Personally, wether im in a truck, on a bike or in my car i dont giv a toss about the legality of undertaking. Too many people just sit in the middle lane with no idea of what the hell is going on behind them and to be honest i dont really think these selfish W**kers really care anyway?   I undertake or i slowly creep into their near side blind spot and sit their, its funny watching them trying to find you in there mirror's   Driving a Big white Rover also help's, a quick flash of main beam from a safe distance tend's to get them moved over!   It is a grey subject but is it safer to make "4" lane changes just to get around one of these pillock's or not?   2wheely                                                                                                                                                                             

OK PEOPLE, JUST CALLED AND ASKED SOMEONE i KNOW IN TRAFFIC PLOD,   If traffic in the right hand lane is moving slower than the left hand lane it is legal to pass on the inside lane, the speed limit dictates what the safe speed is. If someone is travelling in the fast lane say at 50 miles per hour, he/she may be deemed as dangerous/ careless driving under an officers discretion.                                                                                                                                                                             

He also said that use common sense and don't lane jump as that is dangerous driving, if you see it up ahead move lanes early and pass at a normal legal speed stay in lane until something in your lane is slowing you then over take as normal....... lane weaving is a red rag to bull (traffic cop)

I got warned by two motorcycle cops for going down the gap between cars in the outside lane and middle lane ......... and told I was ok as long as it was under 20mph.

As for undertaking, someone said about you can be done for driving without due care and attention, this is all about how fast you do it at, if you undertake at 70mph you WILL get done !!

Same as filtering at 60mph which is bloody dangerous anyway                                                                                                                                                                             

So on that then if you are driving in the inside lane and the middle lane is moving at say 50 all of a sudden if you undertake in traffic on the inside lane you will be done....er No it is legal to undertake with in the speed limit if traffic is moving slower or or turning right in the outside/ middle lane....of course due care and attention must be followed at all times...if you weave into slow lane then undertake and pull out again you will be done as that is dangerous driving...there is a difference here. (reference from traffic cop)                                                                                                                                                                             

Ratty (and anyone else)... please stop copying text from other websites unless you copy it into NOTEPAD first to remove the formatting.   You end up posting tiny text and often white text.   Please copy text into notepad first, then from notepad into BM.  This will remove all formatting.   I've fixed the above posts.   Thanks                                                                                                                                                                             

HI, Overtaking, intresting thread re undertaking, I was once stopped for overtaking from a parked position! Many moons past I was stopped on the outside lane at a pelican crossing in Banbury, person went walking past the car on my left and then past me, not in any mad fashion I proceded on my merry way to be blue lighted by a plain car some 400 yds up the road. Somewhat unsure of my bad ways I was amused to find that once I was in the back seat of said car I was informed I had broken the law by leaving the crossing in front of the car on my left.  So being a young and cheeky whippersnapper I asked to see the video thinking  ahh got ya they wont have one! however they did and they played it and low and behold it showed the car on the left just starting to roll forwards as I left the line, so both bobbies had a chat and said ahhh ummmm drive carefully young lad be on your way, and I was !!! So not sure of the law but if you leave a crossing or lights before the car on your left has moved you may be in for a suprise...                                                                                                                                                                             

I knew this thread would ruffle a few feathers with everyone (including myself!) believing they had the correct answer to the undertaking question.   If it comes to a court case what you need is a bloody good defense council and a judge on your side.   Interpretation of the law in this instance seems to be down to individual witnesses be it police, yourself or others, what they say (or, whether it's on cctv!) and how it's interpretated by the 'beak' if you decide to contest.   (sorry, didn't know about the need to copy to notebook Matt. Will buy you a pint when we meet up JP!)   Ratty                                                                                                                                                                             

What Shangyou is referring to is if you come up the outside of stationary cars (filtering) to a junction it is illegal to move to and pull away ahead of the front car of that line from a junction, it has priority over you filtering. Different rules if for a junction  turning right at a designated right hand filter lane.                                                                                                                                                                             

When all is said and done, it only matters wot the coppers think that saw you. if in any doubt don't put yourself or anyone else at risk becouse of a bit of impatience.                                                                                                                                                                             

I was sitting in a motorway services chatting to a traffic bike cop waiting out a traffic jam on the M5, he said follow me and keep close, with that I got escorted up the hard shoulder to the front and being a good egg he allowed me to go past the accident to be on my way....there not all bad

Johnnytb - with you on that reply but my occurance was actually at a zebra crossing no junction straight bit of inner town 30mph, if I recall it was facing that statue that sits in the middle of Banbury, no idea hat it called but its there or was!                                                                                                                                                                              

It's not illegal to move to the front at a junction, but it is illegal to move past the front vehicle at any crossing with zigzags. I have no idea why that's the case, but it's something that's worth remembering.I think I'll go and find out what law actually covers it.                                                                                                                                                                             

Found it:
Section 24 of The Zebra, Pelican and Puffin Pedestrian Crossings Regulations and General Directions 1997"Prohibition against vehicles overtaking at crossings 24. - (1) Whilst any motor vehicle (in this regulation called "the approaching vehicle") or any part of it is within the limits of a controlled area and is proceeding towards the crossing, the driver of the vehicle shall not cause it or any part of it - (a) to pass ahead of the foremost part of any other motor vehicle proceeding in the same direction; or(b) to pass ahead of the foremost part of a vehicle which is stationary for the purpose of complying with regulation 23, 25 or 26."I think that actually says it's illegal to filter past any vehicle within the zigzags of a crossing, whether they're stopped at the crossing or not. Interesting.                                                                                                                                                                             

Thanks GB, you have put to bed something that occured in excess of 12 years ago the laws of this land some needed some in need of upgrading and some not yet in place                                                                                                                                                                             

GB, think that means you can overtake in the zigzags, but may not pass the front vehicle. That's always been my understanding, and I can't see anything to contradict that.   In any case you need to be extremely careful, as any incident within the zigzags is not going to be looked at favourably, whatever the letter of the law.                                                                                                                                                                             

Ah, I misread it.(a) to pass ahead of the foremost part of any other motor vehicle proceeding in the same direction reads to me as can't overtake moving vehicles at all, while (b) says the foremost vehicle if they're stationary. So it's illegal to filter past any moving vehicles, or to pass the foremost stationary vehicle. But as you say any incident within the zigzags is likely to be troublesome anyway, whether specifically illegal or not.                                                                                                                                                                             

"reads to me as can't overtake moving vehicles at all, while (b) says the foremost vehicle if they're stationary."                                                                                                                                                                              

I think rob mis-read it gary. rob thinks formost vehicle when it actually says formost part of any vehicle. so it doesn't matter how many cars are in front. you can't pass in zig-zags wether they're  moving or stopped.  If the queue was longer than the zig-zags you could filter to the end of the zig-zags.                                                                                                                                                                             

No   "b) to pass ahead of the foremost part of a vehicle which is stationary"   So strictly you could draw level, it's the overtaking (passing the foremost part) that's illegal