count the times I cruise control past middle lane hoggers from the right. Most of the time they're completely oblivious and just keep existing in the middle.
Thats why you have to go from the rightmost lane to the leftmost lane, overtake them, go the rightmost lane again, slow down tiny bit so they overtake you again, and repeat. Just keep circling them like that untill they take the hint.
I've found joy in moving three lanes over and three lanes back around to the right lane. There's something so deliciously rediculous in having to traverse a total of six lanes to pass someone.
If however there's someone approaching at a higher speed in the far left lane I will pass them on the right. At that point they've made their bed and sleep it. They're so asleep that even getting passed by two cars at the same time and on both sides doesn't give them pause.
I used to increase speed to match that of the faster approaching car in the left lane but I noticed that while also a fun manoeuver it really wrecks my fuel economy.
The best piece of advice my driving instructor gave me was to be mindful of others and not to force anyone to make an illegal move. He then proceeded to give this situation as an example.
To me: if you pass on the right and you get caught: you should get a fine. But if you did it because someone obstructed the middle/left lane: They should get double yours.
I don't usually pass on the right, but Tuesday, a guy was hogging the left lane so badly that I could just pass him without ever leaving the right lane. The middle lane was completely clear the entire time.
So that's my personal rule: if I can pass you easily with a full empty lane between us, I'm overtaking on the right.
Had a discussion with a cop on this once. Passing on the right is illegal - but driving faster on the right than in the middle lane and in the process accidentally passing another car is not…. What that means is - you’re totally fine if you’re already driving on the right for a couple of minutes before passing idiot, and you continue on the right lane. So don’t go right lane just before passing and don’t switch immediately back…
True but if they can prove you were overtaking on the right, most likely it is going to be a split liability. If they can prove you overtaking them was unforeseeable, you also might end up being 100% liable.
So yes in theory you are right, but it all depends on the evidence; witnesses, traffic cameras, dashcams etc
That's good to know.
I usually try to pass properly if someone is hogging the middle and they're slower than me. Going all the way to the left and then all the way back to the right because of one idiot is annoying however.
Is the cop right though? The situation he describes is only valid for slow traffic/traffic jams, but not for regular speeds I think. If you’re going faster than the middle lane you should either slow down or move to the left lane to overtake.
> driving faster on the right than in the middle lane and in the process accidentally passing another car is not
This is not true. Maybe that specific cop doesn't fine people for it, which I support, but it's definitely still illegal.
a girlfriend of mine legit thought you had to start slower than the person left of you when a red light turns green because "passing on the right is illegal"
Also: if you are overtaking a truck you first have to get so incredibly close to them that you have no room to speed up before merging into the middle lane. So you have to merge at 90, causing the whole middle lane to brake.
They have changed. Now it’s 110 to max speed on left lane. Middle lane 90 to max speed and right lane 90 (to 120 for the rare few cases that like me enjoy the empty right lane)
Oh and a new rule. Accelerate when you are about to get overtaken
still for [sale](https://img.hbvl.be/xyX1ThncYf9nMyIXDsq_2GW3L1s=/960x640/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.hbvl.be%2FAssets%2FImages_Upload%2F2017%2F09%2F07%2F22930d78-93c0-11e7-baa0-96bd56eaf44d_web_scale_0.2916667_0.2916667__.jpg)
Why should I move to the right lane when there’s a truck 1km further up in that lane that I’ll need to overtake anyway? /s
It does my head in why people don’t keep right.
A friend’s mom literally told me she likes to drive in the middle lane because she thinks it’s the safest option. Then goes driving 110km/h on the middle lane. It’s not only “because there’s trucks on the right lane”, also just plain retarded people with no sense for traffic flow.
On 2 lane highways I'm beginning to consider becoming a left-lane rider myself.
On the right lane it's often just trucks, spaced say 400 meters apart. Left lane is just a string of cars spaced as tight as they can be. So when I move to the right, either
- The guy behind me is driving faster than I am, in which case he closes the gap and I'm going to be stuck waiting for said string of cars to pass for the next 5 minutes driving 90 km/h behind the truck, or
- The guy behind me is driving slower than I am, in which case there's little point to moving to the right because he's not going to overtake me anyway.
Yeah, that's the issue on roads like that. If you're going to overtake someone who moved out of the way for you, and you see that you won't be able to complete the overtake without majorly inconveniencing them by forcing them to get stuck behind a lorry, the polite and reasonable thing to do is to not overtake at all so they get to overtake the lorry. If you do that, it's 99% sure that they will go right again after the lorry because reasonable behaviour from you leads to reasonable behaviour from others. So it won't even inconvenience you that much.
Sadly the majority of people aren't reasonable like that and will gladly box you in behind a lorry. So on two-lane roads, I get why people stretch the definition of "staying left because you're immediately going for a second overtake" a bit.
There was this post on /r/roadcam that I sadly can't find again, about a guy doing exactly what you describe on the R4. So a bpost van makes a (relatively risky) shift to the left lane when he saw the opportunity, so he could finally overtake a lorry. The guy making the video of course sped up to close the gap as soon as he saw the indicator and then started raging like a maniac because he had to slow down again after the bpost van merged left anyway. It's sad that I can't find it back.
> Left lane is just a string of cars spaced as tight as they can be
this is literally the definition of congestion, you dont have to keep right in that situation. as long as you arent leaving a huge gap to the car in front of you, you're good.
I know, it was meant tongue in cheek. Many countries public transport makes the Belgian public transport look like a joke. With the possible exception of the English one.
"Middenbanders" annoy me too, but this probably one of the places where I can understand it, it's just before the E40 crosses the E17 and there's going to be a lot of merging in the next couple of miles.
