If lane hogging, which is actually an offence, was dealt with then we wouldn't need to worry about the grey area of undertaking.

Motorways near me are mainly “smart” motorways and 4 lanes. Regularly you’ll get people sitting in lane 3 or 4 lane hogging at 55 to 65 with no intention of moving over. I’m more than happy to sit in lane 1 and undertake them all day, I’m not doing a 7 or 8 lane change manoeuvre to pass a lane hogger when I have a buffer of 1 or 2 empty lanes between me and them.

Undertaking is often the result of lane hogging. We need to solve the lane hogging problem so undertaking is not even a thing. Lets cure the cause, NOT the symptom

I don’t care what anyone says but if some knob jockey is doing 60mph in the outside lane of a 70mph duel carriageway then I’m sticking to the inside lane and proceeding at 70mph.

I don't think it's fair to say that people are undertaking when there's someone in the outside lane with no obvious intention of moving back to the left. At that point you have no option to overtake so all you can really do is either sit behind them, slow down so that you won't pass them, or pass on the left. It's not really fair to tell someone to sit behind that person (if, for example, they're not doing the speed limit - provided the conditions are good of course), and it's not fair that they could be penalised for passing them.

Middle lane hoggers need to be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention, it is just as bad if not worse.

The answer is yes as long as you're not breaking the speed limit. If you think otherwise then hand in your driving license.

"I think its time we discussed undertaking" Said as you drive past a graveyard!

This is where you get shafted as a lorry driver. 3 lane road (motorway or wherever) and as a lorry, you can't use lane 3 either because motorway rules or width restriction, cruise control on 56mph (max speed allowed for HGVs), brain dead driver sitting in middle lane going 50. What do? Or another one. Cruise on 56mph, car goes past, then slows down, then accelerates, then slows again so you undertake. Then speeds up again. Or i move to middle lane to overtake slower car, then he speeds up, then slows down, then right as i'm about to clear him speeds up again. I look a pillock sitting in the middle lane seemingly unable to pass for ages so then multiple cars undertake me. The icing on the cake is the driver in left lane who sees me in truck catching up behind them AND MOVES TO THE MIDDLE LANE. Undertaking is one of those ones where you know its wrong, but in some scenarios the only other option is to either sit behind them, sit in the left lane and follow the rules, creating a bottleneck or blockage if its 2 lane, or just undertake. Its also why i sorta feel that car drivers, like lorry and bus drivers, should receive mandatory yearly education. You can pass at 17 and drive for the next 50 years never bothering to learn anything again, never being checked for competency. Its wrong.

"When can you undertake"??? Ans: When it's safe to do so.

"Eduction is a process in which the Earth's crust spreads sideways, exposing deep-seated rocks." Drivers going sideways is very apt, given the current climate.

I overtake if possible; if not possible, I pass from the other side.

*3.56* Four lanes in heavy traffic at around maximum speed. Any driver with any cop on would never even attempt to move from lane one to four then back again. Any driver who thinks it's safer to do so is fooling themselves.

In the context of middle lane hoggers, personally I feel as though it can be safer to undertake, than double lane change to overtake, in situations where it’s clear that the middle lane driver has no intention of returning to the left lane. But, very interesting and useful to see the potential consequences if you are deemed to be undertaking carelessly/dangerously - something I’ll definitely now be taking into account!

Recently on the 4 lane stretch of the M3 where it's a smart motorway. Lanes 3 and 4 are busy, with flow of traffic speeds seeming to range between 65 and 90mph. Lane 2 has some vehicles in them, mostly going 55-75mph. I'm in lane 1, which seems to be all but empty as if people now have an aversion to ever want to use that lane of the smart motorway. If I wanted to overtake a car in lane 2, I'd have to come over and then speed up to slice in to lane 3 and match the flow of traffic, causing me to increase fuel consumption when I'm trying to preserve fuel given prices these days, then overtake the vehicle in lane 2, then come back in and cut back over to lane 1 if I was wanting to drive properly and continue with proper lane discipline. To me it just feels safer to just stay in lane 1, watch for any cars coming into lane 2 that may look like they will want to use lane 1, and even flash those in lane 2 to let them know they can come over, and then undertaking when they seem to have no intentions to want to move into lane 1. It's a shame that undertaking has to be the issue we discuss rather than properly policing lane hogging and not teaching proper lane discipline.

I think that as long as it is done properly and without any malice it’s fine to undertake, especially middle lane hoggers. I have only undertaken once or twice in 2 years that I have been driving. Usually see it happen on the motorway where people join and dive straight to the last lane without having accelerated properly and cause near crashes, now that I’d consider malicious

It's almost as if teaching people how to properly drive on motorways would reduce the dangerous manouvres people do on motorways!

