Yes I'm a criminal, but they made me do it

Mr Badger · 3 Aug 2015 at 22:46

Get your cool starry bra on:

Driving along a stretch of 2 lane motorway today in the inside lane, traffic fairly light and moving freely along at the speed limit. Car in front of me pulls out into the empty outside lane. Next thing I'm going past him on the inside. Check my speedo - I'm still doing the same. Look in the mirror to see him disappearing backwards with more vehicles undertaking him as has evidently decided to slow down in the overtaking lane.

I seem to recall that unless you are in lanes of traffic that are crawling along or maybe one lane is heading for an off ramp, that there is no excuse for undertaking on the motorway. So what are you supposed to do when someone pulls a stunt like that?

MacRS4 · 3 Aug 2015 at 22:57

Carry on - you haven't broken the law.

Havana_UK · 3 Aug 2015 at 22:58

You do exactly what you did. There is no longer an offence of undertaking (or more properly, overtaking on the inside), but it is now a motoring offence, punishable by 3 points and £100 fixed penalty, to be in the overtaking lanes whilst not overtaking.

Snookums · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:01

I do it all the time, as long as you aren't speeding I don't see the issue. It's against the law to sit any lane that isn't the left hand lane unless overtaking. So he is in the wrong really. How the police see it is a different matter. But in my opinion they should be the first ones to pulled over not you.

SpeedFreak · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:04

I think it's called making progress.

adolf hamster · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:05

As you didnt maneuvre specifically to undertake you're fine, going faster than him in the slow lane will get him booked not you

snips86x · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:10

adolf hamster said:
As you didnt maneuvre specifically to undertake you're fine, going faster than him in the slow lane will get him booked not you

+1

Akagi · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:12

Havana_UK said:
You do exactly what you did. There is no longer an offence of undertaking (or more properly, overtaking on the inside), but it is now a motoring offence, punishable by 3 points and £100 fixed penalty, to be in the overtaking lanes whilst not overtaking.

Do you have a source for this? I had a quick look and couldn't find anything suggesting that this is true..?

geekman · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:16

What little patience I've ever had with lane hoggers has totally run out, so I'd have done the same without a doubt. I don't even bother with sitting behind them for ages or giving them a few flashes of the indicator - if there's room to pass on the inside without me causing anyone to brake then that's the route I'll take.

It usually results in much flashing and arm waving but I simply press the button to raise my electronic rear blind and forget all about them.

Mr Badger · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:22

So it sounds as though I'm not likely to get banged up then

I did wonder whether it might have been someone who was used to driving "on the right" who perhaps had a lapse of concentration and out of habit moved right into the empty lane to slow down...

AshD93 · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:23

geekman said:
What little patience I've ever had with lane hoggers has totally run out, so I'd have done the same without a doubt. I don't even bother with sitting behind them for ages or giving them a few flashes of the indicator - if there's room to pass on the inside without me causing anyone to brake then that's the route I'll take.

It usually results in much flashing and arm waving but I simply press the button to raise my electronic rear blind and forget all about them.

This really. A50 towards M1 from Uttoxeter is shocking. Pretty much everyday I'm undertaking someone and unfortuanelty its either old people or women. (Not sexist nor agist, jusf making a observation)

[TW]Fox · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:24

Havana_UK said:
There is no longer an offence of undertaking (or more properly, overtaking on the inside), but it is now a motoring offence, punishable by 3 points and £100 fixed penalty, to be in the overtaking lanes whilst not overtaking.

Did this come out of the Ladybird Book of Motoring Law or something?

There isn't a specific 'Motoring Offence' of 'Being in the overtaking lane without overtaking' nor did 'Undertaking' used to be an offence but now isn't.

Snookums · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:26

Mr Badger said:
So it sounds as though I'm not likely to get banged up then

I did wonder whether it might have been someone who was used to driving "on the right" who perhaps had a lapse of concentration and out of habit moved right into the empty lane to slow down...

Never give a driver this much credibility, if someone is being a **** on the road they always will be.