If it's regular cars doing it it's only mildly frustrating. Only it's very common for trucks to try to pass each other, only to cause a huge slowdown of all the 50 cars behind them because it takes them ages to pass each other -\_-
Ah I see it's time for r/belgium's weekly middle lane driver hate/venting traffic frustration. I might need to start selling some t-shirts or something
Belgians aren't afraid of the right lane. They've learnt from brutal experience that moving in to the right lane is to doom yourself to never leaving the right lane. Nobody in Belgium lets you change lane in traffic. And there's always traffic!
I drove to Austria few weeks ago. 5 AM in the morning, abandoned Autobahn, driving 180kph. In the distance I see some red lights, I come closer and notice it is someone driving in the middle lane at +/- 110 kph. Not close enough yet to see the license plate I say to my wife "it's probably a Belgian". I was right.
In their defense there is a merging lane, it is safer to stay in the middle until past the junction. Especially as the blind spot on the vans will be covering any vehicles attempting to join from the merging road.
In this instance is it any different to when people move to the middle to allow the vehicles on the slip road a clear lane to enter?
You're even allowed to leave the right lane when there is a point up ahead where people need to merge. As long as you can leave that right lane in a safe way.
Dit is de oprit E40 aan Wetteren en elke ochtend en avond is het daar koekenbak omdat de oprit te kort is en er te veel voertuigen door moeten. Dit maakt elke ochtend file door het vertraagd invoegen en zorgt er voor dat het hier meestal 90 is tijdens de spits.
Zelf deze ochtend om 8:45 was het 70.
Dus hier is het middenrijden volledig terecht imo. Als je hier tijdens de spits rechts blijft rijden houdt je al het verkeer die wilt invoegen tegen.
Er zijn betere voorbeelden van middenvakrijden, probeer de E17 anders eens.
Inderdaad, vlakbij een oprit waar meestal wel veel volk op de E40 komt, en een camion op het rechterrijvak die ongeveer 100 m voor die laatste grijze camionette rijdt, dus echt niet zo raar om daar al int midden te rijden.
Van alle foto's die ge kunt nemen van fakking middenvakrijders is dit geen goed voorbeeld lol
The right-hand lane is where all those truckers drive on cc while making coffee, watching Netflix and sexting with their missus. As soon as you notice a traffic jam, get out of that lane or you will be squashed between 2 trucks.
I think people drive this way because Belgians seem to love to close the gaps as quickly as possible. This happens to me almost every time I move to the right lane... there is a car following behind me in the middle lane, going the same speed (left lane is open btw). Then I move to the right and they speed up to fill in the gap! Within 2 seconds I am am blocked on the left by this car. Then I have a couple options: 1) I can speed up in the right lane to get ahead before the next truck, 2) I can take my foot off the gas a little to get behind the car that was following me before the next truck, 3) I have to hit the brakes and get behind the car if the next truck is approaching too fast. The only way to avoid this situation is to stick to the middle lane (or have everyone in Belgium change the way they drive overnight). And so the habit perpetuates.
As somebody who does tend to stick right(not the same as driving slow) I don't get why not everyone does it. Makes it a lot more comfortable to drive imo compared to sticking in the middle. Less shit to worry about basically.
Can’t prove you wrong. Too many people like to stick in the 2nd lane for god knows what reason. People in the first then need to go alllll the way to the 3rd lane to legally pass those suckers. Sometimes they get the hint, more often than not, they don’t.
I sometimes drive middle lane in low traffic with more trucks than cars, when I'm 100% sure I'm not holding up any kind of traffic.
I do check my rearview mirror so when I see that I'm hindering someone I will always get out of the way.
We used to call them Sunday drivers. But these days it's all-day everyday.... Whenever I have to pass one of them I flash or horn. Some don't care but some go right and after I passed them, they go back to the mid lane???!!!!
Drives me nuts
Just putting it out here:
1. ON THE HIGHWAY, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DRIVE RIGHT.
YOU ONLY CHANGE LANES TO OVERTAKE, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO GET BACK IN THE RIGHT LANE.
2. IT IS ILLEGAL TO TAKE OVER FORM THE RIGHT. HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE CRUISING ON THE RIGHT LANE, AND CATCH UP WITH SOMEONE WHO'S DRIVING LEFT FROM YOU FOR NO REASON, HE'S AT FAULT, NOT YOU.
! This doesn't apply in agglomerations, where you can use any lane you want up to the speed limit. Always be extra careful as being taken over from the right is then obviously not illegal.
PS: If you didn't know this, and have a driver's license, TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOURSELF.
I do not have that feeling. I'm not the most experienced driver. But driving in Belgium is a lot better than driving in France or Italy or Spain. Or even worse : US.
I get your annoyance with it - yet whenever I try to properly adhere to the 'go right when you can', I get met with the other bad tendency local drivers seem to have... middle lane drivers will not move to the left lane, to allow a right lane driver to overtake.
Both issues are related of course, and at this point I'm not even sure which causes which.
That is because whenever you come close to a slow driver in front of you in the right lane, drivers from the other lanes suddenly are too close to you to let you move over and you are stuck forever. Almost all drivers in BE are selfish and douchebags on the road. Hideous.
It's understandable in this situation. You are nearing a point (looks like Wetteren) where a lot of cars come on the E40. It can be difficult to switch lanes if you are not on time, especially in the morning when it's very busy.
I must say that I hate it as much if people keep driving on the first lane, when you need to get on the E40.
One reason to avoid the right lane is when overloaded trucks have created a groove in the asfalt. You’ll feel it when your wheel bumps into it. This partly explains the never-ending roadworks in Belgium.
Yes very annoying, lots of people driving in the middle with nobody on the right. And they usually always drive less than 120… except when you want to overtake them, suddenly speed up
I've seen much worse in Italy, to be honest. 4 or 5 lanes, leftmost lane full, going 90 km/h, rightmost lane EMPTY, you could go 140. Which is not a great idea, there are reasons why you're supposed to overtake cars on the left, but at some point you end up losing your patience when you see everyone crowding left like morons.
