Although the thorny subject of 'undertaking' has been tackled many a time and oft on this forum, what are peoples' views on when traffic can be deemed to be "moving in queues"?
I commute up and down the A14 between Huntingdon and Cambridge and am reasonably content to live 'life in the slow lane', having reached the conclusion that using lane 2 (of 2) gains an extra 1mph average speed at the expense of serious risk to life and limb :-(
At peak times, the traffic flow assumes three modes: a)stationary, b)both lanes full and moving at roughly the same speed c) nose-to-tail traffic in lane 2 - moving at 40-50mph - passing lorries in lane 1 spaced ¼ of a mile apart.
So, when traffic is moving as in b), I assume that it's moving 'in queues' and that therefore drifting ahead in lane 1 is OK. Seems fair enough.
My question is: what about c)?? If you go tootling past on the inside for ¼ of a mile, are you asking for trouble? Is this strictly speaking an offence in itself, quite apart from the danger involved? Is the real problem the drivers in lane 1 not closing up sufficiently, or drivers in lane 2 not moving back promptly (afraid of being 'boxed in'?)?
This happens very frequently, and must effectively reduce the road capacity by 30-40% - exacerbating an already acute congestion problem.
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Contrary to popular belief, overtaking on the left is not in itself an offence. Should a collision occur, however, the undertaking driver will shoulder most or all of the blame as this is not considered safe driving practice. As to what constitutes a slow moving queue, this is open to interpretation but would probably be held to mean where traffic is actually queuing for a roundabout or other obstruction and the inner lane can make better progress.
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Indeed.
Neither b) or c) are "queues".
What do you mean by "the drivers in lane 1 not closing up sufficiently" ?-
do you mean they are leaving a safe gap?
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Alright then, let me tell you how to do it:
As you have probably realised from watching others, undertaking is one of the most satisfying manoeuvres open to the less considerate driver. Of course, it's easy to whizz past on the inside of the divot in the Fiat 126 who's pottering along at 50 in the middle lane, but where's the fun in that? To do the job properly, you will need a busy motorway, preferably one where the traffic keeps slowing down to below 40mph and drivers are obviously getting annoyed. The correct technique here is to pick the fastest lane (usually the middle one) and shoot past the slow (or often standing) traffic in the outside lane. Then, when it looks like the outside lane is about to speed up, simply swerve in front of the car to your right. This is best done with total disregard towards damage to your, or the other driver's vehicle. If the other driver does not want an accident he or she will brake. For a good example of this technique, simply watch the behaviour of any company Ford Transit in heavy motorway traffic. Note that extra brownie points are awarded if you cause the car you cut in front of to brake severely enough to cause the whole outside lane to make an emergency stop. You will also have the satisfaction of knowing that you have created a bottleneck which will last until the rush hour dies down.
DVD
(OK I pinched it from a Manual Toad threw out)
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DVD,
I witnessed a similar situation on the M40 yesterday afternoon. Heavy traffic in all 3 lanes but all moving well. A battered Transit was undertaking and swerving left and right all over the 3 lanes.
I got the impression that the 3 young lads in the cab thought it a huge game and were not in a particular hurry as didn't, or couldn't, go very fast on the few occasions when the road did clear.
Eventually a Mk2 Golf Gti decided to 'teach them a lesson' and deliberately drove alongside in the outside lane stopping them moving to the RH lane. At one point both vehicles braked down to under 20 mph from 60/70mph while travelling alongside each other.
C
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(OK I pinched it from a Manual Toad threw out)
Talking of the little green reptilian Budwieser lover, where is he the last couple of days? He's not still tinkering with his new toy (Rover) - surely?
Toad, come out from wherever you are and give us a p a r p, p a r p :o)
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Trevor,
By "not closing up sufficiently", I mean that ¼ mile gaps might be deemed excessive!
What do you do when you're on the inside of lane 2 traffic that is continually slowing down 'concertina'-style. Do you match your speed to lane 2 so you're not 'undertaking', or do you continue and pass on the inside?? This can lead to differential speeds of 40mph or more if lane 2 grinds to a halt.
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