Motorcycles undertaking..

[PreferNot 10]

Recently more and more motorcycles seem to come up the left hand side of my car to get past me.. In the past I have always pulled as close in as I can to let motorcycles pass... Now I'm finding I have to pull to the middle of the road.

 

Is this right?? I'm certain when I was learning to drive that overtaking vehicles should pass on the right...

 

I'm moaning as today when the motorcyclist did it he was either going to hit my car or I had to risk pulling to the middle of the road when vehicles were coming up the other side...

[stagecoach 10]

your right.but if you knock them off it will be your fault for not letting them pass.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------the future is red and white

[Localboy 10]

I think a motocycle can pass on either side. They are only using the whole side of the road!

[Henrietta 10]

Its much more risky to undertake on the left and is certainly not recommended - and not taught either!

 

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[ducatiboy 10]

Were you travelling on a road with one lane? If so the bike rider should know better. Undertaking is illegal. If you were on a road like penistone road for instance with 2 lanes and more, and the traffic was travelling at considerably less than the speed limit then a motorcycle can "filter" through the traffic and could possibly pass you on your left hand side, except if you were in the furthest lane to the left then not only is this illegal but its downright stupid! the best thing to do when seeing motorcycles approach you is Do not change your direction or speed unless you are moving over to allow the bike to filter through. The biker "should be well aware of you and "will" have already decided the safest and best way to get past you! I put all these in inverted commas as sometimes the brain dead actually do get a licence too! Hope that helps

[JayneRay 10]

As I was on Penistone road last night the exact same thing as described above happened to me three times.

[ducatiboy 10]

As I was on Penistone road last night the exact same thing as described above happened to me three times.

 

Were the bikes filtering or were they in the gutter overtaking you on the inside?

[PreferNot 10]

It happened to me on Penistone Rd but was Rutland Road this morning. I was in the left hand lane on Penistone Road.. but this has happened quite a few times recently...

[Darbees 10]

Don't encourage them to pass on the inside. I had an accident years ago where a bike passed on inside, hit a grate and the bike ran along the gutter and kerb out of control until it hit something which was a concrete bus stop which broke off and landed across his chest. He hit my car in the process.

 

However it is legal for them to pass between or outside lanes of slow moving traffic, although the definition of slow is a bit vague to some scooter ridres.

[muddycoffee 10]

Filtering is not illegal, but this should not be done at high speed or in the gutter as it is dangerous. Pretty much the reason dispatch riders, police motorcyclists, motorcycle paramedics, and RAC bikes exist is because it is much faster to filter through traffic than to sit in traffic in a car.

 

You often see youngsters on scooters who drive in the gutter, they do not realise the dangers of doing this, I suspect that they do this because they have not had enough training and that is what they did as children on bicycles.

[BenW 10]

I believe there has just been a legal precident set in court which says filtering through traffic is legal but im not sure of the ins and outs of it.

As a general rule I only filter when ...

1 the traffic is very slow or stationary, and pass traffic slowly,

2 there are no junctions

3 the road is wide enough to allow me to get out of harms way, or kind motorists pull over to let me through.

4 I can see whats coming the other way

5 road traffic laws permit ie solid white lines a no no etc

6 I always filter to the offside of any vehicle...

IMHO filtering to the nearside is VERY RISKY as nearside mirrors are not an obligatory fitment and most drivers use rear veiw or offside mirror, both of which do not cover the nearside, also there tends to be debris man hole covers, not to mention left turning vehicles!

Under taking on a dual carriagway section of road is illegal.

 

Were these motorcycles or scooters?

[ducatiboy 10]

Under taking on a dual carriagway section of road is illegal.

Not exactly true. If the overtaking lane is travelling at less than the stated speed limit there is nothing wrong with travelling at the speed limit in the left hand lane, passing the traffic to your right. I avoided using the word undertaking as it is not technically undertaking!