Is it tine to make undertaking legal?
Discussion
crossy67 said:
Where did that extra 10mph come from, the limit's 70 wet, 80 dry 
I drove back to the UK from France and I was astounded by the standard of driving. Not sure if I have just forgotten but Jesus it's bad. I did end up undertaking as many cars as I overtook.
I think the biggest problem in any country is drivers from all across the EU have the right to drive in any country regardless of whether they've had any instruction.I drove back to the UK from France and I was astounded by the standard of driving. Not sure if I have just forgotten but Jesus it's bad. I did end up undertaking as many cars as I overtook.
I was talking to a truck driver a few years ago , he said they had a guy from Eastern Europe come for a job, one of the new EU member countries, can't remember which.
He was sat in a brand new auto volvo and looked completely out of his depth
The transport manager asked him what he'd taken his test in
Can't remember
Well what trucks have you driven,
can't remember
He told him if he hasn't got any experience he won't be getting the job, eventually they got it out of him, all he'd ever driven was a car and trailer but had a HGV entitlement
Uncle John said:
Conscript said:
Every single matrix sign should be programmed to read "Keep Left Unless Overtaking" by default when there are no other messages to display. Much more useful than being told not to drive while tired/not to drink and drive/not to phone and drive/not to murder and drive etc.
Oh, and paint the "keep apart - two chevrons" road markings everywhere. They have them on some parts of the motorway network, but make it a constant reminder and maybe people might start to use it more.
This!Oh, and paint the "keep apart - two chevrons" road markings everywhere. They have them on some parts of the motorway network, but make it a constant reminder and maybe people might start to use it more.
Took the words right out of my mouth.
Why blather on about "Drink Driving/Murdering Driving etc etc" when the single thing that causes most congestion and frustration which leads to accidents, why aren't middle lane imbeciles being addressed?
As I said the amount of space that can be freed up by doing this would be substantial which would benefit us all, no least the government in busines terms as we all know a static or even slow running motorway costs the country a fair few quid.
It's almost as though the powers that be know but do not want to do anything about it for reasons I can't fathom. Perhaps just to spite us in our snivelling worthless lives......
Just seems a no brainer to me! Just get the message out there, and over time, things will improve.
at are the exact laws regarding undertaking? I know if the traffic is moving faster in the left lane than the right lane you can drift past, but how far can you go with it?
Say you were on an almost empty motorway, the only cars on the road are you in the left lane going at 70mph, person in the middle lane doing 60 1/4 mile away, and a police car a few seconds behind you, also in the left lane.
When you caught up with the car going 60 (still in the middle lane), would you stay in your lane and "undertake" at 70 knowing there was a police car behind you, or would you move to the right hand lane and overtake the pleb?
If your answer is "move to the right hand lane just to be safe", what would you do if it was a duel carriageway and therefore you had no way to get past other than the left hand lane?
Say you were on an almost empty motorway, the only cars on the road are you in the left lane going at 70mph, person in the middle lane doing 60 1/4 mile away, and a police car a few seconds behind you, also in the left lane.
When you caught up with the car going 60 (still in the middle lane), would you stay in your lane and "undertake" at 70 knowing there was a police car behind you, or would you move to the right hand lane and overtake the pleb?
If your answer is "move to the right hand lane just to be safe", what would you do if it was a duel carriageway and therefore you had no way to get past other than the left hand lane?
In RSA one of the very first fundamental rules of the road taught when learning to drive (especially on dual carriage motorways, we call them freeways) is "keep left-pass right", there are a fair amount of permanent sign boards posted on those type of roads to remind people that it is the law to drive in this manner.
Meaning regardless of the speed you are traveling if the traffic is free flowing and you are able to be in the left lane then you should be in the left lane (ie: if you're not overtaking and once you have completed overtaking a car return to the left lane using indicators and due caution not tail gating before passing and not cutting back into the left lane without a decent space between yourself and the car you've passed). Only in slow moving peak hour traffic jam conditions does the rule fall away.
Blind spots shouldn't be a major issue in most cars only a small percentage of vehicles like low slung sports cars and lorries is it physically impossible to see all areas around you. Drive like you would ride a motorbike- actually turn your head to directly look at the rear three quarters area behind your car that is often distorted or not visible in the cars side/rear view mirrors(just like taught when doing your learner license). It may well feel odd initially but quickly becomes second nature.
