Flashed for the first time today

[Bubble1982]

... Dodgy connotations aside, I have (until now) refused to be "that guy" charging down the outside lane flashing my high beams to suggest the person in front moves over.

That said, it seemed like the only appropriate response today. driving back home today from Christmas family visiting, to find an 'outside lane hogger' tootling along at 60 (no exaggeration) with an entirely clear middle lane in front of them into which to move.

So I start by sitting a safe distance behind them, under the presumption that they'll move across into the vast yawning chasm of open space to their left... But no, 20 seconds later still holding the right lane. I nudge a little closer, still doesn't get the hint, so only one thing left for it - couple of cheeky flashes of the high beams. I suspect this chap has then wound himself up into something of a state as he decides the appropriate response is to brake hard, dropping his speed to under 50, and just stays there. By this time, I've got a small queue of similarly irate drivers lining up behind me.

I refuse to rise to this kind of thing and eventually undertook him to a flurry of horn beeping and hand signalling in my general direction - all pretty funny we're it not for such dangerous behaviour.

Seriously, who behaves like that!

 

[mr wilks]

A tip picked up a long time ago on the continent is to sit a couple of car,s back with the right hand indicator on , a gentle reminder that you want to pass .
Sometimes it works,s sometime,s it don,t
All depends what level of idiot you are dealing with :roll:
Failing that get a Audi A6 or BMW E60 Sport spec in black / either of these two when appearing in the rear view mirror are great for shovelling aside those who have strayed into the wrong lane

 

[mmm-five]

I don't bother getting wound up by it any more. I simply undertake as quickly as possible...but keeping a careful eye on the other car in case the dozy driver decides it's now an appropriate time to move over.

 

[pvr]

Indicator indeed but falls usually on deaf ears. Followed by a quick move into lane 2 to overtake and stay in that line so it remains legal ...

 

[Bubble1982]

Might give the indicator thing a try next time. Can do no harm.

To be honest I'm usually not the one steamrolling the outside lane - tend to keep it under 80ish which doesn't qualify me for the 90mph rep-mobile club who thrash down the outside come rain or shine. I value my licence

 

[Stuart Truman]

I had some dopey sod start to pull out, stop, dither about then finally pull out of a side turning on me resulting in me having to brake fairly hard. There was a clear straight so I dropped into third and floored it past said Mr Magoo impersonator who responded by putting his main beams on until a car coming the other way flashed him. He probably went home and told Mrs Magoo and all the little Magoos about the hooligan in the red BMW...

 

[mcbeee]

Thankfully, over here we can drive in any lane and pass in any lane. "Slower Traffic" is suggested to move over but there is no legislated fast lane. I pass on the curbside all the time, it's the only way to get past some of these folks.

And on a three or four lane each way, it becomes a free-for-all.... :driving:
Must be why NASCAR is so big over here.

 

[2dogs]

I don't bother getting wound up by it any more. I simply undertake as quickly as possible...but keeping a careful eye on the other car in case the dozy driver decides it's now an appropriate time to move over.

+1

 

[cj10jeeper]

I don't bother getting wound up by it any more. I simply undertake as quickly as possible...but keeping a careful eye on the other car in case the dozy driver decides it's now an appropriate time to move over.

+1

+ another. I'm always mindful though that it becomes me breaking the law and likely to cop for the fine if spotted.

 

[extrablatt]

I see undertaking happen all the time and I've never seen anyone get pulled over for it. My biggest fear when doing it are those folks that seems to just drift to the middle lane without signaling, or others that signal and immediately change lane without looking around them.

 

[pvr]

I don't bother getting wound up by it any more. I simply undertake as quickly as possible...but keeping a careful eye on the other car in case the dozy driver decides it's now an appropriate time to move over.

+1

+ another. I'm always mindful though that it becomes me breaking the law and likely to cop for the fine if spotted.

My understanding of that is that it is ok as long as you don't move out again ... (i.e no weaving).

 

[Jembo]

T's an affliction that plagues most Zed's - normally this kinda muppet pulls out in front of me on purpose & for the most part don't bite as it's normally the response they're trying to encourage... though am always cautious of undertaking in case they swerve back on purpose.

 

[cj10jeeper]

My understanding of that is that it is ok as long as you don't move out again ... (i.e no weaving).

Point me to anything which says it's allowed in the Highway Code or legislation, excluding queuing traffic, filter lanes, etc ?

It may be tolerated by some but I know of nothing saying its legal.

 

[bluestreak56]

I don't bother getting wound up by it any more. I simply undertake as quickly as possible...but keeping a careful eye on the other car in case the dozy driver decides it's now an appropriate time to move over.

+1

+ another. I'm always mindful though that it becomes me breaking the law and likely to cop for the fine if spotted.

+1 idiots dont take the hint and dont move out of the way even when flashed. Especially when there are whole free lanes. I often just drive down the slow lane to overtake now, people in the middle and fast still dont get the hint. I never go over 70 but there are times when I have "undertaken" at least 10 cars.

 

[pvr]

268

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."

 

[pvr]

I assume that the weaving is what triggers a stop, not the undertaking per se.

 

[cj10jeeper]

268

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."

Then I disagree. This is to cover congested conditions where lanes move at different speeds. We've all seen the outside lane slow as traffic is too dense and reacts to something and the inner lanes sail past. This rule is to prevent the inner lanes having to slow in response.

Here we are talking about a clear cut case of a car in the outside lane and [you, me, us] moving in for the purpose of overtaking it. Remaining one lane in wouldn't per se be a get out as the offence as detailed in the opening sentence of your rule quote would have been broken. I can see it being a more clear cut / worse offence to move back out and adds weaving to the charge sheet....

 

[pvr]

This is a similar discussion here

 

[cj10jeeper]

Link not working on iPad, but I'll take a look tomorrow.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[cj10jeeper]

This is a similar discussion here

OK - had a read and it seems pretty clear to me in the first post (before it descends into an 8 page argument.)
The guy undertook a police car and got pulled. There's a lot of noise in the post about pulling off at a junction someway down the road and passing a lorry, etc. but he undertook a car in lane 3 while passing a lorry in lane 1.

I remain of my view that in steady congested traffic if you happen to pass slower cars in the outer lanes it's no problem. If you pull in one lane to deliberately pass a car in front then you'll get a 'Due Care offence' or similar (which is what the started the thread about). You'd even get a ticket if you pull in from say lane 3 into 2 as you see traffic slowing and switch in a lane to gain an advantage over those in front.

Does it mean I'll never do these things - no, but I remain aware of the offence and risks and prefer a bit of headlight to encourage to person out of the way.