gritter on motor way views on this

[normspanners]

Today I was traveling down M53 in my disco with car trailer on and came across a council gritter in middle lane gritting all the motorway must have had his spreader on full blast.
Now as i approached him he was doing about 30 mph now what is the legal situation as I am not allowed to enter the third lane but it is also illegal to 'under take', I slowed to his speed but
surely you would not be expected to follow behind him, I decided to undertake as this was IMOthe lesser of the two mistermeaners.
Just wondering about anybody else's views on this.

 

[cecotto479]

I've been in that situation often and have always gone the other way, on the basis that that is allowed in anything other than an HGV or combination, whereas undertaking is always a no-no, no matter what you're driving.

 

[mike os]

would overtake as normal/.. unless you or the copper is being an **** I cant see it being an issue at those speeds

 

[normspanners]

Contrary to popular belief it is NOT illegal to undertake but it can be considered dangerous and traffic police are likely to frown upon such behaviour. I wouldn't recommend it but I will admit to undertaking in a situation where overtaking middle lane hogs would slow the outside lane down unnecessarily. On these occasions I undertake carefully at a steady speed and keep an eye on the actions of the middle laner.
quote from :- http://www.howmotorwayswork.co.uk/motorway.htm

 

[rtbcomp]

A quick Google gives answers from every Tom, Dick and Harry except the Authorities!

Personally I wouldn't overtake but leave enough room for someone else to do so if they wished. Then they could risk getting nicked or skidding on an ungritted surface.

I suppose gritters could be fitted with white arrows on a blue background indicating which side to pass.

 

[brightspark]

i keep well clear of them ,if i see them coming towards me i slow down pull over and mount the pavement im not gonna get my vehicle grit blasted at 60mph

 

[ben8vgte]

Contrary to popular belief it is NOT illegal to undertake but it can be considered dangerous and traffic police are likely to frown upon such behaviour. I wouldn't recommend it but I will admit to undertaking in a situation where overtaking middle lane hogs would slow the outside lane down unnecessarily. On these occasions I undertake carefully at a steady speed and keep an eye on the actions of the middle laner.
quote from :- http://www.howmotorwayswork.co.uk/motorway.htm

I'm not sure how much I'd trust that site, http://www.howmotorwayswork.co.uk/caravan.htm ??

 

[hotrodder]

Beaten to it but as i'd already typed it... Under taking is NOT illegal and hasn't been an absolute offence since 1972 i believe*. To get nicked for undertaking you have to do something that plod considers to be careless driving or WDCA or whatever else they think they can get away with making up. Personally i would have passed on the inside if i was towing or driving something that isn't allowed to make use of the outside overtaking lane when it's a 3 or more lane carriageway

I doubt my definition of undertaking and passing on the inside mean anything in the real world but personally i consider the former to involve a lane change and is something that plod should frown upon, especially if it's cretinous behaviour like darting about from lane 3 to 2 back 3 etc. The later i do all the time... frequently use the A2 lateish at night and regularly carry on in lane one passing countless numpties sat in lane 3 or 4 of a virtually empty road. Numpties in lane 2 i often overtake in lane 3 in case they're too busy reading text messages or whatever to drive in straight line but a gritting truck is no doubt expecting people to be passing on both sides...

*ETA 1972 road traffic act undertaking is the term to search for

 

[Migmac]

I would of overtaken in the normal way, can't see any issues with it as long as your doing nothing daft. Would I undertake, no chance. You maybe watching the middle lane driver but are they watching you? I don't think so.

 

[TechnicAl]

i keep well clear of them ,if i see them coming towards me i slow down pull over and mount the pavement im not gonna get my vehicle grit blasted at 60mph

Agree.........thats what I do
Stop and wait for them to get far enough in front.

On a similar but different note...........Yesterday I saw a Horse Drawn Funeral Hearse with people walking in front and behind.......in the outside lane of a dual carriageway. There was a massive queue behind. Would they need to get permission for this?