This video still doesn't clear up my confusion about why undertaking is bad. Illegal or not, why do people do it? And why shouldn't they do it? If it's ok to do it on a one way street, as you say, then why is it wrong on a motorway? (Isn't a motorway a three-lane one way street?) If people simply "aren't expecting" an overtake on their left then aren't they at fault for not observing properly and not being aware of their surroundings?

Illegal or not, surely it is more dangerous to change lane four times to get around someone hogging the middle lane.

A few years ago I was working in Halifax, travelling there on a Sunday evening from Shropshire. There is a section of the M62 which has 4 lanes and, almost every week, there were vehicles travelling in lane 3 whilst lanes 1 and 2 were completely empty. I used to continue in Lane 1 as I didn't see why I should have to make 6 lane changes to pass them. Also I didn't do this to get ahead of them in their lane (which is what I consider undertaking to be) but continued in lane 1 until there was traffic that I needed to overtake in the traditional manner. There is a law against lane hogging but it appears to be never enforced and that is what causes most of the problems. Interesting video, though, and thanks for educting me :)

If undertaking is classed as careless driving or even reckless driving then how can it be legal?

Not only do lane hoggers increase the likelihood of someone undertaking, they also make overtaking riskier because people overtaking have to switch more lanes, not to mention the build up of traffic and aggravation they cause.

Isn't a carraigeway on a motorway a one way system?

Great topic! This story might be of interest you. I had a crash on a roundabout with a fire engine (not on blues and twos). I had dash cam footage of the crash yet their insurance blamed me for undertaking on a roundabout. They tried to fight it and the case finally ended up in court. In court all fireman and driver gave their cute statement of events and I felt it wasn’t going well for me. I roll up in my wheelchair, and first to be shown is the dash cam footage. Everyone sighs and then I make the point that undertaking on a roundabout is a ridiculous argument, and that I clearly showed consideration to a larger vehicle which is documented under rule 221 of the highway code. Case closed. Fireman at fault.

It's was the weaving around other vehicles that would fall under careless driving and NOT the passing of vehicles on their right or left. Come on Ashley, you should know that by now!

Undertaking is ONLY a problem when done dangerously, its not about when you are 'allowed' to do it, its NOT a driving offence to undertake! If you can pass on the left safely then there is no legal reason why you can't and the police cannot just slap you with without due care just because they don't like it. I will and do pass police vehicles on the left, I get the vast majority think its illegal and a big no no and you then have people like Neal trying to say its not illegal but...... And then trying to cloud things to the point of doing what he 'thinks' you should.

I was taught that it is okay to undertake on a motorway if you are doing the correct speed limit. I don't see why you need to move from Lane 1-3 to overtake a middle lane hogger at 70mph because they can't be assed to move over.

Ashley, can you tell us where you got that information on the journalist from?

I do it occasionally under certain circumstances but I am always careful.

Personally, I think the vast majority of "undertaking" occurs as a result of lane-hogging. If you drive in mainland Europe, lane discipline is excellent. Drivers keep to the inside lane unless overtaking and lane-hogging is almost non-existent. Driving in the UK, standards are significantly worse. Embarrassingly so. The use of terms such as "slow lane" and "fast lane" don't help matters. The amount of drivers that join an empty motorway and go straight for lane two or three is truly staggering, presumably because they don't want to drive in the "slow lane". The fact that learners were unable to drive on the motorway until very recently is also an unhelpful factor. It means that the vast majority of drivers on the road were never taught to exercise proper lane discipline, which has resulted in them making their own skewed interpretations of the rules. If you look at the sort of drivers who lane-hog, most are quite old, and I think this is down to lack of education. From my experience, younger drivers often exhibit far better lane discipline. As someone who drives on the M25 on a regular basis, I will admit to passing people on the inside very frequently. Pretty much every day, to be honest. I'll never weave in and out of lanes like some drivers do, but with the outer lanes full of cars travelling at about 50, I'll move into lane one (usually empty as far as the eye can see) and proceed at the national speed limit, passing many vehicles on the inside in the process. I uploaded a video as an example of this last year. Would I be pulled over for doing this? Probably. Could it be considered dangerous? Possibly. One thing I do know is that if lane discipline was taken seriously in this country, then it would be physically impossible to pass 25-30 vehicles in one go whilst remaining in lane one. Doing the same in mainland Europe would be unthinkable.

Thanks for all the excellent videos Ashley. I passed back in 2019, but still watch your videos.

