Undertaking VS middle lane hogging

[WatcherWatch]

I drive a lot on this motorway so this isn’t new. But I just wonder what other people do in this situation. (I was not driving while taking the photo. My mother was)

On joining the motorway our slip road becomes a lane. We stay in our lane and are doing 70mph along the road. There are no cars in lane 2 directly to out right. Because they are ALL sitting in lane 3 or 4. And they are ALL doing between 50 and 60mph. So we are technically undertaking them. But we’d either have to cross over from lane 1 to 4 just to get past them which is absolutely ridiculous. Today we could have got in to lane 4 if needed but some days that’s just as packed and going just as slowly so overtaking would not actually be possible. So I tend to stay in lane 1 and just maintain my speed. My mother was a bit worried about undertaking and would have preferred to cross all the way over to overtake but decided not to bother as we weren’t going far anyway.

What would everyone do in this situation?

Especially on days when lane 4 is also busy so overtaking would be impossible. On those days you’d need to slow down and squeeze into lane 4 to go slower than you would in lane 1. And you wouldn’t be able to overtake in the end anyway as they all drive at the same speed. While lanes 1 and 2 stay empty.

That's incorrect. Undertaking is the act in which a motorist passes a slower moving vehicle on its left-hand side (kerb side).

@CurlyhairedAssassin is correct. I did think it was the act of leaving the right lane to the left and then moving back to the right, but the Highway Code clearly states passing any car on the left on a multiple lane road.

I feel like there are so many lanes on freeways in the US that it's much easier to undertake safely.

Don't do that. It's dangerous, childish and probably pointless because they're probably not even looking in their mirror, they're too busy gripping the steering wheel, heart racing, terrified of being on a motorway, scared of the prospect of having to move to any other lane for whatever reason. (ie they shouldn't be on a motorway as they're not competent).

On clear 4 lane motorways, if I enter by the slip road and there is someone hogging the 3rd lane for no good reason I will usually try to make my point by quickly moving across the whole carriageway of the motorway to the far right lane, overtaking the middle lane hogger then going all the way back again to the far left lane. If they are too idiotic to realise it was a ridiculous move I had to make to get past them legally and they don't shift over naturally after that then there's no hope for them.

This is a screenshot from the Highway Code; undertaking in the left-hand lane is only okay in congested traffic, so the OP should have moved across to L3 to pass the middle lane hoggers.

I do this too. It doesn't seem to make any difference though to the hogger. But it's safer than the alternatives

Although not strictly illegal, undertaking is strongly discouraged by The Highway Code, stating “do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake.” However, there are exceptions that apply when a car undertakes in slow-moving traffic if its lane is moving faster than a lane on the right, undertaking in this circumstance is often deemed safer than weaving in and out of traffic.

Rule 268 of The Highway Code states: “In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to you right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.”

That’s not the correct interpretation. OP was not ‘overtaking’ she was maintaining her speed and continuing in the same lane, she did not move to the left hand lane to overtake.

Op, is that the M5, near Bristol?

No it’s the M25. But I do come across pretty much this exact situation on many motorways.

I agree...if you're just staying in your lane but going faster than lanes 2 and 3, that's not undertaking.

THIS!!!

I do understand those opinions saying I should go across to lane 3/4 to overtake and I do genuinely understand why. But. It just seems ridiculous to do that when I have absolutely no cars in front of me in my lane. I will likely just carry on doing as I’m doing (carefully) despite it maybe being a grey area with regards to undertaking. If I get in trouble I will take it on the chin.

Because like I said, sometimes lanes 3 and 4 are both totally congested with cars doing 55/60. So what I would end up doing would be slowing my speed to about 55 (despite absolutely nothing in my lane or lane 2), and trying to squeeze myself into a gap in lane 3, then squeezing myself into a gap in lane 4, and then just carry on doing 60 not overtaking anyone and contributing to the issue of everyone being in lanes 3 and 4. So I do know I ideally shouldn’t be carrying on at 70 in lane one…. But it just seems ridiculous to slow myself down and add to the problem.

I really just wish more would be done with middle lane hoggers. I really try not to be a dangerous driver. I’ve been driving 30 years and only had one accident which was in my first year of driving. I’ve never had a speeding ticket or anything. I only drive a small Toyota so I’m not a boy racer or anything. But it irks me so much to see a lovely empty motorway (rare these days especially on the M25) and I’m meant to squeeze in between cars to drive slowly for no reason. Making a lovely wide 4 lane motorway into a congested two lane.

I feel your pain OP.

It's the new way of driving hog the 2 outside lanes while driving at 50mph.

The standard of motorway driving is horrendous and so dangerous now.

I do what you do.

I've done a fair amount of driving on the motorways at 3am/4am where you don't see another car for ages amd yet people still sit in lane 2 or 3 - join at a junction and immediately pull out into the next lane. Just why.

Id undertake in this scenario. Not to go fast, but id certainly go at the usual speed.

Liverpool52 · Today 19:06

I've done a fair amount of driving on the motorways at 3am/4am where you don't see another car for ages amd yet people still sit in lane 2 or 3 - join at a junction and immediately pull out into the next lane.

I know, it's barmy, isn't it?

I didn't need to interpret anything. The OP asked what others would do when faced with lane hoggers; that's a question - to which I, along with others, responded.

The only time I will undertake in the left-hand lane is in heavy traffic - and even then with caution.

Undertaking in lane one in normal traffic conditions is asking for trouble; those who choose to drive in the middle lane regardless of traffic conditions are often as unaware as they are dangerous, and usually the ones who fail to first check their nearside mirror if they do deign to move to lane one.

Have the middle lane people not moved over to give room to people entering from the slip road? Though not sure why they would only be doing 60mph.

I'd probably stay in lane 1 and be aware they might try to pull back over.

@BurntBroccoli no that picture is unbelievably common on motorways now - if they were just pulling out to allow people to join why would they have pulled over to lane 3 rather than lane 2. You will literally see people join at a junction and immediately pull over into lane 2 of a 3 lane or lane 3 of a 4 lane. On the M4 now lane 3 is just a long line of people doing 60 mph.

I'd stay where I was. If there's a whole extra lane between you, then I feel that that's fine.

Middle lane hoggers are a scourge where I am, and it's 3 lane motorway, often with lanes 2 and 3 jam packed and nothing in the lefthand lane at all. In this case, I also stay in the (clear!) left hand lane because there's no way to overtake, and going slower than the other two lanes just to avoid undertaking seems ridiculous. I figure I am proceeding with the traffic, and it's them that's in the wrong for not pulling over left when there was no-one to overtake.

It’s only undertaking if you specifically move into the left hand lane (instead of the right) to pass a slower car.

if you are in the correct lane initially (left) & driving at the speed of the road you can stay in the left & pass cars on the right if your lane is moving as it’s keeping up with the flow of your lane. Whether it’s down to traffic build up in right hand lane/s or muppets hogging you can legally pass on the left if you were there to begin with so providing i didn’t need to go over the speed limit i’d have stayed in the left & passed them.

I was referring to your interpretation of the screenshot you posted.

I'll often pass on the inside if someone is hogging the middle lane and I am maintaining speed in the left lane. I set my speed limiter to 70 due to having been caught speeding before so I'm not exactly being a speed merchant. The only time I might hesitate is on a smart motorway with no hard shoulder as there is nowhere to go if the hogger decides to actually come back in.

This.

Moving out to the right hand lanes to overtake is more dangerous imo.