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In a win for common sense and frustrated motorists the world over, a driver in the UK has become the first to be convicted for hogging the middle lane of a motorway.
Leeds Magistrates Courts heard that the driver of a Citroen Berlingo van had numerous opportunities to move from the middle lane of the M62 motorway near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, but did not. This resulted in Traffic Police observing at least six drivers being forced to brake and swerve to overtake the vehicle.
The driver failed to turn up to court but he was fined £500 (nearly €700) in his absence and ordered to pay £400 in costs with a £40 victim surcharge. He was also hit with five penalty points on his licence under 'anti-social driving', which was introduced in 2013.
Also falling under the remit of the laws are the offences of tailgating and undertaking and figures show that police in the UK have handed out 10,000 on-the-spot £100 fines to offenders.
Police also revealed that a tractor driver in Norfolk was fined for failing to pull in to let the queue of motorists behind him get past.