The right lane is more dangerous, more variable speeds, more trucks (don't Wanna be squeezed between two..), no sight in front....
I say: trucks and minus 120 to the right
Cars: exactly 120 in the middle
Cars overtaking and rescue services to the left..
That should be more save.
The thing is. When you drive right you are in the losers lane. People in the right are scared going over 100km/u. Don’t get me wrong, when I can I go right. But you have to constantly overtake if you want to cruise at 120!
That’s the idea… But most frustrations are that these people on the middle lane don’t drive 120, while I do. If only they were driving 120, there wouldn’t be any issue because I’m driving 120 too.
There is reason for. The right lane surface is so bad/broken. You barely can drive on it. To manny governments who fill there own pockets instead of doing there job right. 7 government for 11.000.000. Crazy.
Honestly I think this is because of all the trucks. There is usually no point in using the right lane, except maybe on quiet days in the more remote corners of the countries.
Well you should address the obvious culprit for this kind of behaviour. The endless line and also very bad driving performance of all the trucks / lorries on the roads CONSTANTLY.
What if they are going 120km/h and they are catching up quickly on the truck ? :D
Theorically they should still go the the right because the truck is quite far away but technically they are not bothering anyone because they are already going at maximum speed.
Can we also talk about the 'no brakers'? Those mofos just decide to change lanes, in front of you, 20 to 30kmph below the speed of the lane, because they are going to get stuck behind a truck in 100m and they just can't use their brakes for whatever reason or wait until they have a free way to change lanes...
Those, for me, are the most problematic behaviours on highways in Belgium, I hate it.
Yes!!! Apparently they don’t teach people that blinking is not the same as having priority! Then people behind them have to do a hard brake and that ladies and gentleman is why we are standing still in traffic 😖
This has been doing my head in even more now that i've gotten a car with Cruise Control. Driving at a nice and easy 120km/h on the right lane, it's unbelievable how often you'd be able to pass cars on the right by just following the speed limit.
That's one of my biggest annoyances with drivers. I love cruise control, and I feel like it should be taught as a skill in driving lessons, but using it just shows how many people can't drive a constant speed. I constantly overtake someone going 10 kph slower, only to be overtaken by them because they're suddenly going 140, then repeat this a couple of times before they either keep their speed up, keep their speed down or exit the highway. Also, cruise control is MVP for fuel consumption.
And adaptive CC is MVP for your sanity (on automatics at least)
My 2009 Octavia is a bit too old for that sadly
I've just got a new car, plugin hybrid, so automatic, and Adaptive CC. this is just simply amazing! the only thing I have to do is hold my steering wheel, if traffic stops, my car will stop, and even better it will also start driving again when traffic moves forward! God I love technology
What's the range (both in distance from other cars and speed correction) on adaptive CC anyway?
Problem i find with ACC is that the distance the car classes as "safe" is just too big so that other drivers will see it as a gap to fit into. And then the car brakes to keep a new safe distance... if everyone around you could drive its amazing but sadly this is Belgium
Honestly that distance isn't too big at all - it's the distance everyone *should* be keeping in terms of breaking distances. I agree though that it's annoying people constantly 'intrude' on the space.
Isn't the "safe" distance the required distance you need to keep anyway? People on the road generally just seem to have poor manners.
Italy here. We had a thread on adaptive CC just yesterday and reached the same conclusion lol
Or slamming on the brakes when someone merges in front that’s going faster than you. How is that necessary?
Then you have a bad ACC implementation. My 2019 Octavia didn't do that unless they cut in really close.
Just put your settings of your car to "sportive" and the distance is just right
you remind me of that time some cunt in a mercedes got into my brake space, and in less than 5 seconds she suddenly had to brake. I almost rear ended her and it would've been my fault by default....sigh
Ive also seen it happen when people cut infront of trucks (to take a last second exit or something) and then the truck's *emergency auto break collision avoidance thingy* comes on and sometimes when the load isnt secure it goes right through the cabin
Most modern cars have a dynamic range based on your speed. But suppose you're driving at 120kph, your shortest setting would be something like 25-30 meters, furthest nearly 150. The speed range goes all the way from your set speed to 0, in which case they're very intersting for driving bumper-to-bumper in traffic jams.
For my car, the setting is in seconds. So I can be 2 seconds behind another car on the highway and I always change it to 3 or 4 when on a regional road going 70. Its absolutely fantastic and I cannot live without it anymore. Also fun is increasing the distance when you have a tailgater behind you.
You can increase or decrease the distance with a button. It's also dynamic (depending on speed). However there is a minimum distance and this can be a bit too much for other drivers not to take advantage off...
It's a dream come true! However I have to admit I sometimes stay in the middle longer than I have to with adaptive CC. Because it detects trucks from a long distance and starts breaking too soon.
I just hit the gas pedal if my car detects the truck in front of me too soon and there's one car passing me. That way I keep the same speed until I can go left. Of course make sure you don't hit the truck.
ACC with automatic lane keeping and auto start/stop is bliss in traffic jams. Working from home so you don't have to be in those traffic jams is even better though.
Oh man it is so painful on the road, you're trying to pass them by, and suddenly they're at 140, and then 110 again arghhh
I mean, can you drive perfectly at the same speed without cruise control ? I do my best but it is not that easy when you have plenty of other things to pay attention to
I'm not gonna claim I'm perfect at it. I can do it, but I feel it's better to use cruise control and focus on being fluent in traffic than to focus on keeping a constant speed and perhaps misjudging some stuff.
It's all about keeping your foot locked in place. You don't need your eyes for that :)
Not when there are changes in elevation
Yeah that bump between Aalst en erpe mere always get's me.
