Inside Overtaking - Against the law, or not???
Discussion
I have always considered inside overtaking to be against the law (except when traffic in one lane is moving faster than another). However somebody just told me that this is not the case. I checked. The highway code does not refer to a specific "law" in this area. It is just one of the other code rules not covered by law. The code says..
"Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under Traffic Acts to establish liability."
Is this correct? I assume the plod would simply charge such offenders with dangerous driving instead.
"Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under Traffic Acts to establish liability."
Is this correct? I assume the plod would simply charge such offenders with dangerous driving instead.
As I underdstand it it is not technically illegal.
Secondly you can be compliant with the Highway Code and pass on the left if the queue of traffic in your lane is moving more quickly than the queue of traffic in the lane to the right.
Vonhosen is your man to give you the real lowdown on this.
Personally I am very, very wary about passing on the left but *will* do so given a "right-lane-moron". But any such manouever has to be made with the utmost care, the abilty to abort (having an escape plan at all times) and due regard for safety. Illegal or not.
Secondly you can be compliant with the Highway Code and pass on the left if the queue of traffic in your lane is moving more quickly than the queue of traffic in the lane to the right.
Vonhosen is your man to give you the real lowdown on this.
Personally I am very, very wary about passing on the left but *will* do so given a "right-lane-moron". But any such manouever has to be made with the utmost care, the abilty to abort (having an escape plan at all times) and due regard for safety. Illegal or not.
Not trying to give a legal answer but what I believe is my common sense approach.
If MLOC member is in residence and it is possible to move L1>L2>L3 overtake L3>L2>L1 that is what I will do, no cutting in to "teach them a lesson" just a properly conducted manoeuvre. maybe a demonstration of how it should be done hopefully, but one which often goes over their head and splats against the wall.
If above is not possible it is almost certainly due to heavy traffic lanes 2 & 3. In which case it is only a matter of time where you have positioned well in advance to get into line of least resistance, traffic to your right slows and you slide by with due observation and keeping differential speed down and appropriate.
If one of the traffic cars is about, and in one case recently where THEY were one of the MLOC members, (
come on guys get a grip!!!!) then regardless I do NOT slide by on the left, unless their lane slows almost a halt when I creep past with low differential speed. Never had any adverse comment, even from the numpties in MLOC.
What I DO find unacceptable is the increasing tendency for lane swapping, i.e. pull hard left, boot it up the inside of people until reach a vehicle ahead, move to right , overtake, move left again, boot it up the inside, reiterate.
Those people in my book deserve a pull.
edited, lines for FiF
learn to spell manoeuvre
learn to spell manoeuvre
learn to spell manoeuvre
If MLOC member is in residence and it is possible to move L1>L2>L3 overtake L3>L2>L1 that is what I will do, no cutting in to "teach them a lesson" just a properly conducted manoeuvre. maybe a demonstration of how it should be done hopefully, but one which often goes over their head and splats against the wall.
If above is not possible it is almost certainly due to heavy traffic lanes 2 & 3. In which case it is only a matter of time where you have positioned well in advance to get into line of least resistance, traffic to your right slows and you slide by with due observation and keeping differential speed down and appropriate.
If one of the traffic cars is about, and in one case recently where THEY were one of the MLOC members, (
come on guys get a grip!!!!) then regardless I do NOT slide by on the left, unless their lane slows almost a halt when I creep past with low differential speed. Never had any adverse comment, even from the numpties in MLOC. What I DO find unacceptable is the increasing tendency for lane swapping, i.e. pull hard left, boot it up the inside of people until reach a vehicle ahead, move to right , overtake, move left again, boot it up the inside, reiterate.
Those people in my book deserve a pull.
edited, lines for FiF
learn to spell manoeuvre
learn to spell manoeuvre
learn to spell manoeuvre
Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 10th October 14:51
Flat in Fifth said:
What I DO find unacceptable is the increasing tendency for lane swapping, i.e. pull hard left, boot it up the inside of people until reach a vehicle ahead, move to right , overtake, move left again, boot it up the inside, reiterate.
Those people in my book deserve a pull.
edited, lines for FiF
learn to spell manoeuvre
learn to spell manoeuvre
learn to spell manoeuvre
Edited by Flat in Fifth on Tuesday 10th October 14:51
Agree with FiF. If I'm knocking along in lane 1, and catch up somebody in lane 2, so long as the differential isn't too great I'll not worry about moving to L3 and back - even more liekly if there's a hard shoulder present as I know then that if they do suddenly decide to leave L2 (the horror!) I'll have somewhere to go.
Agree with both of you. And especially about steaming up Lane 2 and squeezing into a gap in Lane 3 barely big enough to get it into.
Having said this I've had some occasions of late where some bloke in a rusty old shitbox decided to cruise at 55mph in Lane 3. No queue in front of him. No traffic to the left of him.
The odd car was coming up behind this bloke then doing the whole "impatient" thing before steaming by in Lane 2. To my mind this was actually dangerous - the bloke was not completely unaware - he just didn't give a shit. He was even shaking his fist as they passed.
knows why, of course.
I passed at a relatively low differential speed in Lane 1. Gave me a larger margin for error around someone who was clearly one or two sandwiches short of picnic. He didn't even notice me.
Having said this I've had some occasions of late where some bloke in a rusty old shitbox decided to cruise at 55mph in Lane 3. No queue in front of him. No traffic to the left of him.
The odd car was coming up behind this bloke then doing the whole "impatient" thing before steaming by in Lane 2. To my mind this was actually dangerous - the bloke was not completely unaware - he just didn't give a shit. He was even shaking his fist as they passed.
knows why, of course. I passed at a relatively low differential speed in Lane 1. Gave me a larger margin for error around someone who was clearly one or two sandwiches short of picnic. He didn't even notice me.
I have always wondered about this.
We were once on the 4 lane section of the M62 on a quiet day (it was some years ago)in lane 1 and undertook a car in lane 4. We had been in lane 1 for at least a mile and continued in lane 1 for another mile or so. Our speed wasnt that excessive as we were in a Minor van!
We were once on the 4 lane section of the M62 on a quiet day (it was some years ago)in lane 1 and undertook a car in lane 4. We had been in lane 1 for at least a mile and continued in lane 1 for another mile or so. Our speed wasnt that excessive as we were in a Minor van!
Overtaking on the inside is cited by the CPS website as an example of driving which may amount to driving without due care and attention. So it's a risky business.
Interestingly, the examples of driving which may support an allegation of dangerous driving include "Aggressive driving, such as sudden lane changes...". It seems to me that the demostrative swerving from the outside lane to the nearside, so as to make a point to the middle-lane-merchant, as mentioned earlier in the thread may fall into that category.
I personally don't pass middle-lane-merchants on the left as it's just too risky, in terms of both accidents and prosecution. But it seems to me that if someone encountered a vehicle in the outside lane of an otherwise empty road, travelling at a slower speed, it would be reasonable to continue on past them in the nearside lane in preference to slowing to their speed.
Interestingly, the examples of driving which may support an allegation of dangerous driving include "Aggressive driving, such as sudden lane changes...". It seems to me that the demostrative swerving from the outside lane to the nearside, so as to make a point to the middle-lane-merchant, as mentioned earlier in the thread may fall into that category.
I personally don't pass middle-lane-merchants on the left as it's just too risky, in terms of both accidents and prosecution. But it seems to me that if someone encountered a vehicle in the outside lane of an otherwise empty road, travelling at a slower speed, it would be reasonable to continue on past them in the nearside lane in preference to slowing to their speed.
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