Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To overtake on motorway left hand lane?

522 replies

brasty · 31/10/2017 22:49

DP says I am. But I hate when you are on a busy motorway, and someone is sitting in the middle lane, and will not move to the left hand lane, even though it is empty. While at the same time the right hand lane is packed with cars, making it hard to pull out into the right hand lane and still leave decent distances. So I have occasionally just overtaken the middle lane hogger in the left hand lane. I know the Highway Code says you should not, but sometimes it seems the safest option.

OP posts:
DontBuyANewMumCashmere · 31/10/2017 23:04

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Original poster
brasty · 31/10/2017 23:04

PinkFlamingo So I just go at 45 miles an hour in the left hand lane then? Because that is the only other option?
I am talking about busy motorways where I m trying to get out, and can't. I will not pull out in tiny spaces that I see some doing.

OP posts:
PinkFlamingo888 · 31/10/2017 23:05

ThePants Have you swallowed a Highway Code??

ToffeeSauce · 31/10/2017 23:05

Actually Migraleve:

Rule 264
You should always drive in the left-hand lane when the road ahead is clear. If you are overtaking a number of slower-moving vehicles, you should return to the left-hand lane as soon as you are safely past. Slow-moving or speed-restricted vehicles should always remain in the left-hand lane of the carriageway unless overtaking.

That’s from the Highway Code

ThePants999 · 31/10/2017 23:05

@PinkFlamingo888 - and tasty it was :-)

Migraleve · 31/10/2017 23:05

op isn't in the left hand lane, she's stuck behind the hog in the middle lane. So she indicates, goes into the left hand lane and undertakes the hog. I would too tbh.

I missed that in a further post!

Why would you move into the left lane to pass a middle lane hogger? That's why there is a 3rd lane just slightly to the right hand side!

quarterpast · 31/10/2017 23:06

I didn’t say there was slow or fast lanes, just an average expectation of speed ie if you want to overtake you have to go faster so you move to the right.

AnnaT45 · 31/10/2017 23:06

I’m concerned most people on this thread think people don’t look before they move into the left lane Confused

Runningissimple · 31/10/2017 23:06

It's dangerous because the car you're overtaking is not expecting you to be there. Doesn't it scare the shit out of you when it's done to you? It's really dangerous. It's so obvious why it's dangerous, I'm slightly at a loss about how to explain it. Confused

Migraleve · 31/10/2017 23:07

toffee

What have you directed that quote to me? I know how to use a motorway? I don't recall saying anything other than you overtake on the right, which is correct!

ThePants999 · 31/10/2017 23:07

The one good thing about middle lane hoggers is that it's NOT really dangerous to undertake them, cos they're probably going to be sat in the middle lane for the next fifty miles.

PinkFlamingo888 · 31/10/2017 23:07

As others have said, if in 20 minutes you’ve not found a way into the right hand lane, motorway driving certainly isn’t for you.

Original poster
brasty · 31/10/2017 23:08

Migraleve As I keep saying, I am talking about very very busy motorways where there is no proper space to pull out in the right hand lane for ages.

I do move out to overtake, and then move back to the left. A lot of people just stay in the right hand lane, especially when the motorway is busy. Middle lane hoggers going slow trap me in this scenario.

OP posts:
Orangebird69 · 31/10/2017 23:08

migraleve, the op said she couldn't get into the right hand lane as there were no gaps.

ToffeeSauce · 31/10/2017 23:08

Your post at 23.01 Migraleve

LostInMess · 31/10/2017 23:08

YABU in that it is dangerous and illegal.

But I happen to agree with you that it shouldn’t be so. There is so much unused capacity due to middle lane hoggers and I think it is far more dangerous to pull out from inside lane, across two lanes of traffic and back again just to overtake someone going well under the speed limit in middle lane.

I really think we should have more motorway police and that people who don’t drive properly should be warned -they are as bad as the speeders.

ToffeeSauce · 31/10/2017 23:09

The Highway Code says cars should be in the slow lane and move into the fast lanes

It most certainly does not.

Ontheboardwalk · 31/10/2017 23:09

What motorway are you on and how are you driving if you are unable to pull out and get into the 3rd lane but not the 1st?

HamSandWitches · 31/10/2017 23:09

Why not just wait for the gap in the right hand lane and overtake the middle lane hogger, pass them and move back to the left. I can't understand why you can't just overtake instead of undertaking.

Giraffesarequitetall · 31/10/2017 23:09

This is scary OP. Of course it is very annoying to have a middle lane hogger but you cannot safely undertake. It is illegal because it is unsafe to go against the rules on a road where traffic is travelling very fast because the rules in place make it pretty safe.

Ignore the rules and you risk not only your own life but many other peoples. I say that as someone who got rear-ended by another car on the motorway at 80mph, I can genuinely tell you it was one of the scariest moments of my entire life. I thought I was going to die along with my whole family. Crashes at that speed are very nasty due to the speed and how far cars travel at that speed when they are hit, how long they takes to regain control etc. Fucking scary stuff. Even if the risk is small, following the rules make the likelihood of a very nasty accident so much lower.

Original poster
brasty · 31/10/2017 23:10

Nope. On very busy motorways cars in the right hand lane are often too close anyway for the speed they are going. I am not going to move out in between two cars going at 70 or 80 miles an hour, and only 2-3 cars apart in distance. I know many people do, but it is not safe.

OP posts:
ToffeeSauce · 31/10/2017 23:10

Agree LostinMess

StaplesCorner · 31/10/2017 23:10

Am I going mad or was undertaking legalised a few years ago? I was always taught this was a terrible thing to go, and quite rightly so, really dangerous - but so many people do it now so its sort of reinforcing my view that it was made legal? You lot have a think whilst I google.

Ontheboardwalk · 31/10/2017 23:10

For 20 minutes...

LightDrizzle · 31/10/2017 23:11

YABU! It’s annoying I know, but why do you assume people who ignore the Highway Code and sit in the middle lane oblivious to their surroundings, won’t suddenly pull into the left lane without checking their mirrors? They have already demonstrated they are crap drivers and they won’t expect vehicles to be undertaking them on their left hand side.
It is dangerous: you may also be obscured by the middle-lane car, from the sight line of the driver of a vehicle correctly overtaking Mr Lanehog. They risk colliding with you as you unexpected pull right at the same time they tuck left. They will be more focussed on judging their distance from the vehicle they’ve just overtaken than on vehicles travelling in the left hand lane and may not see you indicating. Ditto you will not have seen her indicating as Mr Lanehog’s car is between you.

Swipe left for the next trending thread