We’ll what could be worse? I’ll tell you what’s worse, drivers who consistently stick to the outside lane on a dual carriageway when it’s almost completely quiet and are seemingly unaware of whats around them and that we drive on the left here.

Seems to be getting more and more common all the time? Only solution to pass them I’ve found is to slow down to their speed, pull from the inside to the outside lane, go up behind them (not too close though, give them a little time and if they don’t then get the idea, give them a quick flash of the head lights. If they still don’t realise what day of the week it is after a couple of flashes, then the only option left is to undertake?

Sometimes this results in an aggressive flash of the lights, hand gesture or a dirty look from them!

Argggggggghhhhhhhh FFS, can’t these people be educated?

Depends on road and conditions. Do a lot of driving at night for work and speeds are invariably a little higher. Stick to the outside lane to provide a buffer in case some fool decides to pull out without looking or reverse into the carriageway.

I don’t let it bother me. I just go for whatever gap is available these days, whichever lane you leave me is fine. Can’t be arsed getting stressed about it.

People Who Use Capital Letters For Every Word Are Far Worse Offenders.

😉

I’ve noticed it getting frequently worse,
We’ll all be driving like they do in Italy soon enough.

Where’s that thread about Oxygen thieves..?

Driving like they do in Italy may be a good thing. Insurance could be cheaper because no point getting small dents fixed.

I just pass on the left. Never known anyone get done for that, and I don’t reckon it in itself amounts to careless driving (although I am neither a Sheriff nor a traffic cop). In contrast, the middle/offside lane hog is almost certainly contravening S3 RTA 1988!

Why not just get past them and forget about it?
I’m mean I agree people shouldn’t do it, but it’s not the worst thing that you’ll see drivers do everyday, speeding, talking on phones, texting, parking on pavements, generally being dickwads etc the list could go on all worse than failing to move left as quickly as they should.

Oh, and I love driving on the continent – their standards and expectations are so low that they don’t get at all stressed when you cock it up. A toot of the horn at worst. Not like a lot of British drivers who love to try and teach other drivers a lesson whenever the opportunity to be a self righteous bell end presents itself!

Drive up behind. Keep a safe distance. Give lane hog a chance to move to the left. If he or she doesn’t, simply pull to the left and overtake (EDIT: or undertake…whichever we’re calling it) quickly and smoothly. Do not make eye contact. Do not make masturbatory gestures. Do not do a big WTF gesture inc once in front. Do not get stressed about it. We’re all trying to get someplace in one piece. Smile. Breathe. Sing a song. 🙂

Not like a lot of British drivers who love to try and teach other drivers a lesson whenever the opportunity to be a self righteous bell end presents itself!

We are British, we are insignificant and this is our birthright !

The nearest I’ve ever come to a heart attack was when some dick undertook me then pulled in in front of me, forcing me to brake. I’m ashamed to admit that I saw red; put my headlights on full and sat on the horn with my heart racing with anger. He must have sensed I was quite unhappy because he suddenly dived off a slip road without warning. My chest was painful for a few hours afterwards.

Why not just get past them and forget about?

Because here in the UK we keep left unless overtaking for a very good reason, yet this problem seems to be getting more and more common, plus the only way I can get past them is to break the law myself by undertaking. I’d rather not have to do this but sometimes it’s the only option remaining if you are to make progress.

Fair enough if it’s quiet, drive in the outside lane if you must, but use your rear view mirrors at the same time. Then, when you see someone coming up at you from behind, pull over to the left lane in good time so that you don’t impede their progress. It’s pro-active driving, good awareness and common courtesy surely!

some dick undertook me then pulled in in front of me, forcing me to brake.

Out of interest,

a) why was it possible for you to be undertaken if you’re in the correct lane, and

b) how does someone in front of you, travelling faster than you, cause you to brake?

the only way I can get past them is to break the law myself by undertaking

Which law have you broken?

