Motoring offence on motorway

Marvel1

molerat said:

The scenario was on Motorway Cops this week with car in lane 3.  Police car went from inside lane to lane 4 to go round them, back to inside lane and slowed down to let them pass, followed them and pulled them.  Driver couldn't see the problem.

I had to that myself this week! Moving to lane 4 just to overtake when there was no-one in lanes 1 and 2 - this was daytime also.

If I had a dash cam, would the operation snap or something be useful?

Money_Grabber13579

What is the correct thing to do if you encounter a slower moving vehicle in lane 2 and you’re in lane 1 and want to pass? We’re assuming here that you’ve been in lane 1 since long before you could even see the slower vehicle in lane 2. 

The options are to:

Pull out from lane 1 to lane 3 and then back to lane 1 again. Possibly the correct thing to do as overtaking but introduces more risk as you have to change twice as many lanes.

Or

Carry on in lane 1 and pass on the inside. This could be seen as undertaking but equally, could it be classed as the traffic in lane 1 simply moving faster than lane 2 (and thus permissible) even though the traffic might only consist of those 2 cars?

ontheroad1970

Marvel1 said:

molerat said:

The scenario was on Motorway Cops this week with car in lane 3.  Police car went from inside lane to lane 4 to go round them, back to inside lane and slowed down to let them pass, followed them and pulled them.  Driver couldn't see the problem.

I had to that myself this week! Moving to lane 4 just to overtake when there was no-one in lanes 1 and 2 - this was daytime also.

If I had a dash cam, would the operation snap or something be useful?

I would consider that too trivial unless it actually caused an incident or a bad near miss.

forgotmyname

Money_Grabber13579 said:

Carry on in lane 1 and pass on the inside. This could be seen as undertaking but equally, could it be classed as the traffic in lane 1 simply moving faster than lane 2 (and thus permissible) even though the traffic might only consist of those 2 cars?

If it's safe to pass on the left giving me plenty of room to move if they suddenly wake up and move to the left then I will do that. But not if I need to change lanes

anytime soon.  If the traffic ahead looks like I need to change lanes then I will do that earlier and pass them on the right.

If I do not change lanes then its not undertaking my lane is just moving faster than theirs. Not switching lanes to gain an extra 20 feet so not undertaking?

400ixl

facade said:

Dogshome's story is an example of when common sense overrules robotic enforcement. They listened to his explanation which was a good one and showed that he was aware of what was going on- so they took no action*.  After all, it is just an extension of when you drive down the middle of an empty country lane in the dark to avoid having to stop/hit/swerve round sticking out branches, pedestrians wearing dark clothes and hoodies walking on the wrong side, flytipped rubbish spilling out of a field entrance, crumbled edge of the road etc.

I'd put forward another hypothesis, They understand sometimes its just not worth arguing with dumb as doing so will just lead down a path it is not worth their time on. A motorway with a hard shoulder and a country lane are not in anyway comparable in anyway whatsoever.

Quite simple, follow the highway code and use the nearest inside lane available.

marlot

>> Pull out from lane 1 to lane 3 and then back to lane 1 again. Possibly the correct thing to do as overtaking but introduces more risk as you have to change twice as many lanes.

I'm not allowed in lane 3 of 3 when I'm towing.  I'm limited to 60mph, but sometimes these centre lane idiots are doing less than that. 

Bonniepurple

I realise that I could be considered a “middle lane hogged”, but most of my motorway journeys involve driving in busy but moving traffic.  I enter the motorway in lane 1.  I pull out to lane 2 to overtake a lorry in lane 1.  About 1 mile ahead is another slow moving lorry.  Officially, I should change back to lane 1 and then back to lane 2.  And repeat.  Instead, I look at the road as a whole.  If Lane 1 is lorries, then I stick in lane 2.  If I’m going to slow for lane 2, I either speed up or go into lane 1.  Lane 3 I use for overtaking Lane 2 traffic.

Obviously if there is no traffic in sight, lane 1 all the way!

DanDare999

Bonniepurple said:

I realise that I could be considered a “middle lane hogged”, but most of my motorway journeys involve driving in busy but moving traffic.  I enter the motorway in lane 1.  I pull out to lane 2 to overtake a lorry in lane 1.  About 1 mile ahead is another slow moving lorry.  Officially, I should change back to lane 1 and then back to lane 2.  And repeat.  Instead, I look at the road as a whole.  If Lane 1 is lorries, then I stick in lane 2.  If I’m going to slow for lane 2, I either speed up or go into lane 1.  Lane 3 I use for overtaking Lane 2 traffic.

Obviously if there is no traffic in sight, lane 1 all the way!

If the next vehicle is a mile ahead you really should be moving to lane one. 

Herzlos

forgotmyname said:

If I do not change lanes then its not undertaking my lane is just moving faster than theirs. Not switching lanes to gain an extra 20 feet so not undertaking?

My understanding is that if you don't change lane then you're just moving faster than their lane. However in practical terms it's much safer to go over to lane 3 to pass them and back because as you said, if they are daydreaming in lane 2 then do you really want to be in their blind spot when they wake up and move over.

400ixl

forgotmyname said:

If I do not change lanes then its not undertaking my lane is just moving faster than theirs. Not switching lanes to gain an extra 20 feet so not undertaking?

You may want to go back and remind yourself on the highway code.

Rule 268

Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

Undertaking is passing on the inside, there are specific scenarios where this is allowed (e.g. congested traffic) and what you describe is not covered by those exceptions. So unless you are in very heavy traffic with lanes queuing then you are undertaking.