QUOTE (kvw @ Dec 30 2008, 06:26 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>In a dual carriageway situation or motorway, if there's a car in the right hand lane doing slightly less than the legal speed limit, can you pass it while staying on the left hand side, at the legal speed limit of course?

Is it "overtaking" when you're not venturing onto the opposing traffic flow to pass the car out?

if you are traffic and one lane is moving faster , then yes.

 

fast lane hoggers get on my tits...

the question should be, is it legal to drive at less than the legal speed limit in the right hand/overtaking lane when there's a queue of traffic behind you wishing to do the legal speed limit and the left lane is empty...

to answer your question:

QUOTE Overtaking

Overtake only on the right, unless traffic is travelling in slow moving queues
and the traffic queue on your right is travelling more slowly than you are. If
you intend to move from a slower lane to a faster lane, adjust your speed first.

from: http://www.irishmotoring.ie/cms/publish/ca...and_tunnels.php

this is interesting though:

QUOTE You must not use the lane nearest the central median (lane 2 or lane 3, depending on the motorway width) if you are driving:

* a goods vehicle with a design gross vehicle weight of more than 3,500 kilograms,

* a passenger vehicle with seating for more than 8 passengers (aside from the driver), or

* a vehicle towing a trailer, horsebox or caravan.

how often do you see trucks, buses and trailers in the right hand lane?

 

Didnt know about trailers in the outside lane ... oops.

 

I think what the OP is asking is, is it only considered over-taking if he was to move into the right hand lane after passing the car on the left?

..If so then yes that would be, but if you were going faster in the left hand lane and passed by the car on the right it wouldn't be overtaking if you had been travelling along in the left hand lane and didn't move over after passing him out.

Actually looking at the OP's post again he asks if its only overtaking when crossing over the centre line onto opposite traffic flow. Well nope surely you're over taking if you move from behind one car to in front of it by pulling around to its right hand side, and undertaking on the left.

I never really got this bit;

QUOTE Overtaking

Overtake only on the right, unless traffic is travelling in slow moving queues
and the traffic queue on your right is travelling more slowly than you are.

Does this mean that you can never go faster in the left lane than the car to your right in normal circumstances?..or is it only if the car to your right is doing the limit already? Surely then anyone driving just a bit slower in the right hand lane makes it illegal to pass them on the left lane(meaning you will probably never be able to pass that car out if they continue driving in the right lane).

For example, the other day I was at a set of lights behind a car both turning right. It was 8.30pm and bus lane hours overs(for this road). So as we turned the corner I entered the left hand lane straight away(I had intended on taking the next left and also driving in the far left hand lane etc etc) and the car in front continued on the right hand lane. He was going a few km slower than me as I was about to pass him out when he stuck on his indicators to turn into my lane. We were pretty much parallel at this point but after he had moved into the lane behind me he flashed his lights at me and was angry and probably assumed I was undertaking him (which I wasn't seeing as I had been driving up in the left hand lane the whole time and was taking the next left). ...By the above definition was I undertaking? Or was he in the wrong as he was driving in the wrong lane technically by not checking the bus lane times?

Another Q for you guys then. Take for example the N11 heading from say Booterstown into Town, two lanes as you go by UCD. Is the right lane considered the overtaking lane there? Seeing as you may be taking any of the next right hand turns. It never seems to operate that way though.

 

unless in traffic you cannot pass anyone out when you are not in the overtaking lane. passing people out while in the left lane is called underpassing and its annoying, but if there is some twat in the overtaking lane who isnt overtaking and wont move in, im afraid sometimes it has to be done.

 

I had a guy report me for undertaking on M1!
When aproached by a guard about it I just asked how it was possible to undertake someone who is in an overtaking lane as they should only be there if the left lane is moving slower.
Last I heard of it but I think all overtaking lane hoggers should be rammed off the road, anyone want to sponsor me a Hummer?

I you look at the sign above the M1 just north of the airport, it is clearly signposted that the right lane is for belfast and left for swords, some people think this applies the whole length of the motorway, 'Dummys!

 

QUOTE (CaddyDoc @ Dec 30 2008, 01:53 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I you look at the sign above the M1 just north of the airport, it is clearly signposted that the right lane is for belfast and left for swords, some people think this applies the whole length of the motorway, 'Dummys!

 

this happened to a guy not so long ago on the m1 i read in the paper he overtook a car which was in the right hand lane at 120kmh. there was an unmarked guard behind him who saw the move and pulled him over and issued a ticket but the driver wouldnt except it as he swore he wasnt in the wrong and would go to court over the issue which he did and the fine/points stuck

 

I have driven in most developed countries in europe and i have one thing to say:

The Irish really really are the worst drivers i have ever seen.

The main reason for this = They just can't be bothered about rules and don't understand them.

The Gaurds are useless.

It makes me so angry, why have rules, why have a test, why have an Nct

NO ONE CARES IN IRELAND

I had to fix 2 dip bulbs for a woman i work with she had been driving around on full headlights for 2 months knowing that they were gone.

 

I dont know legally but if you are happily driving in the left lane at the speed limit and some numpty is doing 10/20/30 below it in the right and not moving then why is it illegal to keep going past said driver. Surely the traffic speed is not dictated by the car who wont do the speed limit in the "overtaking2 lane?!

