Is it legal to overtake on the left?

Have I missed some change to the Highway Code and driving law whereby overtaking on the inside i.e. on the passenger side of the car is legal? I am experiencing this type of driving more and more, especially on the motorway. I had a recent experience on the M6 southbound - car overtook me in lane one, I was in lane two, then a truck pulled out into lane two in front of the overtaking car causing me to have to brake as the overtaking driver got close to my car. The driver then proceeded to go past the truck and back to lane one and onto slip road to leave M6. Is this legal?

Asked on 22 April 2022 by

Answered by Sarah Tooze

No, it's not legal to overtake on the left (also known as undertaking), except for certain circumstances. Rule 268 of the Highway Code says: "Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. 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 your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake."

Tags: highway code undertaking overtaking

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