Priority when overtaking on motorway/national road.

Ush1

Just wondering, when you're in the over taking lane and someone ahead but in the lane to the left, they indicate in to move into the overtaking lane. Good etiquette is probably to break and let them in. But if you are fairly close to them, is your priority to finish your overtaking manouevre? What would be the legality if they pulled out in front of you and you ran into them?

Padraig Mor

Person changing lane must yield - i.e. person in the overtaking lane has priority.

BrianD3

They must give way to traffic already in the lane they are moving into. Also I wouldn't regard it as good etiquette to brake and "let" them change lanes on a fast flowing motorway. If they find themselves getting boxed in behind a slow moving vehicle in the driving lane they could probably have avoided that by looking ahead and anticipating what was going to happen.

Ush1

BrianD3 wrote: »

They must give way to traffic already in the lane they are moving into. Also I wouldn't regard it as good etiquette to brake and "let" them change lanes on a fast flowing motorway. If they find themselves getting boxed in behind a slow moving vehicle in the driving lane they could probably have avoided that by looking ahead and anticipating what was going to happen.

Yeah, some fella nearly pulled out on top of me. I spose certain drivers think once they indicate they have right of way.

245

In the absence of witnesses, it would depend on where you hit them. If you rear-end them then it'd be hard to win the claim - if you hit the side of their car then it might be easier to argue. By the time that the cars stop, positioning will be different so photos probably don't matter.

I agree with the previous poster (Padraig Mor), the car in the overtaking lane has priority but if the other driver decides to lie about the sequence of events and you have no reliable witnesses then you'd better hope that the impact marks are in your favour (unfair and all as that may seem). Insurance companies will pay out on the most likely sequence of events, not what actually happened.

BrianD3

A "dash cam" might help in the event of such a collision. I am strongly considering getting one for my next car or even current car.

Ush1

245 wrote: »

In the absence of witnesses, it would depend on where you hit them. If you rear-end them then it'd be hard to win the claim - if you hit the side of their car then it might be easier to argue. By the time that the cars stop, positioning will be different so photos probably don't matter.

I agree with the previous poster (Padraig Mor), the car in the overtaking lane has priority but if the other driver decides to lie about the sequence of events and you have no reliable witnesses then you'd better hope that the impact marks are in your favour (unfair and all as that may seem). Insurance companies will pay out on the most likely sequence of events, not what actually happened.

This is what I was thinking. No matter how it happens, if the crash is the other car getting rear ended, you instantly appear in the wrong.

Berty

Do not brake on a Motorway or Dual Carraigeway as it can cause a "Ghost Tailback".

thebiglad

Ush1 wrote: »

Good etiquette is probably to break and let them in.

The fact you have to consider braking to let them in means that you have priority and they should not be even trying to get out in front of you - it is not a safe manouevre.

This is not a question of etiquette, more one of safety.

Lex Luthor

sorry for jumping in on this, but on a 3 lane motorway or carriageway, one car is on the left lane one in the right lane, both going same speed and more or less, side by side. Both pull into the middle lane at the same time causing a collision. Who is at fault here?

I am very wary of these 3 lane carriageways and this ever happening as I have had a few near misses. I always err on the side of caution and back off regardless of which lane I am in but just wondered who has right of way in above scenario?

Hagar

As both drivers would have equal priority to pull into the lane I would say that the guy in the inner left lane is at fault as in cases of equal priority always yield to traffic on the right.


But I'm open to correction on that.

L1011

Lex Luthor wrote: »

sorry for jumping in on this, but on a 3 lane motorway or carriageway, one car is on the left lane one in the right lane, both going same speed and more or less, side by side. Both pull into the middle lane at the same time causing a collision. Who is at fault here?

I am very wary of these 3 lane carriageways and this ever happening as I have had a few near misses. I always err on the side of caution and back off regardless of which lane I am in but just wondered who has right of way in above scenario?

I would assume the person in the outermost lane has priority as they're already "overtaking" by virtue of being in the outermost lane.

atlantean

BrianD3 wrote: »

A "dash cam" might help in the event of such a collision. I am strongly considering getting one for my next car or even current car.

I know a couple of bus and coach drivers who were involved in accidents where without CCTV evidence they could have had a tough job proving their innocence! The camera footage proved they were in the right!

Probably a good idea having one fitted to a car.