A motoring question.....

[Androcles]

I am driving on a motorway in a virtually empty lane 1 at about 68mph. Lanes 2 and 3 have moderate traffic in them.

I then come up to another vehicle in Lane 2 travelling at about 50. There is nothing in front of them, but about 3 or 4 vehicles stuck behind them. (I don't know why they have not overtaken themselves!)

Should I a) slow down, signal and move out to lane 3 to overtake and then cut back to the empty lane 1 or
b) trundle past in lane 1.

This raises the question of travelling at an even speed and finding the traffic in the lanes outside you has slowed, so technically you have overtaken on the inside.

Just interested in what the legal answer would be!

[sara3]

you're allowed to pass slower traffic on the left.

in fact, lanes 2 and 3 are technically overtaking lanes.

[sara3]

all here..

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport /Highwaycode/DG_069862

[123everton]

I think you mean not allowed Sara

[sara3]

I didn't actually!

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.

[paraffin]

Hi Androcles:

What a totally frustrating situation, I know, being one of no doubt many thousands to have "suffered" a similar fate.

The correct thing for you to do would be as you say at a).

However, don't laugh, in the event of a marked Police vehicle coming along, it is feasible that the driver at the head of the middle lane queue could be reported for what's called "inconsiderate driving", i.e. pootling along at a speed well below the maximum when there's an available empty lane on his nearside. In fairness, though, he would need to have been driving in such a manner for some miles and the Police would need to show that he'd had numerous opportunities to pull over but failed to do so.

Anyway, if you've now stopped laughing, we all know that the chances of finding that Police car are as rare as hens' teeth. So don't hold your breath.

But it's the sort of driving behaviour which winds us all up, isn't it?

[BRIGHT SPARK]

Can anyone think of a good reason why the law cannot be changed to allow passing on either side as in the U.S. This way drivers wishing to pass would have to make the lane change .. and take the risk..instead of slower motorists having to move over for someone who may be exceeding the limit. This change would reduce lane rage quite dramatically.

[Barmaid]

I very often do this - you get a load of traffic in lane 2 or 3 built up behind a "middle lane hogger". So i just slip into lane 1 where there is absolutely no traffic and set my cruise control at 68mph. Not my bloody fault the numpty in the right hand land doesn't know how to use lanes. Lane 1 is safer (cos there is no one there)!

[themas]

Barmaid - and you a barrister?! I must disagree with sara and say I think this passing on the left is illegal unless it is in the conditions set out in the para. she quotes - i.e. congested traffic, which normally means slow moving traffic in all the lanes. That is not what the question was about.

I know it is frustrating & often come across a virtually empty lane 1 myself, but overtaking there can be dangerous if the numpty takes it into his/her head to suddenly move into lane 1 (without looking or signalling of course!).

[tamborine]

Always overtake on the right. If you overtake on left you would be at fault in an accident.

Be careful overtaking foreign TIR lorries on right. Since the lorries are left hand drive you can't be seen by the driver.

[Barmaid]

I know Themas! Dreadful, aren't I?! But I do keep my eyes open for nutters on the right and I do try and set my speed so I am at the same speed or creeping past (if that). I just feel safer in a lane with no other traffic rather than in a lane where the traffic is constantly bunching and there is someone right up my rear end!!!!!

[Androcles]

Wow! Thanks for all your replies - I think I shall stick to my usual response and overtake in lane 3.

I suppose the other problem is that many of us were brought up on (in software terms) "Highway Code", when others are on Highway Code 95, or Highway Code XP and are refusing militantly to move to Highway Code Vista!

[Rollo]

As said above, lanes 2 and 3 are for overtaking.

It is a pity that all these sophisticated cameras that can check our speed, and recognise our number plate, cannot also "catch" these inconsiderate drivers who hog the overtaking lane when they are not overtaking.

If people started getting fined together with points on their licence they might just stop doing it.

[coccinelle]

So this means that if you're driving along in Lane 1 and a car in Lane 2 is driving slower than you are, you have to take your foot off the accelerator to avoid overtaking him? This would cause more traffic congestion!

[jake-the-peg]

Overtaking on the inside is illegal because the car in the middle lane often has a significant blind spot there and may move back in causing a collision.

This is the point where someone jumps in and says something like "Actually there is no law against over taking on the inside"

To which I point out the convention whereby overtaking on the inside can be taken as grounds for a charge of careless driving

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:iDVQSzt0H p8J:www.npia.police.uk/en/docs/digest_feb_2008 .pdf+acpo+dpp+%22overtaking+on+the+inside%22+c areless+driving&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk&clien t=firefox-a

[Nosha123]

Middle lane hoggers drive me loopy!!!! And when I get behind them and flash my lights for them to realise they could be doing something wrong and shouls move over if Lane 1 is empty - they dont even notice me flashing!!!

Awareness eh! They;re driving a lethal machine at 70mph and have no idea what is going on around them!!!!

We should have laser guns fitted to our bumpers so we can blast them off the roads!!!!

One womand I flashed who then pulled back into lane 1 pulled immediately back into the middle lane once I had passed - despite lane 1 being totally empty (except for me in the distance!!!). Think she got a bit scared being so close to the edges of the motorway and felt safer with a lane either side of her!!

Grrrrrr