This is all in an ideal world and I am also guilty of getting frustrated and passing on the left when held up by right lane hoggers, I make sure to give it full taps when I do though to get past quick as possible- both for safety and also to vent my childish frustration towards the cretin cruising in the overtaking lane by means of a screaming engine and howling exhaust
Meaning regardless of the speed you are traveling if the traffic is free flowing and you are able to be in the left lane then you should be in the left lane (ie: if you're not overtaking and once you have completed overtaking a car return to the left lane using indicators and due caution not tail gating before passing and not cutting back into the left lane without a decent space between yourself and the car you've passed). Only in slow moving peak hour traffic jam conditions does the rule fall away.
Blind spots shouldn't be a major issue in most cars only a small percentage of vehicles like low slung sports cars and lorries is it physically impossible to see all areas around you. Drive like you would ride a motorbike- actually turn your head to directly look at the rear three quarters area behind your car that is often distorted or not visible in the cars side/rear view mirrors(just like taught when doing your learner license). It may well feel odd initially but quickly becomes second nature.
This is all in an ideal world and I am also guilty of getting frustrated and passing on the left when held up by right lane hoggers, I make sure to give it full taps when I do though to get past quick as possible- both for safety and also to vent my childish frustration towards the cretin cruising in the overtaking lane by means of a screaming engine and howling exhaust
Kj159 said:
at are the exact laws regarding undertaking? I know if the traffic is moving faster in the left lane than the right lane you can drift past, but how far can you go with it?
Say you were on an almost empty motorway, the only cars on the road are you in the left lane going at 70mph, person in the middle lane doing 60 1/4 mile away, and a police car a few seconds behind you, also in the left lane.
When you caught up with the car going 60 (still in the middle lane), would you stay in your lane and "undertake" at 70 knowing there was a police car behind you, or would you move to the right hand lane and overtake the pleb?
If your answer is "move to the right hand lane just to be safe", what would you do if it was a duel carriageway and therefore you had no way to get past other than the left hand lane?
There is a rule in the highway code that exempts/allows you to pass the lane to your right, when you are in a traffic jam situation. Say you were on an almost empty motorway, the only cars on the road are you in the left lane going at 70mph, person in the middle lane doing 60 1/4 mile away, and a police car a few seconds behind you, also in the left lane.
When you caught up with the car going 60 (still in the middle lane), would you stay in your lane and "undertake" at 70 knowing there was a police car behind you, or would you move to the right hand lane and overtake the pleb?
If your answer is "move to the right hand lane just to be safe", what would you do if it was a duel carriageway and therefore you had no way to get past other than the left hand lane?
Otherwise the same two/three/four cars would have to creare a rolling roadblock based on the far right hand cars ability to move forward. IYSWIM.
Its not really meant for 70mph traffic, and I dont think anyone has sucessfully used it as an appeal to a conviction at those speeds.
Be nice if they had though.
Edited by Hol on Tuesday 27th January 14:00
Hol said:
The government should spend some of the road fund licence money on advertsing campagns aimed at people who do this dumb s
t. They could include indicating and roundabouts too.
In fact, 'Don't be a dumb st' is a good campaign slogan.
Im also in agreement with those who drive in the states reguarily on one of the interstates:
The whole undertaking concept has long ago decended/morphed into four lanes of MLM-types who just sit in any lane with the cruise control stuck at 54mph, with lots of cars doing high speed slaloms between them all to try and get 55mph.
I've always thought that 'dumb ways to die' could be slightly reworked into 'dumb ways to drive'. Video for reference. t. They could include indicating and roundabouts too. In fact, 'Don't be a dumb s
t' is a good campaign slogan.Im also in agreement with those who drive in the states reguarily on one of the interstates:
The whole undertaking concept has long ago decended/morphed into four lanes of MLM-types who just sit in any lane with the cruise control stuck at 54mph, with lots of cars doing high speed slaloms between them all to try and get 55mph.
ETA 'dumb ways to die' was originally a safety campaign for the Metro in Melbourne.
wack said:
I think the biggest problem in any country is drivers from all across the EU have the right to drive in any country regardless of whether they've had any instruction.
