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.

Where I live (just outside the M25) people have no idea what to do at roundabouts. So on a busy town roundabout cars which should go stop, then everyone ends up just sitting and waiting to see who dares to go first.

We should just legalise it, overtaking on any side works well in many other countries so why can't be do it here.

Also most right side driving countries allow turning right on a red (i.e. treating it as a give way for turning only). I would legalise treating a red as a give way for turning left over here too.

This is another thing I hate. I’ve seen an increasing number of people waving those on their left to go at roundabouts. Like it’s a junction and being “nice” by letting them out. That’s not how they work. I’ve seen a lot of close calls recently at roundabouts when someone flashes a car to go who shouldn’t be going. Just follow the rules of the road and it will all flow much smoother!
(I’m also just outside the M25. Hertfordshire)

I agree. The ones at our roundabouts don’t even wave or flash their lights, they just stop, so everyone looks at each other for a few minutes until a couple of cars dare to go, then have to stop and figure out who should go first. 🤦‍♀️ It’s pretty much every weekday on school run times so is massively adding to traffic delays.

You haven’t quoted the relevant section of the Highway Code here. This is the relevant section:

https://highwaycode.org.uk/rule-268/?sf_paged=14

the photo in the OP does not show congested traffic moving at similar speeds and so the OP/driver should have pulled out to overtake. Middle lane hogging is wrong, but so is undertaking and two wrongs don’t make a right. Particularly in the scenario the OP describes where the left hand lane has just joined the motorway and those already on the motorway would be looking to move over to remain in the left lane - this is much harder to do when the cars joining are undertaking.

The left on a red makes pedestrian crosses treacherous though. The amount of near misses we saw when driving in the US when pedestrians are free to go but so is traffic was scary!

Or people could drive properly.

its lane hogging
Not indicating
not giving way on roundabouts or sneaking out in people’s blind spots.

driving seems to have become so selfish in recent years

The problem is they are all in lane 3. Not 2. So why weren’t they in lane 2 (which would have been lane 1 before my lane joined) to start with? They were obviously in the middle lane LONG before my lane joined.
Honestly though trust me. They were not a queue of Highway Code following cars all waiting to nicely pull over into lane 1. They ALL stayed in that lane for the entire time I could see them both before I joined the motorway and after I’d gone past them. There was absolutely no one in front of me OR in lane 2 (which was lane 1 before I joined) for as far as I could see. Not even a distant lorry. There was zero reason for all those cars to be in lane 2 (then 3). I joined and created an empty lane 1. Lane 2 was also empty. Why??

I’m not saying this to prove why undertaking is the correct thing to do. I do understand why you shouldn’t do it. But i just see on these threads so many people give reasons and excuses why they might all be in the middle/wrong lane. But there is no reason why a 4 lane motorway should have 2 lanes totally empty. It’s absolutely ridiculous.

I'd stay in lane 1.

Oh absolutely, they’re all in the wrong, it’s frustrating and they should all get points on their licence. My point is, anyone undertaking is also in the wrong and I’d be just as annoyed by the undertaker, and think the undertaker is in fact more dangerous than the hogger.

You should roll your eyes, mutter under your breath and pull into the fourth lane to overtake. You lose your moral high ground by undertaking as then you’re just as bad - and maybe worse because you’re doing it knowingly rather than in the presumed ignorance of the middle lane hoggers .

carry on undertaking , lots of things to worry about in this country and I dont feel this is one of them .

You aren't undertaking though you're maintaining you're 'correct' lane positioning. I'd only move over if I came up on a car in front on lane 1.