For your info. The law says. : “Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake.” The Code though, advises that it's OK for a car to in slow-moving traffic, if its lane is moving faster than a lane on the right. In these circumstances it's deemed safer to than to weave in and out of the traffic

Not a word about the illegal lane hogging, but only lecturing about the one who is legally undertaking. Sort out the attacker and not the victim!

Recently got stopped for undertaking - granted I was speeding so stupid me, but didn’t realise that simply going past drivers to my right was undertaking, even without pulling out in front of them. I was lucky and got let off by the officers.. made me come here and aim to understand more about the rules. Very helpful, thanks.

Nice video as always Ashley. Off-topic..nice watch mate. Have a good new year and all the best for 2021.

If someone is to the right of me driving under the speed limit I will undertake them without hesitation at the speed limit providing they are not indicating left.

I don't think you mentioned what the highway code says about this .

I undertake lane hoggers all the time. But stay in the left lane.

Happy New Year, Mr. Neal. Here's to you and how you help people see the errors in their conduct and calm down . It's great.

It has to be done at times middle lane hogging forces me to do this as I use the motorway on a daily basis. Education is the answer drivers need to understand that the right hand lane is there to turn right or overtake, then of course move back into the left lane.

I genuinely don't gey the argument of undertaking is bad as "people don't expect you to pass on the left so might move into you" because you should be checking your damn mirrors!

You seem to be confusing actually undertaking with merely passing a slower moving vehicle, there is a difference

In my opinion, re: the white Jag in lane 2. When travelling in lane 1 approaching the slower Jag in Lane 2, in those conditions the risk of moving from lane 1 across to lane 3 and back again is higher than remaining in lane 1 and passing on the nearside; if having observed the Jag for a sustained period with it remaining in lane 2, it is a more appropriate manoeuvre

Lane hogging is so big problem in my county, that even authorities recommends undertaking.

Undertaking being fine on a one way street interests me. How is that any different to undertaking on a dual carriageway given that the oncoming traffic is separated by the central reservation?

Ashley, you said "You can prosecuted for other offences if you undertake". All the years Ive been driving I have never heard of that. Can you describe those offences.

You deserve more recognition Ash. Nice videos!

Had a Merc undertake me at what must have been 100mph when I was coming up to a temporary 60mph on motorway, had a big smile on my face when he got flashed.

Hi everyone, I think it's about time that we discussed undertaking on this channel. AGAIN, because most of your viewers still don't understand what's it's about.

Well if people kept left unless overtaking i wouldnt have to, i refuse to go across multiple lanes just to overtake a vehicle to move back across multiple lanes to the correct driving lane

Thanks for the video Ashley, glad to see my clips made it over to you! Your explanation made perfect sense, and in future I’d definitely not be going for an undertake in most scenarios like that - really not worth it to get past a lane hogger in most scenarios.

Top draw. Ashley you give information that is unbiased, it also makes you stop and reconsider that driving is a privilege.

I've asked this question over a year ago yet nobody has answered it. Where in the Highway Code does it say you *must not* overtake on the left?

This is why I hate middle lane hogs so much. When I drive to Bournemouth there are people who will just sit on the middle lane and happily drive until it’s their time to come off even though all the lanes are clear.

I've been driving for something like 57 years. I learn something new on pretty much every one of your presentations.

As always, great video and very valuable information. Thanks

Great video as always. Have you done a video before about parking on dropped kerbs? This one always sparks debate amongst motorists and the legality of it. Would be interesting to see that.

Let's be realistic and I'm talking about motorway driving to be clear. Drivers that don't return to the inside lanes after overtaking should be equally liable. A motorway is in effect a oneway street, admitted with a faster speed limit, but now we have 4 lanes. Lane hoggers are driving without due care and attention in my opinion. I see this all the time as a high milage motorway driver, but don't get upset about it. I do sometimes undertake if there's someone in lane 4 doing 60 mph and lane 2 is clear. If I did get pulled for this non-offense I would try my best to defend it in court. You all know how that would work out 😪😯😥

So if you come up to one of those plonkers on the motorway who drive at 50 mph, dozing in the right-hand lane, what are you meant to do? Stay behind them and hoping they will eventually wake up? Carefully overtake them on the left, allowing for the fact that they probably do not bother to indicate or look if they do eventually move left? The only drivers I have seen being pulled by the police up are the ones who zoom past with a high differential speed. I have never seen anyone pulled up for undertaking when they have done it carefully in a non-careless way.

