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Question of the Week

Why is undertaking (on a dual-carriageway) dangerous? (My thoughts.) Undertaking: Firstly it might be worth clarifying the term - in the UK undertaking is normally used to describe overtaking on the left 'inappropriately'. In some countries it is used as a legitimate term to describe passing in a designated lane, for example to turn left.I thought I would Google for info and overtaking on the left and was surprised to find little or none. What I did find were lots of quotes from the Highway Code coupled with 'overtaking on the left is dangerous' messages. Overtaking on the left is not illegal (unless you use a motorway hard shoulder) - however, it is contrary to the advice given in the Highway Code and many police officers might consider it to constitute dangerous or careless driving. having said this, it depends on the conditions at the time - see Highway Code rule 268.Statistics compiled by Nottingham University suggests that 14% of overtaking accidents involve cars passing on the left, also that older people figure highly in these accidents. So why might it be dangerous?Overtaking on the left has a social stigma which in itself can create road-rage and danger. This is commonly seen on motorways when a vehicle passes another on the left; the driver being overtaken will often speed up in retaliation creating danger for both of the drivers and others around them.Drivers do not normally expect cars to pass on the left, therefore they might not see them coming - even if they look (we tend only to see what we expect or are looking for).Left blind spot danger - while the right blind spot can be quickly checked, the left takes potentially more head movement (especially for those wearing spectacles) and has more to obstruct the vision (head restraints, door pillar, passengers, loads); this means the 'undertaker' might not be seen (or do I mean the driver will soon be seeing an undertaker?).Overtaking near junctions is always dangerous, however, on a dual-carriageway this might present even more danger - drivers entering from the left might well assume that vehicles in the right hand lane are the fastest and emerge into the path of an undertaking car as a result. Likewise an undertaking driver will have restricted view of gaps in the central reservation where vehicles could be emerging, especially if passing a queue of cars.On three lane roads leaving lane three to undertake could create danger if a vehicle is moving out from lane one to overtake at the same time - either because of blind spots or simply not expecting the lane three driver to move across.Passing large vehicle on the left or right is fraught with danger on fast roads - however the driver of the 'heavy' will generally have more problem spotting a car that is passing on the left. We've probably all seen drivers in the right-hand lane manoeuvre late to take an exit slip - do you fancy passing them on the left?

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