It’s perfectly legal to pass on the left to overtake slower-moving traffic. You “should not” weave in and out of traffic, and obviously if you’re speeding in order to overtake then you’re breaking the law, but in order to be prosecuted for undertaking you’d have to be in driving without due care / dangerous driving territory.

Not like a lot of British drivers who love to try and teach other drivers a lesson whenever the opportunity to be a self righteous bell end presents itself!

So true. Guilty of it myself at times. Pathetic really.

The problem with passing on the left is that might be the moment they finally realise they should’ve pulled in and, being dopey sorts, do it without looking.

I prefer to pull in behind them and flash a few times.

It’s perfectly legal to pass on the left to overtake slower-moving traffic

Got a link?

drivers who consistently stick to the outside lane on a dual carriageway when it’s almost completely quiet

I actually find this worse at “rush hour” times with office folk in particular, making a beeline for the outside lane to sit there quite oblivious that the inside lane is clear.

They’re just dicks if you ask me and best avoided, they cant be reasoned with, they think they’re doing nothing wrong and they know best. Leave them to it.

The problem with passing on the left is that might be the moment they finally realise they should’ve pulled in and, being dopey sorts, do it without looking.

They rarely teleport six feet sideways. Even if they do (which IME is very rare as they’re usually away with the fairies), you’ve plenty of time to avoid them.

I prefer to pull in behind them and flash a few times.

… which is the correct thing to do, you’re alerting them to your presence. I’d favour a single blip, as “a few times” can easily be misinterpreted as aggressive behaviour. I’ve had people leap hard on the middle pedal in reaction to a quick flash of lights; these days I’ll only ever do it from a reasonable distance and if they’ve not moved by the time I catch them up I figure they’re never going to and negotiate them accordingly.

Got a link?

https://www.gov.uk/browse/driving/highway-code

You’re right molgrips, and it’s definitely something to be wary of – watch them for a short while first perhaps – but when they’re that daft, who’s to say they won’t just swerve right without looking (less likely I appreciate – but a div is a div at the end of the day!)

I actually find this worse at “rush hour” times with office folk in particular

Far as I can tell, a lot of that appears to be “getting in lane” because they’re turning right in a mile’s time.

The problem with passing on the left is that might be the moment they finally realise they should’ve pulled in and, being dopey sorts, do it without looking.

I sometimes wonder this too, but figure if they haven’t noticed someone behind for a mile or so and haven’t moved over of their own accord anyway beforehand, they’re unlikely to do it any time soon.

I prefer to pull in behind them and flash a few times.

I realise that it’s technically ok to do this as you’re only “alerting the other driver to your presence” but I worry that it’ll be taken as an aggressive gesture and they’ll go from being dozy lane hogger to batshit mental in a jiffy. 🙂

It’s a choice of course…I’m never sure which is safer tbh.

It’s perfectly legal to pass on the left to overtake slower-moving traffic

Nope, highway code says that you can do this “in dense traffic” when sometimes the traffic in your lane is all moving faster than the other lane, so you keep pace with your lane – it in no way allows you to undertake when your lane is empty and you just fancy going faster

Highway code says:

137

On a two-lane dual carriageway you should stay in the left-hand lane. Use the right-hand lane for overtaking or turning right. After overtaking, move back to the left-hand lane when it is safe to do so.

163

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.

So there you go – apart from in the situations mentioned above, overtaking on the left does not seem to be legal.

Which law is it contravening, then? Where does it say you MUST NOT, which is the terminology THC uses for legal restrictions?

highway code says that you can do this “in dense traffic”

No it doesn’t.

If the queue on your right is moving more slowly than you are

What defines a queue? One car? Two? If there’s a handful of cars bimbling along in the third lane at 60mph, that’s a “queue on the right moving more slowly” is it not?

No it doesn’t.

OMG, you’re right – it says congested, not dense. I’m so ashamed

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.

that’s a “queue on the right moving more slowly” is it not?

