Bad driving, lane discipline, undertaking & the LAW

This is going to be a a full on rant and for that, I apologise. But let me state some facts as I see them:

- The standard of driving in the UK is terrible, and this ultimately boils down to a general poor attitude towards other road users and a lack of familiarity with the rules o' the road.
- Apart from the crashy 17-25 age group the worst offenders (to me anyway) appear to be the 50-something executive car crew, men and women alike. The former usually pay a certain level of attention and despite inexperience / showing off etc. are not as bad as the latter, who can be found trying to take you out during lane changes for a bit of a laugh and are convinced they are the supreme being on the road.
- Although the level of driving skill and understanding of car handling / physics is generally very poor the main problems appear to be a lack of understanding regarding the highway code, not using the tools available (mirrors, indicators, lights) to observe or communicate with other road users and, most importantly, lack of planning.

(grrrrr... ok.... breather.....)

Classic scenario: You're in the nearside lane of a three lane NSL carriageway in the middle of the day, light traffic, good conditions. Five hundred yards ahead there is a lorry with no vehicles between you and it (and yes, you all know what's coming). For three hundred yards fore and aft of the lorry the other two lanes are packed with vehicles traveling so close that when someone farts, they all recoil away in horror. Those joining the great big group overtake effort do so in the far offside lane. Now when I'm in the car I tend to do the appropriate thing; match speed with the middle lane, pick my gap to slot into, approach the lorry in the nearside lane then join the middle lane for the overtake before dropping back into the nearside lane (provided there's no clear overtaking opportunity in the offside lane). However when I'm riding I will tend to deliberately (and carefully, not quickly) undertake the whole feckin' lot, then slot into my gap. Clearly this is not allowed.

Classic scenario 2: Same carriageway. There is an executive merc in the offside lane doing 80mph. Now, being naughty like that, I would like to overtake. There is a car in the nearside lane and none in the central one. When driving I will approach the merc in the central lane overtaking the nearside car, then pull up behind signalling my desire to overtake. When I'm duly ignored I give them a quick flash " I'm not just sitting here for the hell of it " style and, if I'm further ignored I just pull back into the appropriate lane and do not undertake, However, on the bike I will deliberately undertake after having ascertained the driver is not going to change lane.

Now I really don't want to give bikers a bad image; whenever I intentionally do something naugty I do it 'safely' and don't just scream past like a wild thing with two fingers in the air. Really, by their poor, unskilled, attentionless driving they are forcing a more highly trained, more skilled, more vulnerable and far better looking road user to break the law in order to make progress.

Am I being a tw*t?

Rant over. Sorry.

In the first example, its bad form to do it in a car. Why should you get to skip the queue. On a bike I'd do it if I could do so without slowing down traffic.

The second example I'd happily breeze by on the inside lane, it's not actually undertaking unless you move inside and then back out. If you were always in one of the inside lanes and dont move out then it's fine which Is what I usually do, why bother with the dance.

On the bike the other day I saw a car doing the outisde lane hog, after the two cars in front of me eventually undertook I did the same so close that you'd struggle to get a fag packet between me and the car. Absolutely no need to do it and very stupid but oh so satisfying.

First example: From what you described you continued in lane 1 (nearside), which you were already in, and continued your at your speed passing the slower vehicles in lane 2 on the left. When you arrived at a slower vehicle, you slotted safely into lane 2 for the overtake. This is perfectly valid and legal and you've done nothing wrong, see highway code rule 268.

Second example: You haven't actually done anything illegal, there is no law against overtaking on the left. However other drivers are not expecting you to be overtaking on the left, therefore it is viewed as allowing your standard of driving to fall below that of a prudent motorist, and you would probably be charged with driving without due care and attention (DWDC).

I personally think though that if there is a vehicle in lane 3 and the rest of the motorway is empty, and you move over to lane 1 to overtake on the left, a good lawyer may manage to argue that you had done it in a prudent manner, having been given no other option by the driver hogging lane 3, and that therefore you are not guilty of DWDC. Not sure I'd like to be the one to test it in court though.

Originally Posted by 85jas

deliberately (and carefully, not quickly)

The only other bit of feedback I'd give, and this is nothing to do with law, is do it carefully and swiftly keeping to the left of your lane.

The slower you do it, the longer you spend sitting on the left hand side of that vehicle, where the driver is not expecting you to be, bang in the middle of that drivers left mirror blind spot. You don't want to be there too long.

Keeping to the left of your lane is giving yourself room and time to react if the car does start to change lane to the left without having seen you, though it does increase the length of the blind spot you have to pass through.

2-----------If he is doing 80mph what speed were you doing. Two wrongs don't make a right in my book but you carry on as you are if you consider it to be good driving/riding.

As to being a t**t I will not comment.

The only time undertaking is 100%legal is if you are using a slip road to leave the road you are on and undertaking the vehicles in the nearside lane.Other scenarios may be permissible depending on the circumstances but leave you open to criticism

If ALL drivers maintained lane discipline the need would not arise for good drivers to do silly things,but even good drivers suffer frustration and end up being bad drivers.

Think how it appears to the driver sitting behind you if you are ducking and diving from one lane to the other to gain a cars length

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

The only time undertaking is 100%legal is if you are using a slip road to leave the road you are on and undertaking the vehicles in the nearside lane.Other scenarios may be permissible depending on the circumstances but leave you open to criticism

Legal, but again, just be careful. Some t**t will look at the sat nav or the sign, realise they are missing their junction, and make a dive for the slip road.

I don't really want to get dragged into this, but, "middle lane hoggers" are a major hate of mine.

Whenever I am on the M25 in the sections where there are four lanes I am always "undertaking" traffic as no-one drives in lane 1 of the 4.

I was lead to believe by a member of the Police force, when I asked him, what the ruling was and I was told as long as you don't change lanes to under-take (i.e. lane two to lane one or lane three to lane two or one) then it is legal as long as you are not breaking the speed limit

Slower traffic that is sat in the middle lane(s) is dangerous in itself, but, sitting in the middle lane is not illegal, it is just contrary to the high-way code

Best advice is just to over-take to the right of the traffic, but, if you are in a lane with a clear path and are travelling faster then vehicles to your right it is not illegal to "undertake"

A valid point Ralph but I would expect a decent driver to be aware of this.I don't usually undertake on the slip road till it is safe to do so,normally after the chevrons at the very least.

With the above be ready for somebody pulling to their left into your path-----------------------without signalling

Originally Posted by Dicky Ticker

decent driver

Now there's a big assumption