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[The Sheriff]

I realise this is totally pedantic relevant to Op's initial post but, I must have been labouring under a misconception all these years?? I always understood that on a 3 lane motorway, lane 2 is the 'fast' lane and lane 3 is the overtaking lane?? It never made sense to me as, if the middle lane is the fast lane, e.g. travelling at max allowable speed, to overtake in any lane would be speeding...?? 

Always use the left hand lane unless actually overtaking unless it is unsafe to do so.

Pretty clear cut imho

Doesn't matter whether the road has two, three, five or even six lanes. Unless you are passing a vehicle to your left, there is a red cross above the lane or the lane has become an exit lane, then all the lanes are equally overtaking lanes except for the leftmost one

You forgot the bmw and Audi rule. If there is a queue on the motorway, due to an accident or roadworks, both of these marques can use the hard shoulder to proceed to the next exit.

[chrisgixer]

I utterly agree although on roads like the m25 by heathrow where you have 5 lanes it gets tricky.  If everyone followed the highway code on that stretch in the mornings there would be no space to pull in to the nearside and make you exit.  It's already like threading a needle though a gnat's vagina as it is.

Yep, it's sheer weight of traffic that buggers it. Motorways where never designed for that much traffic.

Trouble is, those habits formed in rush hour by a driving population never trained to drive on them are carried on at all other times. So drivers just sit in any lane....although mostly the middle lane.

Sometimes legitimately, in quiet times, for a reason such as Dear leaping from the hard shoulder, such as they do between Jcn 10 and 8/9 on the m4 for example. Or that lane one is so rutted the car won't drive straight and tram lines alarmingly.
 But none of that means it's ok to sit in lane 2 or 3 if traffic comes up behind you.

...in fact, if nothing is in the road with you, who cares. Do what you like. Empty motorway nothing around, sit in lane 3 away from the hard shoulder, nobody cares. Until somebody comes up on you of course. Such occasions are very rare on busy motorways these days though, obviously.

[05omegav6]

Pass Jn12 in lane three, then straight into Lane one. Stay there to Jn11 then once the slip roads merge, into Lane one. Second exit at the roundabout, keep left and stay in lane one all the way to the Jn12 exit, upto the T4 roundabout and either second exit for M25 clockwise, or third exit for anywhere within Heathrow...

Bish,bash bosh

[Gaffers]

On topic but vNSFW (heavy swearing) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5dL4DPm-DE

[05omegav6]

Another truck driver about to stress himself into hospital...

How not to drive down a motorway 101

I wonder whether the car driver was foreign not that that is an excuse mind...

[aaronjb]

On topic but vNSFW (heavy swearing) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5dL4DPm-DE

Best video I've seen in ages..

[chrisgixer]

Like I said, until something comes up behiiiiiiiind youuuuuuu. Pmsl.

[Kevin Wood]

I utterly agree although on roads like the m25 by heathrow where you have 5 lanes it gets tricky.  If everyone followed the highway code on that stretch in the mornings there would be no space to pull in to the nearside and make you exit.  It's already like threading a needle though a gnat's vagina as it is.

Ah! but then they'd also be observing:

260

When you can see well ahead and the road conditions are good, you should:

    drive at a steady cruising speed which you and your vehicle can handle safely and is within the speed limit (see the Speed limits table)
    keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front and increase the gap on wet or icy roads, or in fog (see Rules 126 and 235).

.. such a distance would permit other cars to filter back into the left hand lane and exit easily.

[EMD]

On topic but vNSFW (heavy swearing) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5dL4DPm-DE

Excellent