Why is undertaking still considered 'careless driving'?

What is this latest nonsense of classifying passing on the nearside as careless driving? On a journey from Inverness to Birmingham at the beginning of this week, I must have undertaken 30 - 40 vehicles dribbling along in the middle lane, oblivious to the dangers they were posing in not returning to the nearside lane. I consider it would be careless, almost dangerous driving to veer from the nearside lane to the outside lane and back again to the nearside lane to overtake these idiots.

Careless driving should certainly include hogging the middle lane. Provided "undertaking" is not part of a weaving pattern it is madness to consider it careless driving. This needs to be urgently clarified and promulgated to traffic police, many of whom already mistakenly consider it to be careless for someone in the nearside lane to continue in the nearside lane to pass slower traffic incorrectly occupying the middle lane.

Asked on 2 May 2011 by JM, Moray

Answered by Honest John

I could not agree more. Philip Hammond comes up with some good stuff but in this case put his foot in his mouth as effectively as he did when he commented on winter tyres. Unfortunately, it will take a Supreme Court ruling to decide what is 'careless' undertaking and what is not. And even more unfortunately, because the Supreme Court is composed of judges with legal minds rather than the minds of experienced drivers, the Supreme Court ruling might be wrong and result in a lot more blood on the motorways. Like when a car in lane one brakes heavily so as not to 'undertake' a car in lane two that has braked heavily, but then gets creamed by the HGV behind it and all the occupants are hamburgered and fried.

Tags: lane discipline undertaking motorways police

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