Driving on the country's highways can be a stressful experience, and sometimes other motorists' behaviour doesn't help much. File photo / Thinkstock
Driving on the country's highways can be a stressful experience, and sometimes other motorists' behaviour doesn't help much. File photo / Thinkstock
A British motorist was fined more than $2200 this week and became the first person in the country to be convicted in court of hogging the middle lane of a motorway.
Many New Zealand drivers would like to see similar penalties on this side of the world, with Herald readers chiming in with their own pet peeves about driving on New Zealand roads, including slow drivers in empty lanes and motorists refusing to keep left.
• What is more annoying than waiting in a line of traffic. Oh I'll tell you - someone drives up next to you and tries to cut in front of you because their either on a bus lane or their lane ends. - Suzan Singh
• My pet hate as a driver, cyclist and pedestrian is inability/unwillingness to indicate. It's not difficult and it costs nothing. What's the problem? - Sarah D
• Drivers who speed up to the speed limit in passing areas and then slow down again on the two lane highway. - Bryan
• Lane hoggers are becoming a real problem on the motorways, especially the ones travelling 90km, that sit in the 'fast' lane, requiring other drivers to change lanes to pass them on the inside lane. - Peter Thomas
Motorists driving in the overtaking lane on a hill either having not overtaken any one or having overtaken and staying there. And incorrect Indication at roundabouts. A very high proportion of drivers do not know the correct way to indicate at a roundabout. - Carl
• Drivers who turn across double yellow lines, indicating for ages before doing so doesn't make it safe, the double yellow lines show that there is insufficient visibility / its a road with heavy traffic flow - Edith
• Drivers who: A) Don't indicate their intention to turn or change lanes. B) Don't anticipate their next manoeuvre until the last minute. How hard is it to plan your route? - Gerard Ball
• We used to have a 2 second indication rule - what has happened to that? I am constantly behind people who either don't indicate at all or indicate right at the point that they are turning or changing lanes. - Liz Clayton
• I use the motorway daily and see drivers that don't understand if a car comes up behind you, you are obliged to pull over for them to pass at the first safe opportunity. What is so frustrating are truck and trailer units in the fast lane and people sitting at 90 kph with an empty lane in front of them and a backlog of cars behind. - Christine Barnes
• I have seen people here come onto an open motorway from the onramp and go straight over to the far right lane and stay there. Heavy vehicles should also be limited to the middle and left lanes only. Too often they are cruising at low speed on the right. - Chris Pattison
• Drivers that hog the middle lane. Senseless. - Mike
• The law should be tightened up here, there are far too many inconsiderate drivers on our roads and particularly in Auckland where It seems they hand out licenses far too easily. Impatient drivers become dangerous drivers and our highways particularly are not designed to accommodate the road hog. - Heath
• People who insist on sitting in the fast lane when there's no traffic in the slow or middle lanes & anyone wanting to pass have to undertake them! Also those who speed up on passing lanes on open roads then slow down again & hold up the cars who couldn't get past. Last those who drive REALLY slow on open or rural roads never once looking in their rear view mirror to see the stream of cars they're holding up. - Jackie
• Drivers that don't keep left unless overtaking. Drivers not keeping up with the traffic in congestion. Not indicating until the last second. Not keeping left in slow lanes. Basically most drivers are oblivious to others and have no consideration for other road users. - Scott
• My pet driving hate is other drivers, especially those in front of me. Easy. - Paul Spencer.
• There aren't enough police in NZ to ticket the drivers who fail to "keep left on the motorway." - Brett Newling