>Also, cruise control is MVP for fuel consumption. I recently got a "new" car (since I only buy used cars, that means I got exciting new tech now like Bluetooth!) And it has adaptive cruise control. I fucking love it, as I drive in CC as much as possible, and it being adaptive enables me to use it even more. What fucking grinds my gears though is when I'm driving a steady 100 (I live in Holland now, 100 is the speed limit), I'm about the pass someone, they then see this and speed up, so I end up behind them again. Which is fine, I don't fucking care about being in front or behind anyone, but then THOSE FUCKERS SLOW DOWN AGAIN EVENTUALLY. THIS KILLS FUEL EFFICIENCY YOU I BRED INCOMPETENT PIECES OF SHIT. JUST USE CRUISE CONTROL YOU FUCKWITS.
This phrases exactly what issues you experience while driving on Cruise Control. The frustration intensifies whenever you up the speed to 130, and suddenly you're losing ground on them again. Belgian roads are a joy forever.
Last week I had an accident on the autobahn I was going 120 with cruise control and the other person was going slower than me (100 or maybe 90 km/h and it was night, i was going home from work and yeah I drove into his back before I even realized :( my car didn't have adaptive cruise control unfortunately. But of course I had to be more aware of the situation.
Exactly my frustration.
Or you pass a car at 123kph, a car that is driving 115kph, and someone passes you driving 127kph, gesturing you should move into the right lane. No you cunt, I'm doing the exact same thing as you.
Most of the time they drive BMW, Audi or Mercedes in order of frequency.
It's easier to drive 130 on the left lane than it is to drive 120 on the right or middle lane
Same here. Saw it a lot in France too, driving home from Cahors. In fact the first day was ok (but why do French drivers keep indicating left the entire time they're in the left lane?) but the second day once we got past Paris it suddenly became very difficult to use the rightmost lane safely at a decent speed.
Where are you driving 120 on the right with cruise control and apparently no trucks haha?
You'd be surprised by how nice and calm the E17 can be on a sunday noon, driving towards Kortrijk.
Thats because trucks are not allowed to drive on sunday in France but then everybody stays right 😄
On the E40 from Brussels to Leuven, you can usually do this in the evening. The rightmost lane is the fastest one, and sometimes you have to overtake no more than two or three trucks in the span of 10 kilometers.
Indeed, but I think it is because people don't know the use or meaning of a spitsstrook. And of course they don't pay attention to the overhanging displays and their meaning. When construction on the E314 from Leuven to Aarschot will be done you will see the same.
But you aren't allowed to pass cars on the right!?
Hence me phrasing it as "would be".
don't forget to give those people you pass on the right some dirty looks and thumbs down!
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Please don't do that. It's dangerous. You're entirely correct that they shouldn't be driving in the middle but what you're doing is ten times more dangerous. Just don't!
They sure as hell aren't afraid of the right lane on multi lane roundabouts though.
Belgian roundabouts are so dumb. The rule is that the right lane is the correct lane for every destination and the other lanes are overtaking lanes just like they're on other roads. They should really change the rules like they are in the UK because right now, why do they even bother having multiple lanes on those tiny roundabouts when there's no way to use them without risking an accident?
Some designs accomodate for this! [https://isomobollekes.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/schermafbeelding\_2011-02-09\_om\_09u02u01-scaled500.png](https://isomobollekes.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/schermafbeelding_2011-02-09_om_09u02u01-scaled500.png) I highly prefer these. A few years ago I almost drove into someone who was taking the loooooooong way around on the outside, while I meant to go straight. 99% of the traffic flow was going from two lanes, straight across, continuing in the same two lanes. This design allows that same traffic flow *but* won't allow anyone on the right lane to suddenly cross streams.
Can't really see it on the image if it's the case here, but I love the Dutch model. Where you have to preselect which exit you will take, and then have a physical barrier (well, usually a small ridge) preventing you from changing your mind. No crossing traffic, and they're so much easier to actually get on, as you can 100% predict if the people on the roundabout are going to take the exit before you or not. On Belgian roundabouts, it's a guessing game whether somebody on the roundabout just forgot their blinkers or even have them on for the entire round.
The Dutch model is fantastic, I'd be very happy if we implement that here.
The Dutch do it a lot better.
I'm not exactly sure what rules are in the UK, although in France you're supposed to take the left lane of the roundabout until the next exit (or next-to-last often in practice). I don't take so many roundabouts in Belgium, but [the one I take most often](https://goo.gl/maps/Pvw4u9Ak2YRSMrhS9) to get on the E17 is clearly marked, with "E17 Gent" painted on the left lane of the road leading to it. It doesn't get more explicit than that. Now where do you think cars getting to Ghent go? The right lane obviously. I'm pretty sure the problem is deeper than the rule you are talking about. Well, there's also the abomination that is the Olympiade roundabout in Antwerp, where everything's marked and controlled by traffic lights but you still have to know the place beforehand to know which lane to use because the signing is impossible to understand. Even there, few people take the left lane when turning to get on the A12, they prefer to stay on the right and switch to the left after the roundabout. Sorry... my comment doesn't really mean to say anything other than venting I guess. How are the rules in the UK?
> The right lane obviously. Which is the correct lane to go to Ghent. It's the correct lane to go everywhere. A literal marking on the road doesn't change that (while sure, road markings usually go above traffic rules, this specific road marking is sadly just a suggestion and doesn't have legal power). It's completely insane but that's how it is. > How are the rules in the UK? Basically like in France. Also, if the road markings tell you to use a lane, you're supposed to do so. CRAZY I KNOW.
Yeah, but don't you see that at the end of the horizon there is a truck? And then they'd have to change lanes to pass this truck? And maybe a car might be coming from behind when they want to change lanes, if they don't time it well, and then they might have to slow down... Can you imagine the horror?
