Undertaking on motorways

lucylucky

colino wrote: »

That rule refers to congested (queuing) traffic, so technically you are in the wrong, but equally the middle-lane morons who are not overtaking are failing to "keep to the left". Just look at the amazing number of people who join a motorway, move in to lane two and stick there come hell or high water.

Depends what you mean by congested I suppose.

All lanes could be full doing 60 mph and that would still be congested, but not queued.

BlueFox

This is one of my pet hates :mad:

Idiots driving in the middle lane of a motorway when the inside lane is clear - there is no reason at all why anyone needs to be in the middle lane unless they are overtaking a vehicle in the inside lane (congested traffic aside of course!).

I would have been tempted to do the same (overtake on the inside) in that situation as hopefully it would have annoyed the pants of those middle lane hoggers, and possibly even prompted them into thinking about what they were doing - although I realise this is probably more wishful thinking on my part!

Ms_Chocaholic

I've always wondered whether it is okay to undertake in the lh lane if other lanes have slowed so thanks for clarifying.

If for example I was doing 65mph in L1 (and undertaking L2) and a driver doing 55mph in L2 pulled into L1 and collided with me because the driver never expected a faster vehicle to be travelling in L1 whose fault would it be?

BlueFox

Ms_Chocaholic wrote: »

If for example I was doing 65mph in L1 (and undertaking L2) and a driver doing 55mph in L2 pulled into L1 and collided with me because the driver never expected a faster vehicle to be travelling in L1 whose fault would it be?

The onus rests with the vehicle changing lanes to ensure that it is safe to do so. In this instance the vehicle changing lanes would be at fault.

It is not a valid defence to say "you shouldn't have been there".

missile

One car in the outside lane with no other traffic. You have no legal alternative but to sit behind him

Paradigm

missile wrote: »

One car in the outside lane with no other traffic. You have no legal alternative but to sit behind him

Sorry?

It is perfectly legal to pass traffic using the inside lane under the circumstances posted by the OP.

harveybobbles

I will often undertake if there is some spanner sat in the middle lane. Or I will go past them the correct way and circle them a few times until they get the hint not to hog the middle lane.

Strider590

You can also undertake if your on an extended slip lane (like the M42/M40 Junction).

If you undertake a vehicle anywhere and that vehicles changes lanes and hits your car, the blame lies solely with you!

It is also not compulsory to indicate when changing to an inside lane of a motorway (although most of us do). Therefore undertaking is exceptionally risky!

PZH

I tend to signal and overtake them correctly - but flash my lights when behind, beep my horn when alongside and then pull back into the inside lane. This is England - we drive on the left !!

Another pet hate is when, quite correctly, if the inside lane is full of traffic and trucks doing say 55-60mph and I am in the second lane and some muppet comes tearing up behind and sits on your bumper when the outside overtaking lane is perfectly clear. Even worse is when, due to traffic in the second lane, I pull out and overtake them, and then pull back in - and the muppets who come tearing up the second lane STILL don't overtake correclty and start to flash their lights at people in the second lane as if they are driving wrong - lol

The world is full of ignorant, braindead people - usually found on the motorways of England.

LandyAndy

harveybobbles wrote: »

I will often undertake if there is some spanner sat in the middle lane. Or I will go past them the correct way and circle them a few times until they get the hint not to hog the middle lane.

I'm sure plod would take a dim view of that:o.

That's not to say I haven't done it too;);).