I hate how much I suffer road rage but I just feel like I'm constantly surrounded by idiots. Just the other day going around a roundabout indicated to come off in plenty of time and some idiot in an X4 pulled out but then decided to start braking, obviously aware he has pulled out and ended in me at a standstill on a roundabout with him flipping me off.

Josh107 · 3 Aug 2015 at 23:54

Snookums said:
I hate how much I suffer road rage but I just feel like I'm constantly surrounded by idiots. Just the other day going around a roundabout indicated to come off in plenty of time and some idiot in an X4 pulled out but then decided to start braking, obviously aware he has pulled out and ended in me at a standstill on a roundabout with him flipping me off.

I sometimes think the BMW X series were created entirely for people to show off their vulgarity. It's very rare that you see one not being driven like an absolute tool.

In response to OP, I will do everything I can to avoid undertaking because even though in some cases it is the best option it just doesn't feel right to me (and because quite often the muppet swerves back into the outside lane just as you're going past them), but in some cases it is just unavoidable.

Havana_UK · 4 Aug 2015 at 00:04

Acme said:
Do you have a source for this? I had a quick look and couldn't find anything suggesting that this is true..?

[TW]Fox;28397519 said:
Did this come out of the Ladybird Book of Motoring Law or something?

There isn't a specific 'Motoring Offence' of 'Being in the overtaking lane without overtaking' nor did 'Undertaking' used to be an offence but now isn't.

Yes, I'll send you a copy if you like Fox? The specific offence of undertaking was removed with the introduction of the Road Traffic Act 1972.

New £100 on the spot fines specifically for middle lane hogging were brought in by the government in August 2013. I understand that penalty points can be dished out too.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-penalties-to-tackle-tailgating-and-middle-lane-hogging

There has also been the first conviction fairly recently:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/u...rist-convicted-for-lane-hogging-10335040.html

atpbx · 4 Aug 2015 at 06:49

Passing on the left is perfectly fine.

The only time it's an issue is moving from outside to inside, passing the vehicle then pulling back into the outside lane again.

Haggisman · 4 Aug 2015 at 06:59

Mr Badger said:
Get your cool starry bra on:

Driving along a stretch of 2 lane motorway today in the inside lane, traffic fairly light and moving freely along at the speed limit. Car in front of me pulls out into the empty outside lane. Next thing I'm going past him on the inside. Check my speedo - I'm still doing the same. Look in the mirror to see him disappearing backwards with more vehicles undertaking him as has evidently decided to slow down in the overtaking lane.

I seem to recall that unless you are in lanes of traffic that are crawling along or maybe one lane is heading for an off ramp, that there is no excuse for undertaking on the motorway. So what are you supposed to do when someone pulls a stunt like that?

Was it a green focus with a roof box?

Had some silly old bat decide to slam on her brakes in the middle lane for no reason the other day, resulting in a queue of traffic undertaking her (and me stuck behind her >_<)

Housey · 4 Aug 2015 at 07:33

atpbx said:
Passing on the left is perfectly fine.

The only time it's an issue is moving from outside to inside, passing the vehicle then pulling back into the outside lane again.

Or doing it over 100 which removes the chicane, I mean fun,

traveyb · 4 Aug 2015 at 08:53

Done this a few times, where someone is either pottering in the middle lane on a motorway or in the outside lane on a dual carriageway. End of the day, if your doing the speed limit and don't immediately move back out (unless there is traffic ahead in your lane) I don't see what the issue is

Jono8 · 4 Aug 2015 at 09:02

I think what you did was fine. However today some **** pulled a stupid undertaking maneuver which was not fine. I was in the right hand lane of a dual carriageway just after overtaking someone and was approaching someone else going slower in the left lane about 100 yards ahead. I therefore stayed in the right lane as i would have had to have just gone into the left then straight back out into the right otherwise. Of course i wasn't going fast enough for some ****** so they come rushing up behind me, swerve out into the left , undertake me and then go back into the right and there was very little room between me and the car i was overtaking at this point. idiot.