The above situation is diferent than coming up behind a car and deliberately changing lane to pass them out and then changing back into the overtaking lane ie blatently undertaking

 

QUOTE (mikerd4 @ Dec 30 2008, 08:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I dont know legally but if you are happily driving in the left lane at the speed limit and some numpty is doing 10/20/30 below it in the right and not moving then why is it illegal to keep going past said driver. Surely the traffic speed is not dictated by the car who wont do the speed limit in the "overtaking2 lane?!

Thats what I was asking.

 

QUOTE (hypnotoad @ Dec 30 2008, 08:56 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thats what I was asking.

me too.

like, would you do it with a black/grey, dublin reg modneo/focus behind you ?

 

QUOTE (mikerd4 @ Dec 30 2008, 08:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I dont know legally but if you are happily driving in the left lane at the speed limit and some numpty is doing 10/20/30 below it in the right and not moving then why is it illegal to keep going past said driver. Surely the traffic speed is not dictated by the car who wont do the speed limit in the "overtaking2 lane?!

The above situation is diferent than coming up behind a car and deliberately changing lane to pass them out and then changing back into the overtaking lane ie blatently undertaking

I think you will find that it is still illegal to do so, the only exceptions to the rule about passing on the left are if you are in a left hand turn lane and intend to turn left or if you are in slow moving traffic and the lane on the left is moving faster than the one on the right. This is my understanding which I believe to be correct, unless something has changed since the rules of the road were sent to every household.

Of course the traffic speed should not be dictated by the person in the overtaking lane, but a concept that Irish people seem unable to grasp is that you are not supposed to remain in the overtaking lane, you go out, you pass, pull back in.

The keep left rule really needs to be drilled into people, if drivers actually obeyed the keep left rule then there would be no such thing as undertaking, in fact if anyone is undertaken at any point it shows that they were in the wrong lane as they should be in the gap they were passed in. Undertaking is a reactive offence, one that only occurs in reaction to lane hogging, if the lane hogging was targeted and people were fined for it there would be no such thing as undertaking.

I drove up to and back from Dublin last night and was driven demented by the lane hogging idiots

 

QUOTE (GSBellew @ Dec 30 2008, 10:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I think you will find that it is still illegal to do so, the only exceptions to the rule about passing on the left are if you are in a left hand turn lane and intend to turn left or if you are in slow moving traffic and the lane on the left is moving faster than the one on the right. This is my understanding which I believe to be correct, unless something has changed since the rules of the road were sent to every household.

Of course the traffic speed should not be dictated by the person in the overtaking lane, but a concept that Irish people seem unable to grasp is that you are not supposed to remain in the overtaking lane, you go out, you pass, pull back in.

The keep left rule really needs to be drilled into people, if drivers actually obeyed the keep left rule then there would be no such thing as undertaking, in fact if anyone is undertaken at any point it shows that they were in the wrong lane as they should be in the gap they were passed in. Undertaking is a reactive offence, one that only occurs in reaction to lane hogging, if the lane hogging was targeted and people were fined for it there would be no such thing as undertaking.

I drove up to and back from Dublin last night and was driven demented by the lane hogging idiots

i thought it was illegal and was known as coasting?

 

QUOTE (mr.sifter @ Dec 30 2008, 11:02 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>i thought it was illegal and was known as coasting?

I'm not sure what you are referring to?

 

On an early morning trip to the airport recently on an empty M1 I was gaining ground on a car traveling in the overtaking lane, as I got close "she" pulled into the left hand lane and I pulled ot to overtake. After I had overtaken "her" and pulled back into the left lane "she" proceded to move back out into the overtaking lane.

Now I'm not trying to say it's only women who do this but is was on this occasion but my god, which rules and what test did she have? Yank????
Really bloody sickening when we have some good roads and people dont know how to use them!
I always make a point of pulling back in to the left lane even if there is only a hundered yards or so between the cars I'm overtaking.
I'd love to know how many tickets have been issued for misuse of the overtaking lane as opposed to the amount issued for undertaking. Guards will just flash the lights at you for hogging the overtaking lane but ticket you the second you undertake someone you've been following for 25 mile while they have made no attempt to move to the left coz they are sticking to their 117.5Kmh and think you should stay that wee bit below the limit too.
AAAAaaaaaaaaagh, I hate this subject, I hate bad drivers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

QUOTE (GSBellew @ Dec 30 2008, 11:07 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>I'm not sure what you are referring to?

staying in the right hand lane

 

QUOTE (trevorbrady @ Dec 30 2008, 10:51 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>fast lane hoggers get on my tits...

the question should be, is it legal to drive at less than the legal speed limit in the right hand/overtaking lane when there's a queue of traffic behind you wishing to do the legal speed limit and the left lane is empty...

to answer your question:

from: http://www.irishmotoring.ie/cms/publish/ca...and_tunnels.php

this is interesting though:

how often do you see trucks, buses and trailers in the right hand lane?

I think thats only for a three lane motorway, pretty sure i have passed out the garda while towing a trailer on the motorway

 

"Coasting" to me is where you are moving forward using only your momentum (or gravity in a downhill situation) and not applying any power via your engine.

 

QUOTE (mr.sifter @ Dec 30 2008, 11:12 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>staying in the right hand lane

Staying in the righthand lane is breaking the keep left rule, which is why I was saying they should target those who are remaining in the right hand lane. If they did this people may start to respect lane discipline more and this would no longer be a problem. Driving on the continent I found drivers to be more aware of their surroundings and have no hesitation in making way for other cars to pass. In Ireland drivers seem determined to prevent others passing, its as if they see being overtaken as being a failure.