filtering and road position

i would be on the inside of the 3rd lane

[BillyC]

If anything, I wonder if you were too far out.

I aim to be quite close to the cars I'm passing, if only to ensure that I'm not in their blind spot and can be seen in their wing mirrors. It also helps, heaven forbid, that if they do pull out, the impact is minimal compared to being further out when you risk t-boning the car that pulled out rather than just scraping its side. Of course the further out you are, the higher the risk of affecting, or being affected by oncoming traffic. I speak from experience - this isn't good.

There's no question that filtering in stationary traffic is the most dangerous - drivers rarely check their blindspots in this situation - and certainly not before their front wheels have turned and they've poked the nose of their vehicle out a bit. However, in flowing traffic, they're almost obliged to check mirrors and look over shoulders.

Finally, if I'm filtering I'm always looking at the 3 or 4 cars that I'm about to pass ahead of me. The bottom line is that a finely tuned road-sense is what warns you of some chuffer about to do the dirty and close a gap that you were relying on - and that only comes with experience.

If Im filtering on a motorway due to an accident or a lane closure. I will rely on my fellow truck drivers as (whatever you believe) we do spend more time looking in our mirrors than drivers of cars. Truck drivers will normally stay in the lane they are in, the ones that don't are normally the recently qualified drivers. As a rule, the inside lane will always be moving faster than the others because we try to keep rolling, slower maybe but not stop start.

In town, I will take as much of the road as I can by slowly zigzagging to look bigger in a drivers mirror, sometimes this works, If not I just keep the revs up and slip the clutch a bit. A pair of Akropovics on a V Twin does the rest

Originally Posted by BillyC

If anything, I wonder if you were too far out.

I aim to be quite close to the cars I'm passing, if only to ensure that I'm not in their blind spot and can be seen in their wing mirrors. It also helps, heaven forbid, that if they do pull out, the impact is minimal compared to being further out when you risk t-boning the car that pulled out rather than just scraping its side. Of course the further out you are, the higher the risk of affecting, or being affected by oncoming traffic. I speak from experience - this isn't good.

There's no question that filtering in stationary traffic is the most dangerous - drivers rarely check their blindspots in this situation - and certainly not before their front wheels have turned and they've poked the nose of their vehicle out a bit. However, in flowing traffic, they're almost obliged to check mirrors and look over shoulders.

Finally, if I'm filtering I'm always looking at the 3 or 4 cars that I'm about to pass ahead of me. The bottom line is that a finely tuned road-sense is what warns you of some chuffer about to do the dirty and close a gap that you were relying on - and that only comes with experience.

I see what you're saying about riding close but that sounds like damage reduction rather than accident avoidance. Prevention is better than cure! Etc etc. If someone turns out on you and you are right on their rear quarter you have hardly any time to react. The further you are out, the more time you have to react.

[Mr Speirs]

Originally Posted by wheelnut

As a rule, the inside lane will always be moving faster than the others because we try to keep rolling, slower maybe but not stop start.

+1 for that

Once drove from Lands End to Northampton and met a 25mile traffic jam on the M5. Never stopped once. Learnt from the drive down that as soon as I came across a jam I get into the lane 1 and pootle along nicely behind a lorry. So much nicer than the start stopping you find in 2+3.

Originally Posted by wheelnut

If Im filtering on a motorway due to an accident or a lane closure. I will rely on my fellow truck drivers as (whatever you believe) we do spend more time looking in our mirrors than drivers of cars. Truck drivers will normally stay in the lane they are in, the ones that don't are normally the recently qualified drivers. As a rule, the inside lane will always be moving faster than the others because we try to keep rolling, slower maybe but not stop start.

+1. In spite of their increased width, give me a line of lorries to filter between over a line of cars any day. Lorry drivers check their mirrors vastly more frequently than your typical car driver and I dare say a fair bit more frequently than many bikers.

[BillyC]

Originally Posted by muffles

I see what you're saying about riding close but that sounds like damage reduction rather than accident avoidance. Prevention is better than cure! Etc etc. If someone turns out on you and you are right on their rear quarter you have hardly any time to react. The further you are out, the more time you have to react.

I see what you're saying, but being visible is one of the biggest preventative measures in my opinion.

If you appear in the wing mirror, then the driver is less likely to do a rapid pull out... and if they do, you've hit them at a relatively slower speed than you would have otherwise done - and your velocities will be in largely similar directions, than if you were further out.

The oblique angle also gives you a greater visibility of what the front wheels are doing on the vehichles.

I'm not preaching, I'm just saying that it's worked for me so far.

Originally Posted by BillyC

I see what you're saying, but being visible is one of the biggest preventative measures in my opinion.

If you appear in the wing mirror, then the driver is less likely to do a rapid pull out... and if they do, you've hit them at a relatively slower speed than you would have otherwise done - and your velocities will be in largely similar directions, than if you were further out.

The oblique angle also gives you a greater visibility of what the front wheels are doing on the vehichles.

I'm not preaching, I'm just saying that it's worked for me so far.

Yep, fair enough, it does make sense, the only reason I couldn't do it is I don't get on with not being in control I need to know I am the one deciding what's going to happen rather than relying on a driver seeing me (even if it's a fairly reliable method).

[Stu]

Originally Posted by Mr Speirs

Does that mean it is legal to filter past stationary/very slow traffic on a motorway on the right hand side of the third lane?
My reasoning for thinking about this would be to avoid blind lane changers taking me out.

Hovis answered, but just to elaborate, I wouldn't either. Between 2 & 3 gives you more room and is more expected by car drivers than the outside of 3.
I wouldn't consider the outside of 3 to be any more legal because either method is creating your own lane (that doesn't exist)

Otherwise in the Thread, I pretty much agree with everything Muffles has said, as long as he advocates keeping away from junctions and other hazards on your right hand side.

[Stu]

Just to add, if you are far enough out from cars you are overtaking IME you can either stop in the distance you can see to be clear, or if a car U turns in front of you in less than your stopping distance, you can accelerate and get in front of the car instead.