why is undertaking illegal?

[joko]

genuine question and just curious... it seems it is really just the manouvre of an overtake, but on the other side... so why is it so bad?

i know it is illegal so i dont need the legalities, just the actual reason why it was made illegal - why is it dangerous or bad etc?


been on the motorway a lot last few days and witnessed a few people do them, and couldnt really see a problem... they got round the person they wanted to easily enough, and perhaps its better than a bit of intimidating road rage tailgating?

or am i missing something?

thanks

[sunny-dave]

I take it joko that you have a very accurately calibrated speedometer ... ?

Most people "doing 70 in the middle lane, which is the legal limit so no-one should want to pass me" are actually doing around 65mph or less, because they believe their car speedo which will always be under-reading by around 7%-10%.

My GPS based speedo tells me exactly what speed I'm doing and I'd like to do 70 please - so just move over into lane 1 if it is clear.

[Mick-Talbot]

Try undertaking a large articulated lorry .... then you will find out just how dangerous it is.

[Graham-W]

I've just come back from the USA where you can overtake on either side. Absolutely no problem. The drivers are aware of the rules and expect to be passed on either side. Some of the roads were 4 lanes and it makes so much more sense to allow passing either side that perhaps the rules should be changed here (with a lot of driver re-education). They also seem a lot more tolerant about letting you into their lane. A flash of your indicator to let them know you are changing lane and they back off to let you in.

[joko]

SD...my GPS also tells me my speed...not sure what point you're making... did you read the thread?.

mick - in what way is it any more dangerous than overtaking one then?

[joko]

graham...that sounds like a good idea...would probably stop a lot of road rage from people blaming other drivers for being in their way...

[Mick-Talbot]

Well if you don.t know now, you never will.
You do seem to get in a lot of trouble when you drive Joko, don,t you ?

[sunny-dave]

I have read the thread - I'm glad you have a GPS speedo and so are not a part of the problem I encounter so often.

I despair of the number of times I am faced with an empty lane 1 and a 65mph dawdler in lane 2 - acting as a mobile chicane for people who legally want to do 70mph.

I then have either to 'undertake' (which is currently illegal) or pull right across into lane 3 at 70mph which then gets me tailgated by the '80mph is OK' mob.

[EvianBaby]

Surely it doesn't matter what speed you are doing, if you are not overtaking you should be in the left lane.

[whiskeryron]

The problem is when you are doing the correct thing driving in the first lane, the person approaching behind you pulls out to overtake & stays level with you on your right either their vehicle does not have the capacity to go any faster (in which case they should not be trying to overtake you) or the vehicle is being driven by a pillock. In either case you have no option but to undertake to keep clear or drop back to allow said pillock to get back into lane 1. How many times have you seen this happen with a truck overtaking another truck & not having the pulling power to actually carry on overtaking ?

W Ron.

Ex Truckie.

[joko]

can't answer huh mick?...hehe

[joko]

im glad you're happy SD but not sure of the relevance of what you are saying.

i asked why the manouvre of undertaking is illegal (it isnt) or considered so dangerous that it was made illegal in the first place

i know the rules of the road - that is not in question here...

[joko]

it appears from the majority of responses that if it was made legal (!) and people began to expect it, it would not cause any real problems for drivers...and may even solve a few

[Mick-Talbot]

There has already been many excellent answers as to why.
As usual they have fallen on deaf ears.

[TWR]

As stated by some Joko, problem are caused on the Motorway by people that do not know how to use them, RE/ Middle Lane hogger, underestimate the speed of traffic coming up from their rear, mirrors can be very deceiving, & blind spot mirrors. The motorway IS THE SAFEST road in this country, the trouble is many do not know how to use them & in-turn this is when the accident is caused, I've seen people coming down a slip road & stopping waiting for a gap in the traffic, I've seen people changing wheels in the outside lane, & belive this or not & it's true, praying on the Hard Shoulder, people picking up a suite case that has dropped in the outside lane, onle once have I seen a driver backing up because the idiot had missed his turning. People DO NOT forward plan their journey on a motorway, they underestimate distance between services for fuel inturn running out that puts their family in a position of death as they are on the hard shoulder waiting for the AA or RAC to arrive, you have drivers that pass their test on a Frid that start driving on the Motorway on the Mon & Know everything but know Fck all about the way to drive on the road.

[joko]

try actually reading the question and the thread and comprehending it mick - yet again you seek a row where there is none...

i will say it once more for you - i was aking WHY undertaking was made illegal in the first place and what the difference is between it an overtaking...why is one supposedly dangerous and the other not... not the ins and outs of the highway code and driver expectation etc
my point being that if it was considered an acceptable and expected manouvre it would not cause any problems... no-one has given me any answer that says it would in those circumstances
i have acknowledged the people who answered me.

i have also discovered it is not illegal anyway...

[joko]

TWR - i agree all that is a problem - but they are all caused by driver stupidity and error - not the inherent danger of a relatively familiar and simple manouvre

thats what i was asking about - not mistakes etc that can happen anywhere anytime and for many reasons.

lets not turn this into a debate about bad drivers - thats not what i asked

[TWR]

But!!!!!!!!!! Joko, with respect to your OP, who causes the Motorway Accidents?

[sunny-dave]

I think the point I'm making is that *if* everyone obeys the "keep to the left unless actually overtaking" rule, then there is no need at all for undertaking - so why change the law - it will just add uncertainty, certainly during the period when it is first being introduced.

The point about 'continually being flashed' by speed mad idiots behind you is an interesting one ... I drive many, many thousands of motorway miles each year and can count on the fingers of one hand how often I have been flashed.

Not because I'm routinely speeding (I value my licence/wallet too much) but because I watch my mirrors like a hawk for drivers approaching from behind at a faster speed than me, and always 'keep left' as a matter of course.

[Mick-Talbot]

Car B is ambling along in the middle lane

when car A overtakes car B .....at the same time car C is undertaking car B

both car A and car C want to teararse their way to their destination as fast as possible ......... Car A see that after overtaking car B there is a slower car in front of him in the outside lane , so he thinks I.m going to go into the middle lane ASP
car C sees that ther is a slower car in front of him so he too must get into the middle lane ASP ............ in your opinion and in your world .....who would have the right to take the middle lane spot ?


It would be bloody carnage and contrary to your beliefs, road rage would increase.

[joko]

well thats exactly my point TWR!!

its the drivers that cause accidents - not the manouvre they are performing!

a good driver could undertake perfectly safely ... so why isnt it allowed?

that is my point!