The Chase star sparks huge debate about driving in the middle lane of the motorway

The Chase quizzer Anne Hegerty sparked an online debate after replying to a tweet about motorists who drive in the middle lane.

Hegerty responded to a tweet that questioned those who choose to drive in the middle lane while the left lane is empty, insisting that there is ‘always a truck less than a minute ahead’.

She wrote: “Because there is always a truck less than a minute ahead, and if you change lanes you’re just going to have to change lanes again.”

However, not everyone agreed with Anne’s perspective on the matter, with one social media user replying: “Highway Code Rule 264… Keep to the nearside lane unless overtaking. Simples!! Not a word about “gaining” on another vehicle, which arguably could be 1/4 of a mile ahead!”

For a bit of context; Rule 264 of the Highway Code states: “Keep in the left lane unless overtaking. If you are overtaking, you should return to the left lane when it is safe to do so.”

Anne, sixty-three, replied by recalling a personal experience with a police officer, writing: “Well, as a wise old police driver told me, ‘If you are gaining on the traffic in the nearside lane, obviously you haven’t yet finished your overtaking, and you should stay in the overtaking lane until you do.'”

But even this didn’t convince her critics, with one person labelling the move as ‘careless driving’. 

Undeterred, Anne responded by saying that just sitting in the middle lane is ‘obviously’ an offense, while ‘calculating whether it’s worth changing lanes in order to change lanes again ten seconds later is a judgement call.’

Another Twitter user told her: “It’s a car you’re in Anne, not a train. They’re designed to do that.”

She then told them: “But the more you change lanes, the more accidents are likely to occur.”

Moral of the story? Don’t try and debate with a Chaser.