Yes, but you’re not in a queue to its left, so you should

not overtake on the left

Agent 007, I refer you to the part of my post you didn’t quote for context on the part you did.
Look on the bright side this is only a problem in the UK and whilst your study shows it’s getting worse the consequence is your “progress” was marginally slowed which is no big deal is it?

They rarely teleport six feet sideways. Even if they do (which IME is very rare as they’re usually away with the fairies), you’ve plenty of time to avoid them.

I disagree. If I’m alongside someone I definitely do not want them veering into me. If it’s anything other than a casual drift I’d count myself very lucky if I was able to avoid impact.

Yes, but you’re not in a queue to its left, so you should

a) I am traffic in the left-hand lane. So if there’s nothing in front of me and yet I can keep up with the flow of traffic in my lane, I can only pass on the left if I’m following someone else? How’s that work, what’s the guy at the front doing?

b) “should” is the operative word there. Once again, which law am I breaking by overtaking on the left?

If you’re carving in and out of traffic like an asshat then you can (and should) be pulled for some variant on ‘reckless driving’. But there is no specific law against passing on the left, despite what the bottom half of the Internet might have you believe.

I disagree.

Feel free, your authority in matters of overtaking are well documented. (-:

If it’s anything other than a casual drift I’d count myself very lucky if I was able to avoid impact.

Whereas I like to look in directions other than forwards whilst driving. You’re seriously claiming that you’d almost certainly be involved in a collision if someone was to change lanes without looking whilst you were alongside them?

If I’m passing someone, irrespective of which side I’m passing on, I’m keeping an eye on what they’re doing just in case. As TGA says, by that logic there you run exactly the same risk when you overtake on the right as on the left. People can be erratic and random regardless of how “in the right” you happen to be.

I feel sorry for all the wagin drivers in the 50 average speed sections of the motorway (17 miles near Mansfield and that’s just for starters – flippin extrudakerbers) when the middle lane’s got jeezus-rightyus driving at bang on 50 (really about 46) but he don’t go in now slow lane no. Which is hardest – shuffle over to that huuuge gap in your dumb-mobile for 20 seconds or let 40 tonnes of deadly chemicals undertake you or bare-minimum sit right up your hoop for 17 miles.

Morons.

Agent 007, I refer you to the part of my post you didn’t quote for context on the part you did.
Look on the bright side this is only a problem in the UK and whilst your study shows it’s getting worse the consequence is your “progress” was marginally slowed which is no big deal is it?

It’s quite a big deal. Sticking to the right hand lane shows a fundamental lack of awareness, lack of courtesy, lack of observation and lack of knowledge of one of the very most basic of road rules here in the UK. If they’re not aware of this then what else are they unaware of?

Once again, which law am I breaking by overtaking on the left?

Dunno about breaking a law as I’m not a copper or a lawyer, all I’m doing is interpreting the HC for you – presumably you intended us to, since you linked to it.

We all know how hard it is to convict someone of even what seems obviously dangerous or careless driving but that doesn’t make those folk who get off “perfectly legal” IMO. I bet you’d not try it on if a copper was in the line to your right.

Dunno about breaking a law as I’m not a copper or a lawyer, all I’m doing is interpreting the HC for you

Well it’s quite simple then, as THC lists relevant laws under every bullet point, in nice bold type. So you don’t need to be a lawyer or a policeman, you just need to be able to read what it says.

that doesn’t make those folk who get off “perfectly legal” IMO

Well, it does, in that it’s either legal or it isn’t. I can’t offhand think of anything that is deemed “slightly illegal” in law.

I bet you’d not try it on if a copper was in the line to your right.

I’d like to hope that your average motorway copper would have sufficient road sense that the situation would never present itself.

Once again, which law am I breaking by overtaking on the left?

Funnily enough, Police Interceptors is on Channel 5 right now in the background. The police have just pulled someone who blatantly undertook a truck on the motorway on the left. He was about to get some points for the offence until they found out he was already a banned driver, a far more serious offence.

He was about to get some points for the offence

Were they? What were they going to charge him with?

Was that his only misdemeanour or was he driving like a nobber to start with?