Seagull stands in for traffic reporter on London news program
The bird's debut report went viral on Twitter.
The British authorities are serious about discipline. Lane discipline, that is.
Police in Kent, U.K., have reported on two cases of extreme “lane hogging” in recent days, including one they said was among the worst they’d ever seen.
The M20 has three lanes in either direction through much of Kent. (Google Maps)
The left-side driving nation’s laws allow police to spot fine drivers for driving in the middle or far-right lanes unless they are using them to pass other vehicles.
You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear,” reads Rule 264 of the highway code, according to The Sun. "If you are overtaking a number of slow-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past."
On Wednesday, Nov. 6, police ticketed a driver who drove “a collosal 3.050 miles” in the middle lane of an empty stretch of the M20 highway, but they may have wanted to save that adjective for what happened next. On Saturday, another officer pulled over an "oblivious" driver who went 11 miles without moving left.
Both drivers were subject to 100 pound ($130) fines and three license points. A study this year found that about half of British drivers are guilty of violating the letter of this particular law, and similar regulations are starting to be established in the U.S.
So-called "slowpoke laws" have been established in several states, including Alabama, where “left lane bandits” are subject to $235 tickets, and New Jersey, where the penalty can be as high as $500.