I was talking to a truck driver a few years ago , he said they had a guy from Eastern Europe come for a job, one of the new EU member countries, can't remember which.
He was sat in a brand new auto volvo and looked completely out of his depth
The transport manager asked him what he'd taken his test in
Can't remember
Well what trucks have you driven,
can't remember
He told him if he hasn't got any experience he won't be getting the job, eventually they got it out of him, all he'd ever driven was a car and trailer but had a HGV entitlement
A friend of mine applied for his French license, it came back with HGV entitlement. The biggest thing he's driven is his T4. I haven't had to get mine yet so don't know if this still happens.I was talking to a truck driver a few years ago , he said they had a guy from Eastern Europe come for a job, one of the new EU member countries, can't remember which.
He was sat in a brand new auto volvo and looked completely out of his depth
The transport manager asked him what he'd taken his test in
Can't remember
Well what trucks have you driven,
can't remember
He told him if he hasn't got any experience he won't be getting the job, eventually they got it out of him, all he'd ever driven was a car and trailer but had a HGV entitlement
Pretty sure undertaking is illegal in Spain, however the number of idiots who pull out into the middle lane in a bashed up old SEAT randomly, even when there's nothing in front, means you would die an early stress-related death if you tried to overtake them. I undertake a lot in Spain.. or maybe I'll rephrase, I maintain speed and lane in Spain, which usually ends up passing MLMs.
In the UK if I come up on a MLM, always a few moments pause while I do a good look around for anything that might be unmarked BiB before quickly pressing on and passing on the left. I only do this however if I'm already in L1 and the outer lanes are chockablock with traffic.
In the UK if I come up on a MLM, always a few moments pause while I do a good look around for anything that might be unmarked BiB before quickly pressing on and passing on the left. I only do this however if I'm already in L1 and the outer lanes are chockablock with traffic.
I can think of countless times i've been keeping to the left on a quiet stretch of motorway only to come across someone dawdling at 60mph in the middle lane. I just hang in the left and carry on past them. On the odd occasion they will move in behind my on the left having probably just woken up. A number of times I've been flashed to tell me i'm in the wrong...
ChemicalChaos said:
richs2891 said:
While I agree with the above, if the Americans can manage it then why cant we here ?
Have you ever driven on a busy American freeway? Its like Death Race 2000MysteryLemon said:
I can think of countless times i've been keeping to the left on a quiet stretch of motorway only to come across someone dawdling at 60mph in the middle lane. I just hang in the left and carry on past them. On the odd occasion they will move in behind my on the left having probably just woken up. A number of times I've been flashed to tell me i'm in the wrong...
Strictly speaking, I suspect you may be. Not that that excuses the middle lane doofus.kambites said:
I've driven a lot in various bits of the states and there's no way I'd want our motorways to be like American interstates get when they're busy!
Exactly. I've driven a fair bit in the American midwest and while most of the time the 'pass any side' rule is fine, that's because a lot of the roads are so empty that you might only need to pass one car every five minutes even if pressing on (e.g. I-70 from Colorado to Utah). Apply the same rule to a 3/4 lane highway at rush hour with junctions every few miles (i.e. much more like a lot of motorways in Britain), though, and it seems mad. If anything those of a more nervous disposition seem to stick to the lane nearest the central reservation to avoid most of the madness, which means those wanting to push on have to contend with all the traffic joining and leaving at junctions.Europa1 said:
MysteryLemon said:
I can think of countless times i've been keeping to the left on a quiet stretch of motorway only to come across someone dawdling at 60mph in the middle lane. I just hang in the left and carry on past them. On the odd occasion they will move in behind my on the left having probably just woken up. A number of times I've been flashed to tell me i'm in the wrong...
Strictly speaking, I suspect you may be. Not that that excuses the middle lane doofus.Uncle John said:
Europa1 said:
MysteryLemon said:
I can think of countless times i've been keeping to the left on a quiet stretch of motorway only to come across someone dawdling at 60mph in the middle lane. I just hang in the left and carry on past them. On the odd occasion they will move in behind my on the left having probably just woken up. A number of times I've been flashed to tell me i'm in the wrong...
Strictly speaking, I suspect you may be. Not that that excuses the middle lane doofus.MysteryLemon said he was on a "quiet stretch" of the motorway, so I don't think the exemption for passing traffic on his right applies.
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