Speed van got me or not?

facade

There is no definition of necessary AFAIK.

"It was necessary to enter the hatched area to safely overtake a vehicle" is as valid as
"It was necessary to enter to overtake the parked car"

In both cases you don't need to enter, the only time you need to enter is to avoid an accident.

However, as I pointed out, if you keep on entering them, sooner or later karma catches you out and you get a puncture.

lucifersangel87

Thanks for the responses guys.

Looks like it's wait and see time.
My 14-day timer is on countdown.

AdrianC

facade wrote: »

"It was necessary to enter the hatched area to safely overtake a vehicle" is as valid as
"It was necessary to enter to overtake the parked car"

In both cases you don't need to enter, the only time you need to enter is to avoid an accident.

You forget one small detail...

129
Double white lines where the line nearest you is solid. This means you MUST NOT cross or straddle it unless it is safe and you need to enter adjoining premises or a side road. You may cross the line if necessary, provided the road is clear, to pass a stationary vehicle, or overtake a pedal cycle, horse or road maintenance vehicle, if they are travelling at 10 mph (16 km/h) or less.
Laws RTA 1988 sect 36 & TSRGD regs 10 & 26

https://www.gov.uk/general-rules-all-drivers-riders-103-to-158/lines-and-lane-markings-on-the-road-127-to-132

It is never _necessary_ to overtake. ESPECIALLY where the other car has braked sharply, presumably for a hazard you might not have noticed. Maybe they were about to turn right, without indicating? Or to swerve to avoid the proverbial sack of anvils?

Aretnap

"Necessary" is one of those words inserted into the Highway Code which has no basis in the actual law. The meaning of hatched areas is given by the TSRGD, and where it's bordered by a dashed line the word "necessary" is notably absent

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2002/3113/schedule/6/made

eg diagram 1040.2

Length of road along which drivers should not overtake by passing through the marking unless it is seen by the driver to be safe to do so

As you should never overtake unless you can see that it's safe to do so anyway, arguably the markings have little meaning beyond drawing the driver's attention to a potentially dangerous stretch of road. Possibly you'd find it harder to defend a careless driving charge if the overtake resulted in an accident, as you did have ample warning that the road was potentially dangerous.

facade

AdrianC wrote: »

You forget one small detail...

It is never _necessary_ to overtake. ESPECIALLY where the other car has braked sharply, presumably for a hazard you might not have noticed. Maybe they were about to turn right, without indicating? Or to swerve to avoid the proverbial sack of anvils?

I think we are at cross purposes here.

I mean " I wish to overtake, it is therefore necessary for me to enter the hatched area to do so" allows me to enter, provided that I can make a safe overtake by doing so.

Nothing about the necessity to overtake, or double white lines.

The advisability of overtaking someone who stops "for no reason" is questionable: usually we mean "for no reason that I consider appropriate" when we know from previous observation that it is most likely because there is a car approaching in the distance, or a slight kink in the road is 1/4 mile away.

A real "out of the blue" slowdown is likely a speed trap, an imminent right turn or u turn (usually the give-away is the nearside wheels veer towards the kerb- I have no idea why drivers find it necessary to turn left before they can go right and vice-versa, rather than position the car appropriately in advance) or letting out the smelliest slowest widest tractor in the world, to hold you both up, when the road is clear behind you both as far as the eye can see.

matttye

I always drive over broken hatched lines when I'm turning right so that my slowing down for the junction doesn't hold people up who want to carry straight on.

nobbysn*ts

matttye wrote: »

I always drive over broken hatched lines when I'm turning right so that my slowing down for the junction doesn't hold people up who want to carry straight on.

Out of curiosity, when did you start driving?

nobbysn*ts

facade wrote: »

I think we are at cross purposes here.

I mean " I wish to overtake, it is therefore necessary for me to enter the hatched area to do so" allows me to enter, provided that I can make a safe overtake by doing so.

Nothing about the necessity to overtake, or double white lines.

The advisability of overtaking someone who stops "for no reason" is questionable: usually we mean "for no reason that I consider appropriate" when we know from previous observation that it is most likely because there is a car approaching in the distance, or a slight kink in the road is 1/4 mile away.
A real "out of the blue" slowdown is likely a speed trap, an imminent right turn or u turn (usually the give-away is the nearside wheels veer towards the kerb- I have no idea why drivers find it necessary to turn left before they can go right and vice-versa, rather than position the car appropriately in advance) or letting out the smelliest slowest widest tractor in the world, to hold you both up, when the road is clear behind you both as far as the eye can see.

I always think a real 'out of the blue slowdown' means they've seen something I haven't. So I concentrate on what I know. Missing the back of them. Normally braking works for that. What I don't want to do is overtake and get to the hazard before them. It may well be painful, for me, or even the hazard.

matttye

nobbysn*ts wrote: »

Out of curiosity, when did you start driving?

Had my first lesson on my 17th birthday in 2005, but passed my test on 21/10/2010. I had some spells of unemployment in that time and had long gaps in between lessons.

facade

matttye wrote: »

I always drive over broken hatched lines when I'm turning right so that my slowing down for the junction doesn't hold people up who want to carry straight on.

So do I, as it is not possible for my vehicle to jump sideways into the one car long clear part with the bent arrow on it from the clear part of the main carriageway