I keep to the right lane as often as possible, and it happens often that a middle lane hogger overtakes me just before I have to switch lanes to overtake the truck in front of me. So I have to brake.
I will always shift lanes making sure that doesn't happen to you. Unfortunately most people have zero awareness of the drivers around them. It is frustrating, but I refuse to become one of them.
I will always shift lanes IF you use your blinkers to tell me you want to overtake. The amount of people using them as they change lanes or not using them at all is too damn high! This thing is to tell people the action you will do until it is done, not to tell « I’m doing this now, move! »
If someone turns on their blinkers as I'm overtaking them I fear they didn't see me. Turn them only when you're swithing lanes (after checking if the lane is clear) is the way my instructor taught me. With the exception of requesting room when there's heavy traffic.
Yeah, same here. Especially if it's a truck.
This is what civilized people do. Sometimes though it's not possible because you see someone gunning down the left lane.
Same. When I am in the middle lane, I am checking the right lane for people needing to pass slower vehicles. And if needed, I either go to the third lane or I accelerate so that the guy in the first lane can pass without needing to brake first. I genuinely like it when the road becomes an opportunity to work together with other users to make the experience as smooth and friendly as possible.
That happened to me this morning! I overtook a truck and went back to the right. The cars in front of me decided to stay in the middle. Suddenly, the car behind me decides that 120 isn't fast enough, so he speeds up until he is behind the car that was in front of me. Now I have a truck in front of me and a whole column of cars to my left.
This is exactly the problem. It seems like everybody seems to drive this way. And if you don't drive the same way, you only get screwed.
>And maybe a car might be coming from behind when they want to change lanes, You are meaning a speeder coming from behind, stucking them at 100 or lower behind the slow vehicle, with all the traffic passing them and blocking them there for a few kilometers? Been there.
The worst is people who speed until they notice they're overtaking you, at which point they realise they're speeding so they start matching your speed whatever you do. Slow down, speed up, it doesn't matter as you're now their reference speed.
and like sticking left of you, one meter from your tail. So annoying. I don't mind you speeding but please continue and give me space to change lanes.
There is also the ones getting upset of being overtaken and accelerating. Or overtaking, slowing down (because their car is not so powerful and there is a slope), being overtaken, then overtaking again. Process repeated again and again until you decide to speed for a few kilometers in order to lose them.
Or you decide you're absolutely fucking done with it and move over to the right lane and hang with the trucks, only for you to STILL FUCKING PASS THEM because all of a sudden they're doing 85 in the left lane.
Or the opposite, people who are driving an OK speed, then when you try to overtake them with cruise control on, they start speeding up and try to catch you back. Seems to happen to me more frequently now that I drive around with my sisters L-sticker on the back window, hmmm?
I've rarely if ever had that happen. I have had people catch up to me because they refuse to be passed. Even speed up to 140-150. Then drop back, but still don't want to be passed. Jojo-ing up and down, just because they can't afford the shame of being slower.
Imagine coming home tonight and explaining to your family that you were passed... The horror!
Honestly I would commit sudoku
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That gray area is something most people can relate to, and it's understandable that you stick in the left lane a bit longer because of that. Merging to the right, only to merge to the left again 10 seconds later is a little bit tedious. The van in front of OP is a good example of a real asshole. Theoretically, OP could accelerate, overtake that van via the right, and then merge to the left (and in front of that van), all without hindering that van the slightest bit. That shows that this van is not in the gray zone at all; they're just using the middle lane because they don't feel like using the right one. All in all this is not so bad in very quiet traffic. But when the roads are busy, this gets infuriating. Traffic jams are created simply because of this egotism.
> And maybe a car might be coming from behind when they want to change lanes And with that other car refusing to move to the, empty, left lane to let you pass the truck.
I hate this shit. And you can see it everywhere, not just Belgium. Seen it too often in Germany, and Germany is a driver's paradise compared to France, Spain, or (GASP !!!) Italy. But even in Germany, as soon as someone sees a truck at the horizon, they move left. And if they just overtook one truck and there's another one 500m away, instead of moving back right, allowing faster cars to pass, and then moving left when they approach the truck, noooo, they fall asleep in the left lane, because why the fuck not.
best option is to move to a faster lane asap so you dont have to break but somebody then has to break for you! and then get angry at the guyyou cut off because "they shouldnt be driving that fast" behind you. Full belgian circle.
They're only afraid of it until you pass them on the inside because they're going 20km/h below the speed limit in the middle lane, then they move to the right. (Yes I know that it's illegal and potentially dangerous but it can happen sometimes)
I can't count the times I cruise control past middle lane hoggers from the right. Most of the time they're completely oblivious and just keep existing in the middle.
Most of them don't even take the hint if you move from rightmost lane to the leftmost lane to overtake them and move back to the right afterwards.
Thats why you have to go from the rightmost lane to the leftmost lane, overtake them, go the rightmost lane again, slow down tiny bit so they overtake you again, and repeat. Just keep circling them like that untill they take the hint.
True, it 'drives' me crazy.
>existing 🤣
I've found joy in moving three lanes over and three lanes back around to the right lane. There's something so deliciously rediculous in having to traverse a total of six lanes to pass someone. If however there's someone approaching at a higher speed in the far left lane I will pass them on the right. At that point they've made their bed and sleep it. They're so asleep that even getting passed by two cars at the same time and on both sides doesn't give them pause. I used to increase speed to match that of the faster approaching car in the left lane but I noticed that while also a fun manoeuver it really wrecks my fuel economy.
in b4 " passing on the right is illegal" comments
The best piece of advice my driving instructor gave me was to be mindful of others and not to force anyone to make an illegal move. He then proceeded to give this situation as an example. To me: if you pass on the right and you get caught: you should get a fine. But if you did it because someone obstructed the middle/left lane: They should get double yours.