The problem not being dealt with is the appalling number of drivers sitting in lanes 2,3,and 4 totally unnecessarily on a virtually empty motorway! How can someone driving correctly at the speed limit in lane 1 be expected to slow down so as not to pass a moron in lane 3 or even 4 doing 60! The police need to start ticketing these idiots!

What might happen that makes overtaking on left be classed as dangerous driving? If I'm passing a car to my right and he/she before I'm level with it, moves into my lane and hits me how would I be charged for be driving dangerously or carelessly? Confused, help.

@3.46 . Cammer had no reason to move from lane 3 to 4 especially when there's a car one sec behind. He should have stayed in lane 3 as there was nothing in front.

Undertaking is no more dangerous than Overtaking lmao....

So ...... pretty much as I thought. Not illegal but, as with everything in life - a time and place where it is ok to pass on the left. Thanks for the clarification Ash. Stay safe everyone 👍

I have to admit, I do it quite frequently, but I live very close to the M20, and there are often people hogging L3, when L1 and L2 are free, so I keep to L1 to undertake. If they're in L2, I'll keep to L1, give a flash to let them know they can move over, but if they don't, I back off and overtake in L3, then move (carefully) back to L1. Sometimes they get the hint, but they're mostly belligerent twits 😂

I did it the other day in my town. Dual carriageway, im doing 30 in the left lane &thecar in the right lane was going considerably slower. I had no choice but to undertake. Didnt even feel guilty doing it right in front of the police station either 😆 the highway code will back me up.

I often travel on a section of 2 lane motorway in Durham during rush hour. Usually the right hand lane is full of cars driving to close together, all refusing to come over to the left lane in case they come across a lorry. As they think no one will let them back out to overtake the lorry. I stick to the left lane at around 60ish nice and relaxed, with a clear lane ahead, inevitably passing them as they all brake and slow down due to some one further up suddenly braking. If I come across a lorry there is usually someone who will let me out, then it's straight back to the left lane.

It's not illegal but you *can* get done for it. "So it is illegal?" No.

Undertaking is not illegal, but we will find away to convict you of something else. Madness.

When Ashley begins a video; "I think it's time we discussed...." You sit up and take notice...

As with most things in law, it's a grey area. It's not technically illegal to undertake (as in, there is no specific offence) however it may constitute you being reported for driving without due care or dangerous driving. It's one of those ones - you read the road and traffic ahead and work out if it's reasonably safe to perform an undertake. The clip at 3:53 shows someone undertaking but they've totally failed to read the road which is why they weren't prepared for the white van to change lane and a collision almost occurred. When I'm driving, I'm not only driving my car, I'm driving everyone else's too - that's the mindset you need to avoid problems.

If I'm in the left lane, there's a big space in front of me, and I'm doing 70mph, then I'm going to stay doing 70mph. I'm not going to slow down for the middle lane. I'm not going round the long way. F them.

Ashley, with all due and respect I find that story of the journalist and the Porsche hard to believe.

If somebody says it's not illegal, that doesn't mean they will do it. Ashley you have got this one completely wrong. Can you not just accept it. Didn't you say a few years back that undertaking was illegal? Can you send me the link where you got your information about being charged for dangerous driving if you're caught undertaking??

Very interesting as soon as I saw the first clip on the A1 I knew that was my area, amazing video and defiantly learned something

People always rag on BMW and Audi drivers for being dangerous/reckless. But I swear to god some of the most dangerous maneuvers I've ever seen have been people in people carriers. I saw a woman in a C4 Picasso other night doing 70-80 in a 50 on her travels to B&Q...must have been in a massive hurry for some tungsten-tipped screws.

Ashley, since it has become legal to undertake since 1972 and as you say it is now only allowed in slow moving traffic, then it must have been illegal to pass on inside at any speed?

What is the difference between undertaking and "deliberately" undertaking?

Before watching the video; I undertake people about 50% of the time when I encounter them. If they refuse to keep to the outside lane, why would I endanger myself by travelling through 2 lanes only to go back at least one again. They should see me pass them if they pay attention, and I should pay extra care while in their blind spot, and only do it if I can go onto the shoulder need be

It might just be me,but i swear there is a mob of people who go out of their was to slow up traffic by sitting in the outside lane,way under the limit and refuse to move over.I am positive it is a control thing for many of them. I have seen cars move from lane 1 to lane 3 of a motorway for no reason whatsoever,it's almost like they look out for cars going faster than them and then pull out to slow them down to their speed. If undertaking can make premiums go up by 40% then lane hoggers should get an 80% increase.Do away with the lane hoggers and most people would have no reason to undertake in the first place.

