Police "Ride" Course

[chezza]

Morning everyone....

Ok, so confession time first - I got pulled by an unmarked police car a few weeks ago for undertaking on a dual carriage way. Not defending my actions but all the cars were sitting in the outside lane doing well under 70, I moved myself all the way over to the left and slowly undertook then after about 12 cars moved back over to continue. It was then I saw the blue lights and got pulled over.

Anyway, enough of that... I have been offered a Ride course or the fixed penalty - I will of course choose the Ride course but I am unable to find any information on the format or content of the course. Anybody on the Org know of this course ?

Cheers
Gav

[embee]

I may have understood the scenario wrong, but as I recall it is not an offence per se to pass vehicles on the left on a dual carriageway/motorway if the traffic in the right lane is moving "in queues" generally at a slower rate than you in the left lane, this is what regularly happens on congested motorways and you are not expected to hold back simply because the numpties in the right hand lane are going slowly.


From the 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.


If you were indeed "undertaking" then fair cop I guess. It's a question of what actions you took to get there . The Ride course is a fair outcome.

[chezza]

Oh its bang to rights in the eyes of the Highway code and I've no complaints on that score just wondered what the course content was.

[chezza]

Here is some info from the AA - sounds like a good course.

http://www.theaa.com/aadrivetech/dri...ness/ride.html

[Trev B]

Sounds very similar to the naughty boys club I had to attend the other year for my first ever speeding ticket in 45 years,it was very informative I've got to admit,and would recommend it to everyone !!!

[NTECUK]

Shame that they overlooked the cars who sit in the overtake lanes and never bother to follow the highway code.

[Craig380]

Originally Posted by chezza

I moved myself all the way over to the left and slowly undertook then after about 12 cars moved back over to continue. It was then I saw the blue lights and got pulled over.

This is why the law is questionable and stupid on this point.

If you had continued in the left lane and not moved back out again, you could not have been pulled, as you were simply moving back to the left-most lane (as per the Highway Code) and proceeding at the stated speed limit for the road (as per the Highway Code).

[Trev B]

Totally agree with NTECUK,went on the A1 at Peterborough where its 6 lanes wide and people were still staying in lanes 4 5 and 6!!!

[Red Herring]

Personally I'd decline both of their offers and invite them to take me to court where they can explain to the magistrates why exactly they thought I was riding without due care and attention or without due consideration for the car sitting in the outside lane..... but then again I'm a bit of an argumentative git....

[Bibio]

i'm with RH on this one. every single car that you undertook should have been pulled over and fined for lane hogging so i say it was unjust that you were targeted for doing the correct thing.