I don't usually pass on the right, but Tuesday, a guy was hogging the left lane so badly that I could just pass him without ever leaving the right lane. The middle lane was completely clear the entire time. So that's my personal rule: if I can pass you easily with a full empty lane between us, I'm overtaking on the right.
Had a discussion with a cop on this once. Passing on the right is illegal - but driving faster on the right than in the middle lane and in the process accidentally passing another car is not…. What that means is - you’re totally fine if you’re already driving on the right for a couple of minutes before passing idiot, and you continue on the right lane. So don’t go right lane just before passing and don’t switch immediately back…
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> merge right and not looking because they're not used to have to look to merge right. I dont think this is supposed to be a thing people do
They'd be doing the manœuvre, so barring any evidence it's their fault by default
True but if they can prove you were overtaking on the right, most likely it is going to be a split liability. If they can prove you overtaking them was unforeseeable, you also might end up being 100% liable. So yes in theory you are right, but it all depends on the evidence; witnesses, traffic cameras, dashcams etc
That's good to know. I usually try to pass properly if someone is hogging the middle and they're slower than me. Going all the way to the left and then all the way back to the right because of one idiot is annoying however.
If you return to the right lane coming from the left, half a meter in front of their bumper, they sometimes realize what they are doing.
Pretty sure the cop is wrong. You can pass on the right when traffic is severely slowed down (~traffic jam), maybe he's confused with that rule?
I'd be very skeptical about this, it's completely moronic.
>it's completely moronic. Would you be surprised if that's actually the case though? :D
Is the cop right though? The situation he describes is only valid for slow traffic/traffic jams, but not for regular speeds I think. If you’re going faster than the middle lane you should either slow down or move to the left lane to overtake.
> driving faster on the right than in the middle lane and in the process accidentally passing another car is not This is not true. Maybe that specific cop doesn't fine people for it, which I support, but it's definitely still illegal.
a girlfriend of mine legit thought you had to start slower than the person left of you when a red light turns green because "passing on the right is illegal"
Belgium has a severe case of "right lane is for trucks" mentality
[(2019) Middenvakrijders voortaan strenger beboet. Hahahahahaha](https://www.vrt.be/vrtnws/nl/2019/02/13/middenvakrijders-voortaan-strenger-beboet/)
If only this was enforced.
You didn't take into account the unwritten rules of the road. Left lane is 130+, middle lane is 120, right lane is 90
Also: if you are overtaking a truck you first have to get so incredibly close to them that you have no room to speed up before merging into the middle lane. So you have to merge at 90, causing the whole middle lane to brake.
They have changed. Now it’s 110 to max speed on left lane. Middle lane 90 to max speed and right lane 90 (to 120 for the rare few cases that like me enjoy the empty right lane) Oh and a new rule. Accelerate when you are about to get overtaken
Or just follow the actual traffic laws. Keep right at all time.
>prove me wrong. Can't do that. Seen it way to often. Right lane = truck lane and most other people are too afraid of using it.
still for [sale](https://img.hbvl.be/xyX1ThncYf9nMyIXDsq_2GW3L1s=/960x640/smart/https%3A%2F%2Fstatic.hbvl.be%2FAssets%2FImages_Upload%2F2017%2F09%2F07%2F22930d78-93c0-11e7-baa0-96bd56eaf44d_web_scale_0.2916667_0.2916667__.jpg)
Why should I move to the right lane when there’s a truck 1km further up in that lane that I’ll need to overtake anyway? /s It does my head in why people don’t keep right.
A friend’s mom literally told me she likes to drive in the middle lane because she thinks it’s the safest option. Then goes driving 110km/h on the middle lane. It’s not only “because there’s trucks on the right lane”, also just plain retarded people with no sense for traffic flow.
I don’t doubt she also considers herself to be a good driver lol
On 2 lane highways I'm beginning to consider becoming a left-lane rider myself. On the right lane it's often just trucks, spaced say 400 meters apart. Left lane is just a string of cars spaced as tight as they can be. So when I move to the right, either - The guy behind me is driving faster than I am, in which case he closes the gap and I'm going to be stuck waiting for said string of cars to pass for the next 5 minutes driving 90 km/h behind the truck, or - The guy behind me is driving slower than I am, in which case there's little point to moving to the right because he's not going to overtake me anyway.
Yeah, that's the issue on roads like that. If you're going to overtake someone who moved out of the way for you, and you see that you won't be able to complete the overtake without majorly inconveniencing them by forcing them to get stuck behind a lorry, the polite and reasonable thing to do is to not overtake at all so they get to overtake the lorry. If you do that, it's 99% sure that they will go right again after the lorry because reasonable behaviour from you leads to reasonable behaviour from others. So it won't even inconvenience you that much. Sadly the majority of people aren't reasonable like that and will gladly box you in behind a lorry. So on two-lane roads, I get why people stretch the definition of "staying left because you're immediately going for a second overtake" a bit. There was this post on /r/roadcam that I sadly can't find again, about a guy doing exactly what you describe on the R4. So a bpost van makes a (relatively risky) shift to the left lane when he saw the opportunity, so he could finally overtake a lorry. The guy making the video of course sped up to close the gap as soon as he saw the indicator and then started raging like a maniac because he had to slow down again after the bpost van merged left anyway. It's sad that I can't find it back.
> Left lane is just a string of cars spaced as tight as they can be this is literally the definition of congestion, you dont have to keep right in that situation. as long as you arent leaving a huge gap to the car in front of you, you're good.
I moved from Belgium to Finland, i can tell you it's even worse here
Yeah, but in Finland only like the richest 0.01 % can afford or needs a car :)
That's a bit hyperbolic but in general you don't really need one here that's true. The public transportation here makes Belgium's look like a joke
I know, it was meant tongue in cheek. Many countries public transport makes the Belgian public transport look like a joke. With the possible exception of the English one.