 

[MattF]

Would I undertake, no chance. You maybe watching the middle lane driver but are they watching you? I don't think so.

That's a risk you take whenever you swap lanes, no matter which way you go, and it does happen.

In the scenario Norm is describing, I'd have opted for the slow lane as he did. Safest option and only an absolute cretin of a policeman would try pulling someone for that. There are many occasions where one might encounter a situation where the safest course isn't necessarily the text book or most legal course. Safety wins out evey time though, IMHO. Better to argue the toss in court afterwards, if necessary, than end up in an accident.

 

[Bill Edwards]

There are many occasions where one might encounter a situation where the safest course isn't necessarily the text book or most legal course. Safety wins out evey time though, IMHO. Better to argue the toss in court afterwards, if necessary, than end up in an accident.

Akin to the old phrase 'better to be tried by 12 than carried by 6' - well worth taking the safe approach to be able to talk about it later than end up with injury or death by attempting to follow a rulebook.

 

[MrFluffy]

I know one thing, whichever side you pick it bloody hurts on a bike...

 

[normspanners]

The thing is it was no way even near to freezing at that time +6 so the motorway was not dangerous at all,

Would I undertake, no chance. You maybe watching the middle lane driver but are they watching you? I don't think so.

but as said the gritter driver would be IMO expecting to have people passing him on both sides. For one thing at 30MPH which seems a little slow, but I suppose they need to get the spread, on a motorway at that speed, he MUST expect it, and he should be alert to his machine as well as his driving.
I couldnt stop because that is illegal to stop on a motorway for no reason, and to follow would mean being shot blasted for miles, slowing would drop me below safe min speed IMO
As an example, of third lane rules one of my recovery driver a few years ago had an empty single m/cycle trailer on behind the estate and stayed in the outside lane for a short distance not even 1/2 mile ish , when the motorway changed from 2 lanes to 3, there where cars on his inside and there was no easy place to pull back in.
He was prosecuted and had points and a fine. The police car was a little distance back, and recorded it on video
As undertaking is not illegal but being in the third lane def is, I think I would do the same again.

 

[normspanners]

As the gritter driver has to be in the middle lane, I think that would give you the right, as is stated in the lettering in red. As long as you don't do the wording in blue

Highway code rule
268
Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake. In congested conditions, where adjacent lanes of traffic are moving at similar speeds, traffic in left-hand lanes may sometimes be moving faster than traffic to the right. In these conditions you may keep up with the traffic in your lane even if this means passing traffic in the lane to your right. Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

 

[wristpin]

No problem if you are in the inner lane but happen to be going faster than traffic in the middle lane but ducking into the inner lane to undertake and then returning to the middle lane would be frowned upon.
This was taken from my dash cam- the "action" is near the end of the clip.

 

[normspanners]

I didnt 'like ' this clip, coz I dont like the driving, that deserves more than a slap on the wrist that is just ignorant and dangerous.

 

[dannyp]

with the gritter, i would have expected them to be going faster than 30 mph but asking a mate who drives one seems that if there chucking grit across 3 lanes and its meant to be a heavy covering he might not be abel to do it any faster. or the gritter is knackerd ( a high possoblity )

if i had a trailer on id go for the steady cruse past on the inside, car id probaly overtake

 

[Migmac]

MattF your right it is a risk whichever way you go but drivers are naturally going to be more alert to cars moving out to the right.

 

[CKJDJK]

Another thing to consider. A gritter using the middle lane MAY turn RIGHT and cut across the central reservation and continue back along the other carriageway once he reaches the limit of his route. This does happen on the M6 Shap and Tebay. A few year ago a car was hit by a grittter doing just that. Saying that the car was doing eighty in heavy snow and the gritter was ploughing also and a second gritter ploughing nearside lane. Car driver was done for dangerouse driving etc. Gritter driver was cautioned.