Well, yes, but you seem to be implying that it’s not legal over here, which isn’t the case. Undertaking isn’t illegal, though driving without due care / dangerous driving is.

From Highway Code – 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.

It’s drafted pretty broadly, but I take that to mean you can only undertake to keep up with traffic in your lane?

If you are in the left lane on an otherwise empty motorway and come up to a middle lane hogger doing 60mph, does that mean it’s ok to pass on the left, despite it not being to keep up with traffic in your lane?

It always feels so odd swinging out 3 lanes and then back in again.

oh to have a middle lane again… 2 lanes confuses Tasmanians enough.

We have three on a couple of freeways here in Adelaide, Mike. Noone, and I mean noone (well, apart from me) uses the inside lane. I just treat it as my own personal undertaking lane these days to avoid frustration.

I still find it ludicrous that motorway driving doesn’t form part of driving lessons/test.

It does from part of the ‘Pass-Plus’ test which earns you the equivalent of a year’s no-claims discount on your first year.

If I remember rightly The PP cost me £170 and instead of having to pay the £1200, my first year’s insurance on a 1.6 Golf MKII was £650.
If you mean it should be mandatory, (which the pass-plus is not), then I agree.

From BBC:

Among the offences police are expected to focus on are:

…

• Overtaking and pushing into a queue of traffic

YES! I WIN! WOOHOO!!!

It’s drafted pretty broadly, but I take that to mean you can only undertake to keep up with traffic in your lane?

It also says “do not” rather than “you MUST NOT” – ie, there’s no law to back up the rule.

You’re not supposed to weave about between lanes, for fairly obvious reasons. If you’re doing 70 in the first lane and encounter someone doing 50 in the second, it’s arguably both safer and desirable to pass on the left than to make four lane changes.

Don’t get me wrong, I HATE middle lane hoggers,

Well, it’s good to see you’re worrying about the things that really matter.

it’s arguably both safer and desirable to pass on the left than to make four lane changes.

That’s always been my thinking, but I have on occasion swung all the way out and back in on an empty road just to make a point, which they don’t seem to get. 😥

If you mean it should be mandatory, (which the pass-plus is not), then I agree.

Yes, exactly that. Also, i know it’s not legal as a learner to drive on the motorway with an insured driver etc, but is it even legal to drive on the motorway as a learner with a qualified instructor? For example if you asked your instructor to allow you to drive on the motorway for experience/confdence would he legally be able to?

The thing I hate is when I can pull into the left lane for around 15/20 seconds between lorries, but that is just enough time for the person behind me to slowly creep alongside with no care that I am approaching the lorry in front and will be wanting to pull back out. This results in me needing to break or slow down to pull back out behind them.

Makes it tempting to stay in the middle lane when lorries are spaced by around this amount of distance.

No you can’t drive on the motorway until you have passed your test regardless of who is sat in the passenger seat. It almost calls for a 2-step license, part 1 allows you to take part 2, the motorway bit. Its all a bit daft really as you are allowed on dual carriageways with only a provisional which is pretty much like being on a motorway anyway

it’s arguably both safer and desirable to pass on the left than to make four lane changes.

Well not really, since when people are themselves ‘overtaking’ they tend not to look when pulling back in, or not look as hard. Plus there is more car and potentially passengers obscuring the view when looking that way. Person doing 50mph in the middle lane is more likely to think ‘oops, better pull in’ and cut across you doing 70mph. Everyone expects faster traffic to their right, slower to their left. That’s kind of the point. As shown in the USA, when you get faster and slower traffic to both left and right, the result is bedlam. And you end up using the lanes less effectively, which means they build more, which means even more bedlam.

The thing I hate is when I can pull into the left lane for around 15/20 seconds between lorries, but that is just enough time for the person behind me to slowly creep alongside with no care that I am approaching the lorry in front and will be wanting to pull back out. This results in me needing to break or slow down to pull back out behind them.

This is why I stay out in these situations if it’s not busy. I’m doing 70, folk going faster can happily be in the right hand lane and the slower traffic on the inside. Works fine. If you are gong to force everyone to chop in and out of the inside it’ll be a ridiculous mess, when there’ll be one or two perfectly clear lanes to the right.

This is why I stay out in these situations if it’s not busy. I’m doing 70, folk going faster can happily be in the right hand lane and the slower traffic on the inside. Works fine. If you are gong to force everyone to chop in and out of the inside it’ll be a ridiculous mess, when there’ll be one or two perfectly clear lanes to the right.

S’what I do on the odd occasion I drive on the M4/5. There’s usually loads of trucks on lane 1, with relatively small gaps, and they’re all doing around 50, whereas I’m doing an indicated 80, (72 in real terms), so pulling in to lane 1 would mean staying there for less than thirty seconds before having to indicate to pull out again. When there’s big spaces I do pull into lane 1, and stay there for as long as I can.
I have, occasionally, come up behind a middle lane cruiser when I’ve been in lane 1, with faster traffic already in lane 3, so I just sit in lane 1 and pass on the left. I do watch the other driver like a hawk, just in case he starts to pull across without bothering to look, though.

This results in me needing to break or slow down to pull back out behind them.

Can’t believe I wrote break instead of brake! 😡

Well not really, since when people are themselves ‘overtaking’ they tend not to look when pulling back in, or not look as hard.

These people aren’t overtaking, they’re sitting in the second lane staring off into the middle distance. I’ve had arguments with people trying to tell me it’s the “cruising lane” before now.

I’m always prepared for it to happen, but 99 times out of 100 I’ve more chance of growing a second willy than having someone change into the first lane as I’m passing. Chances are they’ll still be sat there long after I’ve passed them.

I’m always prepared for it to happen, but 99 times out of 100 I’ve more chance of growing a second willy than having someone change into the first lane as I’m passing. Chances are they’ll still be sat there long after I’ve passed them.

On particularly boring drives on almost empty motorways before now, I’ve driven round middle lane hogs a few times. Approach from inside lane, cross middle lane into outside lane and overtake, cross back to inside lane. Ease off back to 59 mph, they overtake you, repeat.

My record was five times before they got the picture that they can drive in the inside lane when nothing’s there.

On particularly boring drives on almost empty motorways before now, I’ve driven round middle lane hogs a few times. Approach from inside lane, cross middle lane into outside lane and overtake, cross back to inside lane. Ease off back to 59 mph, they overtake you, repeat.

My record was five times before they got the picture that they can drive in the inside lane when nothing’s there.

😆 I have got to give that a go 😆