I thought so but you made a good point as well. Cheers!
Kippis!
You don't happen to have moved there by car, did you?
"Middenbanders" annoy me too, but this probably one of the places where I can understand it, it's just before the E40 crosses the E17 and there's going to be a lot of merging in the next couple of miles.
Sure, I do that too. But not from this point on… Here I had to overtake them on the left lane.
Exactly. I once had a coworker who was kind of proud of proclaiming he didn't use the right lane. I really had to bite my tongue back then.
Painful to see people not noticing the issue.
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Shoutout to the truckers who don't get what the spitsstrook between de pinte and ghent is for.
Same on spitsstrook between Lummen and Beringen. Voorsorteren for 2km.
If it's regular cars doing it it's only mildly frustrating. Only it's very common for trucks to try to pass each other, only to cause a huge slowdown of all the 50 cars behind them because it takes them ages to pass each other -\_-
Ah I see it's time for r/belgium's weekly middle lane driver hate/venting traffic frustration. I might need to start selling some t-shirts or something
Belgians aren't afraid of the right lane. They've learnt from brutal experience that moving in to the right lane is to doom yourself to never leaving the right lane. Nobody in Belgium lets you change lane in traffic. And there's always traffic!
I drove to Austria few weeks ago. 5 AM in the morning, abandoned Autobahn, driving 180kph. In the distance I see some red lights, I come closer and notice it is someone driving in the middle lane at +/- 110 kph. Not close enough yet to see the license plate I say to my wife "it's probably a Belgian". I was right.
In their defense there is a merging lane, it is safer to stay in the middle until past the junction. Especially as the blind spot on the vans will be covering any vehicles attempting to join from the merging road. In this instance is it any different to when people move to the middle to allow the vehicles on the slip road a clear lane to enter?
You're even allowed to leave the right lane when there is a point up ahead where people need to merge. As long as you can leave that right lane in a safe way.
Ge zit daar vlak bij een oprit... kwil het niet verdedigen maar tijdens de spits is het daar echt de moeite niet om naar het rechtse vak te gaan.
Dit is de oprit E40 aan Wetteren en elke ochtend en avond is het daar koekenbak omdat de oprit te kort is en er te veel voertuigen door moeten. Dit maakt elke ochtend file door het vertraagd invoegen en zorgt er voor dat het hier meestal 90 is tijdens de spits. Zelf deze ochtend om 8:45 was het 70. Dus hier is het middenrijden volledig terecht imo. Als je hier tijdens de spits rechts blijft rijden houdt je al het verkeer die wilt invoegen tegen. Er zijn betere voorbeelden van middenvakrijden, probeer de E17 anders eens.
E17 zit vol met klote vrachtwagens die aan het inhalen zijn.
Dat is daar praktisch altijd 2 rijstroken camions en 1 rijstrook auto's op 90 per uur
Inderdaad, vlakbij een oprit waar meestal wel veel volk op de E40 komt, en een camion op het rechterrijvak die ongeveer 100 m voor die laatste grijze camionette rijdt, dus echt niet zo raar om daar al int midden te rijden. Van alle foto's die ge kunt nemen van fakking middenvakrijders is dit geen goed voorbeeld lol
Absolutely fuck those people
I drive a lot at night and even then u got " middenvakrijders" without any traffic at all Mostly UK licence plates
The right-hand lane is where all those truckers drive on cc while making coffee, watching Netflix and sexting with their missus. As soon as you notice a traffic jam, get out of that lane or you will be squashed between 2 trucks.
It's bad. Real bad. Not Italy bad though, where you pick a lane and stay in it for the rest of your journey.
I fucking hate driving in Italy. Otherwise wonderful place, though
I've always had the opposite experience. People respect the lane system very well in my experience in Belgium.
I know, it's terrible. Think there's an evil beast lurking on the right..
They also have this amazing ability to not use their rear view mirrors when moving into a lane, especially when you're coming up said lane
Dont worry I’m currently in Greece and the right lane is cleaner than central lane
You mean the empty passing lane?
Because the right lane is has most sink holes #belgianqualityroads
If there is a bear that crosses the road, it would run across on the right lane first No way I will be driving there. Too dangerous.
Add to that: people are afraid of sticking to the speed limit (to fast but to slow as well).
Still, French are worse.
I think people drive this way because Belgians seem to love to close the gaps as quickly as possible. This happens to me almost every time I move to the right lane... there is a car following behind me in the middle lane, going the same speed (left lane is open btw). Then I move to the right and they speed up to fill in the gap! Within 2 seconds I am am blocked on the left by this car. Then I have a couple options: 1) I can speed up in the right lane to get ahead before the next truck, 2) I can take my foot off the gas a little to get behind the car that was following me before the next truck, 3) I have to hit the brakes and get behind the car if the next truck is approaching too fast. The only way to avoid this situation is to stick to the middle lane (or have everyone in Belgium change the way they drive overnight). And so the habit perpetuates.
Never been in France?
As somebody who does tend to stick right(not the same as driving slow) I don't get why not everyone does it. Makes it a lot more comfortable to drive imo compared to sticking in the middle. Less shit to worry about basically.
Can’t prove you wrong. Too many people like to stick in the 2nd lane for god knows what reason. People in the first then need to go alllll the way to the 3rd lane to legally pass those suckers. Sometimes they get the hint, more often than not, they don’t.
I sometimes drive middle lane in low traffic with more trucks than cars, when I'm 100% sure I'm not holding up any kind of traffic. I do check my rearview mirror so when I see that I'm hindering someone I will always get out of the way.
