Now i myself dont see a problem with that type of undertaking and would feel it within my right to make progress , i often step into the slow inside lane when the other two are choca block , the veiw up the motor way improves no end and you aint going to run up the arse of white van man either. Now im no angel by any means and have been known to slip thru on the inside but plod will feel squeeze your nuts if he catches you and i dont know how you would argue the toss with him , but slipping through on the inside (without lane weaving ) i see as ok and as i said is making progress.

 

I got six points for "driving without due care and attention" some years ago.

On the M1 in Derbyshite, sorry, shire.

The right hand lane was held up, so I moved into the middle lane and continued at about 60, as things opened up again I moved back to the right hand lane.

One of the cars I'd "undertaken", was an unmarked car.

Be careful if you do that, they will consider it "weaving"

 

That's surprising.

I keep hearing that, these days, the cops don't worry about it so much. Providing due care is taken and the speed limit isn't being broken.
Especially in the instance you are talking about where the traffic is all backing up in lane three.
I've been told they advise you to spread out into all three lanes and make the best progress you can.

 

This was around Christmas 1995, so the policy may have changed since then.

I am still slightly wary of anything that could be seen as weaving though.

OTOH if I need to pass a middle lane hogger on an empty road, I think it would use more petrol to cross two lanes to go around them.
The environmental argument stretched to its limits there.

 

Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's not just me but, it does certainly seem to be only in the last 6 or so years that the hoggers have become more of a problem.

I wonder why that is?
Probably compounded by the general lack of manners and courtesy towards others, that's apparent in ever aspect of life in Today's Britain.

 

I pay my road tax, i'll sit in whatever bloody lane i like

 

I read something recently on another forum where a currently serving police officer stated that, in his opinion and experience, he would disregard certain undertaking maneuvures.

His example was that say it was getting late at night, the roads are clearing and a lone driver is trawling along in the middle lane doing 60/65mph, with another car doing similar speed in the outside lane. Up comes another driver making better progress and just continues up the inside. He said that he wouldn't do anything. The middle lane driver is unlikely to make any sudden change of lane and for the quicker driver to swap to the outside only to queue is a waste of time - in fact they're more likely to just start intimidating the slower driver.

That all said, each officer can use their own disgression, so don't count on being let off.

Me, I rarely use the motorway as my drive to work is A/B roads, but I would consider undertaking if I could make better progress in another lane.

 

I can see the officer's point there.

It's not about learning the other driver, it's about safe, swift progress.

 

I have no problem with undertaking, if the car in front does not move over after a few seconds then I will use the free lane to pass them. A prime example of this happened on my way to work today. A Fiesta driver pulled into the outside lane to pass a car in the middle lane and as I approached, the driver refused to move over despite the two lanes to the left being completely empty. At that point I just waited a few seconds before moving into the inside lane and proceed to pass the car, along the way I also passed a further two cars sitting in the middle lane.

I did that very thing driving home today on a three lane A road. An Audi TT was sitting in the middle lane and instead of pulling out early I pulled into the outside lane at the last moment then cut back in front of the car as I moved into the inside lane and lo and behold a few seconds later the TT driver moved into the inside lane.

 

there are no motorways around here

the biggest problem is people on d/cs, who will not pull over if there is anything visible in the nearside lane up to half a mile in front

they will accelerate like mad (soot being a good indicator on diseasels) but still stay in the outer lane

these people are fun to undertake as it seems to drive them completely crazy for some reason