Overtaking on the inside

[Ozzie]

Hands up all those that do it.

Would you go inside (hand gestures optional)?:wank:

I travel on the A14 every day to work and find the traffic rarely gets up to the 70mph speed limit, but everyone stays in the second lane. So I use the inside lane to make progress but don't hammer past like a nutter, just pass them at 10 to 15mph faster and stay to the left.

 

[Hornblower]

This is the one that really PISSES ME OFF
I think the law should change and if it is possible to go past a slower moving vehicle on its left, they should be done for causing an obstruction or somthing ( or just getting in MY way would be good).
Every time I am on any road with more than one lane some prat sits in the right hand lane. Last week in Brum I got stuck behind a twat doing the school run in her Discovery. For nearly 2 miles and she was in the out side lane going slower than EVERYBODY else because she wanted to turn right, at long last she started to turn into the filter lane and just as I began to pass her she changed her mind swerved back and nearly had me off. I then went past her on the left side and she wound her window down and shouted at me.
:wank: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR :wank:

 

[derek kelly]

Not sure of the legality of filtering on the inside on motorways, but I do know that it is illegal to hog the outside lane, even if you are travelling at the NSL.

 

[ianrobbo1]

nice steady 75 ish on cruise last night going home from the bash, meets a shit load of traffic sat in lane three all doing about 60 mph, as I'm in the N/S lane just sailed past wondering what they were all sat there one behind the other for!! didn't appear to be an accident or owt so continued on my way, must have passed thirty or forty vehicles and right at the front of "the que" was a prick completely oblivious to the hold up he was causing!! nothing in lanes one or two just him!! :bang:
now too my mind yes I was "undertaking" and being "naughty", was he on the other hand the worse offender, and all the sheep behind him would all have been in deep shit if the knob in front had braked suddenly as they were ALL tailgating one another,!!
who was the one committing the "worst/most dangerous" offence,??
BTW I must have been past all the traffic for at least a couple on minutes before anyone came past us, so it would seem no one wanted to "undertake" :dunno:

 

[Wolfie]

yep, often with large hand signals declaring my love for the lane hogger and how i would love to offer them some relieve cause it must be sexual frustation that makes them need to stay out there.

 

[Duck n Dive]

Yep I do it all the time - especially on motorways where the inside lane(s) are empty for some distance.

My reasoning is that if I'm in the inside lane and it's clear I'm free to go. It's not undertaking if you're lane on a multi lane road is clear and other lanes are "obstructed" (by pratts).

I've managed to go for distances of 10-15 miles that way, sometimes it's both outer lanes blocked and on occassion just the "overtaking" lane blocked.

Don't see why I should join the queue of pillocks - also if there is a sudden slowing I'd rather be in the inside lane with clear visibility and plenty of braking distance than sat behind the brain dead.

c7u8 $%3un

 

[Rolfy Dave]

I am sure....

we have had this discussion before, and it turned out that "undertaking" is not illegal, and if done must be done with extreme care...

I must admit to doing it with quite a regularity, as lane discipline is sadly lacking in this country. Those who have ridden on the continent will know what I mean...When pushed, we have been known to "filter with extreme predjudice" to make reasonable progress...

This was done with some success today when returning home from the EOSB at Coalville to Kidderminster in a resounding 42 minutes with quite heavy traffic on the M42...Glad I didnt have panniers on though...LOL

Regards,

Rolfy
:beer:

 

[tootyfluti]

I like the way Rolfy so delicately put it!! iltering with extreme prejudice, nice one.
I am also guilty of the above but make no apologies for it, if there is room for me to go past on the left then the vehicle in front should have moved over, it`s about time that poor lane discipline should be taken more seriously than it is now.

 

[Duck n Dive]

I've been trying to find something about the legality or otherwise of "undertaking". Not actually had much luck.

As far as I can see the only guidence that exists is in the higway code where it says:

242: 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.

So far I've not found anything that says it's actually illegal to undertake. I'm beginning to suspect that any prosecution would have to be one the basis of "careless or dangerous driving" ?? - but if there's no specific law saying you can't undertake then to suceed with a prosecution they'd have to quote the highway code as "best/recommended practice" and have a police officer stating that the manner in which you did it was dangerous.

Isn't this a bit like filtering ??

:dunno:

 

[Duck n Dive]

Managed to find this site: http://www.traffic-answers.com

A response on that site on the subject of lane 2 & 3 hoggers apparently from a traffic cop says:

The Crown Prosecution Service want's more than just a few people to be inconvenienced by the middle lane hogger...

For me personally, I think if only ONE driver has been inconvenienced then the offence is complete....but i'm afraid the CPS don't agree and need sustained inconvenience over a substantial distance....

Interesting thing is still that while the highway code is quoted (as in my previous post) there's has still not been any mention of the actual traffic offence/law which has been commited/broken when undertaking??

OK, "rules" in the higway code which state YOU MUST NOT are based on road traffic laws - anything else is guidence/best practice.

It also seems that the actual charge for undertaking is Driving Without Due Care And Attention (DWDC) and any charge would be either DWDC - Careless Driving or DWDC - Dangerous Driving. The second is mor eserious and carries a mandatory ban !!

So the prosecution is either Dangerous or Careless Driving...... to get away with it it seems it must have happened on either a dual carriageway or motorway (no chance on multi lane normal road) and you would have to be able to show that you did not drive in either a dangerous or careless manner.

This would suggest that changing lanes (say from 3 to 2) and then almost straightaway will not wear. Spotting the potential "blockagage" in advance and moving to L2 (L1 even better) and then maintaining a steady speed might leave you a chance.........

 

[Jaws]

I spend more time in lane one going on average 10 mph faster than the twonks in lane 2/3/4 ..

The offence I think could be failure to observe a traffic signal.. a tad obscure but nevertheless that is what you are doing.

I would think you could also be reprted for dangerous driving.

 

[exhornet900]

In my opinion a lot depends on how you approach this type of situation.

If you have not planned correctly, and come screaming up behind traffic lined up in lane 3 or 2, THEN move into the next left lane in order to overtake, you have committed the offence of overtaking on the left, which is driving without due care. You could then make it even worse for yourself if you accelerate hard passing the vehicles that are now on your offside, and pull abruptly back out into lane 2 or 3 in order to overtake a slow mover in the nearside lane.

However, if you look far enough ahead, and gradually move out of the (soon to be) busy outer lanes, then travel in lane 1 for a distance, slowly catching up the traffic in the other lanes and then overtake on the left, you have not 'moved to a nearside lane in order to overtake'. You are already in that lane prior to the hold up, and so can carefully and steadily overtake the numpties in the offside lanes. HOWEVER, if you are on your bike, be especially careful for your own safety. Drivers WILL start to change lanes and THEN check their mirrors; not good if you are close by them!

It's just my opinion, mind!!!man8um

 

[KevKing]

Happens all the time, if they were to educate the ignorant buffoons who stick in the outside lane then it wouldnt but while they do then I will continue to overtake to the left. Must be coz I spend so long in the US where it is perfectly legal. :wank: