Change in the Law regarding undertaking

[dave553322]

Hi All
I have a good friend who is a copper (I know but I am desperate for friends) he is a armed response copper, I was talking to him two weeks ago about middle lane hoggers on the motorway and I said in an off hand statment that we should be allowed to undertake on the motorway like they do in the USA, he looked shocked and said that law was changed two years ago and the same rules apply with undertaking as they do with overtaking, I did press him on this and he was certian that he was correct, has anyone else heard that the law has been changed?

[R1Geezer]

undertaking is not overtaking on the left.

Overtaking implies movement fromone lane to another so if you are in the middle lane and come up to another vehicle you cannot move left to overtake and back into the middle you must go round the right. If you are in the left hand lane then you can maintain course and speed and drift past the car without changing lanes, that is not undertaking or even overtaking on the left it is merely keeping up with the traffic in your lane. The hysteria occurs when idiots who do not understand happen to be in the left hand lane and thus believe that if they come up to middle lane driver they must go "long way round" to overtake, not true. The real danger is caused by people weaving in and out of trucks on the left whenever a spare foot of road presents itself. This cause those who correctly stay in the middle lane all sorts of problems.

[R1Geezer]

your friend is correct but the law hasn't changed it's always been like this.

[Graham-W]

According to the Highway Code you can only pass on the left in queueing traffic if the outer lane is slower than yours.
# only overtake on the left if the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right, and there is room to do so
# stay in your lane if traffic is moving slowly in queues. If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are, you may pass on the left.
http://www.direct.gov...Highwaycode/DG_070314

[Graham-W]

Highway Code Rule No.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.

[hc4361]

Much of the highway code is advisory only and not enforceable in law.

[ABerrant]

Those sections of the Highway Code which are not specifically law are held as the standard to which drivers should adhere and deviation from that standard can be prosecuted under other laws such as those for carelesss/inconsiderate driving.

[McMouse]

I use a section of a 5 lane motorway and often drive in the left hand lane at 70 mph, with 2 and 3 empty, 4 with lane hoggers and 5 speeding nutters.

[dzug2]

Even in the US the situation is not as clear cut as it may seem. The expectation there is that you will get in whatever lane is doing the speed you want and stay in it. Indeed in some jurisdictions you can be fined for excessive lane hopping if you are continually changing lanes to under/overtake. And 'slow traffic keep right' signs are not unknown.

[woofgang]

lol when i read the title i thought it was about burying people.

[chris1957au]

Come to thailand they don't have lanes lol well they do three lanes with 5 car a breast

[jason.p]

We had a few days in Cairo a couple of weeks ago and the driving has to be seen to be believed! It's like a cross between rally driving and production car racing with constant blaring of horns. There's no lane discipline at all, and most of the traffic lights are out of action. And then there's a camel coming toward you on the outside lane.
It made the M25 seem like a country lane!