AT 4:20 Ashley makes a move from lane 1 to 3 to overtake and back in to 1. That's ok on an almost empty free flowing motorway. He should have picked a time when it's busy ( 3:35 ) with traffic moving around the speed limit and a hogger in lane 3 of 4 lanes. Any driver with a little bit of experience would favour passing on inside than make multiple lane changing. And to clear up the rubbish , It's NOT illegal and does NOT fall under careless driving.

Just to sum up on this. I consulted a Police Traffic Officer on this subject and in any case it is not illegal to undertake either on any type of road or roundabout with 2 lanes but and he did stress this if your caught doing this and deemed to be driving dangerously or course an accident a clause in the Highway code is brought into effect in court and you can be prosecuted for not using the highway to which it was designed for and the fine can be up to £5,000 and this will be applied to any other offence committed during that act. if you course injury by under taking it can be classed as Dangerous or Driving without Due Care and Attention and this offense carry's the issues with it as stated by Ashley. Good informative video

Another way to summarise it is that undertaking is not directly illegal, but indirectly illegal. This means undertaking itself is not illegal, but it comes under other laws such as dangerous driving.

Yes, undertaking is legal. Though, for it to be legal - it must be done with due care and attention, and safely. If there is enough space and time to do this safely, the person being undertaken should probably kit be there in the first place. If done properly, it can be legal, and you can be free of any potential for prosecution.

Q. When can you undertake? A. When its safe to do so.

Ashley If we had motorways/freeways as in US with 10 plus lanes, and I want to undertake in lane 1, how many lanes between me and the hogger would not be classed as careless driving?

@2:54 look left & right just before the crossroads as there might be a red light jumper. Don't forget the delay from each traffic light changing may be just a few seconds to none at all. Never trust traffic lights as they can go wrong.

1] Overtaking is overtaking, whether performed on the right, left, from above, or below. If a faster object passes a slower object, it is overtaking. 2] Here in Australia, it is perfectly legal to overtake on the left as long as it is in a separate marked lane (overtaking in the same lane is permitted in a few specific circumstances). This means that those who complain about lane hoggers have no grounds to do so, as they can overtake on the left (while not exceeding the speed limit and with care, as they should when overtaking on the right). The system works well overall, and the only problems arise from those who do not understand this (or refuse to accept it).

Generally if it's in heavy traffic and there has been no deliberate lane change to perform the undertake it should be ok , as in Ashley's examples (stay in lane, turning traffic etc) where a driver has deliberately changed lanes to the left to go past that is where there is the possible offence committed

If you move from lane 3 over to lane 1 to undertake is that more dangerous than staying in lane 1 to undertake a slower moving vehicle in lane 2 if lane discipline was better there would be no need to undertake?

On my daily commute on a dual carriageway, there's a section of average speed check cameras, 40mph. I had 2 cars sitting in lane 2 doing 37mph, nothing in lane 1, so neither of them overtaking, just lane hogging. I undertook both of them at 40mph, the 1st got pissy at me, flashed his lights repeatedly. Once out of the average speed cameras, he flew past me giving me all sorts of gesticulations. I knew undertaking wasn't illegal as I past my motorbike licence 18months ago, a topic which is quite useful for motorcyclists.

I regularly undertake on my bike on a particular section of dual carriageway where drivers sit in the right lane for half a mile or more before the roundabout. Watching this has made me realise i should have more patience, if i am honest only because the punishment can be more severe than i had previously thought.

well when someone is sitting in the outside lane doing less than the speed limit.... and have ample time to move over, i will undertake.. its as simple as that. lane hoggers (especially those that dont go the speed limit) are the worst drivers out there.. and people would never need to undertake.

I do it only when Necessary like when someone is just sitting in the outside lane on the motorway or the flow of traffic on the inside lane is quicker.

There is a strong difference between undertaking and passing traffic on the inside. On the M3 every day, lanes 2,3 & 4 will always have lane hoggers. I just pass them all on the inside with my coach at 60.

I needed to hear this. Next time I'm feeling impatient and wanting to do something stupid, I'll remember this video. Cheers Ashley.

That driver at 3:45 was shocking!

If its allowed in UK why do the police issue you with CD10 then, im none the wiser from that video ?!

So glad I watched this. I was always under the impression that there was a distinct difference between over/undertaking and passing on the out/inside. The former being you're behind and in the same lane as the car you want to pass and have to change lanes to do so, and the latter being you're in a different lane to the car you want to pass, and you do so without changing lanes at all. I also believed over/undertaking was illegal but passing was not. I'd love to know where I got this from 😅