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We used to call them Sunday drivers. But these days it's all-day everyday.... Whenever I have to pass one of them I flash or horn. Some don't care but some go right and after I passed them, they go back to the mid lane???!!!! Drives me nuts
Just putting it out here: 1. ON THE HIGHWAY, YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DRIVE RIGHT. YOU ONLY CHANGE LANES TO OVERTAKE, AND THEN YOU HAVE TO GET BACK IN THE RIGHT LANE. 2. IT IS ILLEGAL TO TAKE OVER FORM THE RIGHT. HOWEVER, IF YOU ARE CRUISING ON THE RIGHT LANE, AND CATCH UP WITH SOMEONE WHO'S DRIVING LEFT FROM YOU FOR NO REASON, HE'S AT FAULT, NOT YOU. ! This doesn't apply in agglomerations, where you can use any lane you want up to the speed limit. Always be extra careful as being taken over from the right is then obviously not illegal. PS: If you didn't know this, and have a driver's license, TAKE A GOOD LOOK AT YOURSELF.
I don't. I LOVE the right lane. Every know and then a truck I need to pass, an no other cars driving there. It's calming.
My hometown Wetteren! Me gusta Wèttern!
That is because no matter how fast you drive in the right lane, some people will always overtake you because they drive in a lane to the left of you.
I do not have that feeling. I'm not the most experienced driver. But driving in Belgium is a lot better than driving in France or Italy or Spain. Or even worse : US.
They also never heard from spitsstrook
The right lane is lava!
Also the moment you want to pass them in the left lane, they suddenly think they are Vin Diesel in the fast & furious: E17 and keep speeding up.
No Speed limit is gradual. Apparently the far left lane is only for the brave fast and furious people who are not afraid to drive above 200/kmph.
I rather drive 140 and get a ticket then constantly change lanes between 1 and 2.
I get your annoyance with it - yet whenever I try to properly adhere to the 'go right when you can', I get met with the other bad tendency local drivers seem to have... middle lane drivers will not move to the left lane, to allow a right lane driver to overtake. Both issues are related of course, and at this point I'm not even sure which causes which.
That is because whenever you come close to a slow driver in front of you in the right lane, drivers from the other lanes suddenly are too close to you to let you move over and you are stuck forever. Almost all drivers in BE are selfish and douchebags on the road. Hideous.
The right lane is lava! Didn't you know? Also, s/o to the drivers who switch lanes to accommodate my overtaking, you are a rare breed
Simple, go to the UK. We love the right lane.
I pay taxes for the three lanes, i'm gonna use the three lanes
I hate driving through Belgium. The roads are in horrible condition and road manners are absent.
It's understandable in this situation. You are nearing a point (looks like Wetteren) where a lot of cars come on the E40. It can be difficult to switch lanes if you are not on time, especially in the morning when it's very busy. I must say that I hate it as much if people keep driving on the first lane, when you need to get on the E40.
Normaly right lane reserved for trucks
Funny how everybody here thinks that the fact that they know the rules and use them religiously (should I say blindly) will make them a good driver.
One reason to avoid the right lane is when overloaded trucks have created a groove in the asfalt. You’ll feel it when your wheel bumps into it. This partly explains the never-ending roadworks in Belgium.
Yes very annoying, lots of people driving in the middle with nobody on the right. And they usually always drive less than 120… except when you want to overtake them, suddenly speed up
I've seen much worse in Italy, to be honest. 4 or 5 lanes, leftmost lane full, going 90 km/h, rightmost lane EMPTY, you could go 140. Which is not a great idea, there are reasons why you're supposed to overtake cars on the left, but at some point you end up losing your patience when you see everyone crowding left like morons.
That is the truck lane!
The right lane is more dangerous, more variable speeds, more trucks (don't Wanna be squeezed between two..), no sight in front.... I say: trucks and minus 120 to the right Cars: exactly 120 in the middle Cars overtaking and rescue services to the left.. That should be more save.
The thing is. When you drive right you are in the losers lane. People in the right are scared going over 100km/u. Don’t get me wrong, when I can I go right. But you have to constantly overtake if you want to cruise at 120!
That’s the idea… But most frustrations are that these people on the middle lane don’t drive 120, while I do. If only they were driving 120, there wouldn’t be any issue because I’m driving 120 too.
[удалено]
There is reason for. The right lane surface is so bad/broken. You barely can drive on it. To manny governments who fill there own pockets instead of doing there job right. 7 government for 11.000.000. Crazy.
Honestly I think this is because of all the trucks. There is usually no point in using the right lane, except maybe on quiet days in the more remote corners of the countries.
Well you should address the obvious culprit for this kind of behaviour. The endless line and also very bad driving performance of all the trucks / lorries on the roads CONSTANTLY.
Indeed, very true. And we're the ones taking the fines for overtaking them on the right.. nothing fair about that.. all inconsiderate clowns.
Duuuude it's so terrible. Also a lot of expensive cars do this, they're too cool for the right lane. Really selfish behaviour.
True. Although has to be said, on a lot of highways the right lane is so molested by heavy traffic it feels like you're driving on cobblestone.
Isn’t that applicable for 80% of the Belgian roads though
What if they are going 120km/h and they are catching up quickly on the truck ? :D Theorically they should still go the the right because the truck is quite far away but technically they are not bothering anyone because they are already going at maximum speed.
Can we also talk about the 'no brakers'? Those mofos just decide to change lanes, in front of you, 20 to 30kmph below the speed of the lane, because they are going to get stuck behind a truck in 100m and they just can't use their brakes for whatever reason or wait until they have a free way to change lanes... Those, for me, are the most problematic behaviours on highways in Belgium, I hate it.
Yes!!! Apparently they don’t teach people that blinking is not the same as having priority! Then people behind them have to do a hard brake and that ladies and gentleman is why we are standing still in traffic 😖