Hola, amigos!
Ever seen a driver pelt down a motorway or a dual carriageway and overtake the slower-moving vehicle on its right?
Maybe you've been on the receiving end of it, or maybe you've even been the guilty party yourself (tut tut!).
Well, it's called undertaking and it can be a risky business. Although strictly speaking not illegal, it's very frowned upon by drivers, the Highway Code, and any police officers who happen to catch sight of it.
And for the record, a police officer is probably the worst person you could choose to undertake . . .
What Does the Highway Code Say?
It's pretty adamant on the matter.
Rule 267 clearly states: “Only overtake on the right”. And if that wasn't warning enough, Rule 268 also states (and your driving instructor will tell you this as well) to "not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake.”
That applies whether you're on a two-lane dual carriageway or in the middle lane of a three or four-lane motorway.
Again, undertaking isn't technically illegal, but you could still receive a punishment in the form of a fixed penalty notice (FPN) for careless driving if the police deem your manoeuvre to be dangerous driving. In plain English, that's usually three points on your licence and a £100 fine, although you could also be chucked on a driver education course instead. How fun!
In more serious cases, undertaking could possibly lead to a harsher penalty of up to nine points on your license and a fine of up to £5000 AND a court summons.
Ouch!
Why Is It Wrong?
Because you should only be using the left-hand lane for normal driving. The right-hand lane is really intended for fast or faster-moving traffic, which is why it's fine for them to overtake cars on the left.
In situations where the driver in the right-hand lane is travelling much slower than they should be, then of course they're in the wrong and deserve every Captain Slow insult hurled at them, but you're still usually not advised (including by us good folks at LeaseLoco) to go ahead and undertake them.
And because undertaking isn't expected as standard procedure on the country's roads, in the event that you do decide to undertake, drivers in the right-hand lane probably won't be watching for you coming in their blind spot or mirrors, thereby increasing the risk of a collision OR causing you to swerve left and into a ditch or something altogether much worse.
We hardly need to spell it out to you. In the worst case scenario, undertaking could mean injury, or worse, death, followed by a visit by an actual undertaker. You know, the one who digs graves and stuff . . .
An undertaking scenario is made even more dangerous the faster you're moving (and also if the other vehicle happens to be a great big truck and not a tiny Fiat 500).
We admit, middle-lane hogging can be a problem, but undertaking could be even more of a threat on a three-lane motorway, because then you'll have to cross two lanes instead of one to overtake the other vehicle, and then two lanes again when moving back. That's a heck of a lot of shoulder checks.
On the flipside of the coin, if another driver is trying to undertake you, then chances are that it's you who is travelling too slowly. Kindly consider moving over to the left lane.
Is Undertaking Ever Okay?
Yes. In spite of all our scaremongering, there are several instances where undertaking is deemed appropriate:
When the vehicle in front is signalling to turn right or performing a U-turn
When there's a slow-moving traffic queue to your right. This could be on the approach to a roundabout, or when average speed limits are in operation on a motorway and the sign above your lane advises a faster speed than the sign for the right-hand lane.
Rule 268 of The Highway Code states: “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 you right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.”
Advice from LeaseLoco
Here's the bottom line, folks: we all know that undertaking is dangerous and should usually be treated with a pinch of salt (except in the case of those scenarios given above).
However, we also know that everyone is human and that patience can eventually wear thin.
In the event that there is some joker on the A69 travelling at a snail's pace in the right-hand lane, we wouldn't blame you for wanting to get ahead of them. However, you're best advised to only undertake SLOWLY and with extreme caution, and ideally when there are no other vehicles either in front or behind.
Stay safe!