Undertaking by default

This has to be one of the most annoying traits of a majority of Irish drivers. Merge to a three lane motorway or national rod and then straight into the middle if not the right lane.

More often than not I find the left lane the quicker and least stressful to drive in. I also ignore the idiots that choose not to use the left lane and carry on as if they aren't there but obviously aware said idiot might remember the rotr suddenly and swerve into the left lane. I'm sure it's not law but I'd consider undertaking to be moving from your lane to a left lane then back into the lane you were in in front o the car you passed. I'll typically drive in the left lane till I need to pass then use the right lanes as required and back to the left lane.

As I heard someone refer to them before the capable drivers lane, the social media lane and the road rage lane. 🤷‍♂️

The rules on overtaking on the right are clear enough.

Personally though, if I'm in the OP's situation - I will continue in the lane I'm in, and be mindful of any potential sudden activity of the driver in the middle lane.

I'm not making four lane changes to negotiate a car that isn't following typical motorway behaviour. I think that stands to open up more potential risks.

It may not fall within the exact rules of the road regarding overtaking, but I believe in this circumstance, it's the safest way to progress my trip.

Motorway driving can be boring, if its quiet. If I'm in Lane 1 doing the speed limit and I encounter a car in Lane 2, doing say 100, I make a point of making the two manoeuvres into Lane 2, then 3, then overtaking, and returning to Lane 1 and I make bloody sure the other driver sees it.

If the motorway is busier, I have no problem undertaking in the primary lane if it happens under reasonable progress. You will NEVER be pulled up for that.

Passing on the left is allowed in the rules of the road. providing it's safe to do so,

but even if you're passing on the right there's idiots that don't use mirrors or indicators and cut you off

I doubt if a guard is going to summons you for passing on the left with it being allowed in the rules of the road.

In special circumstances, passing on he left is not illegal. use your common sense

I try to do the right thing. I used to flash cars in the overtaking lane when they were clearly not overtaking and there was another lane they could safely move into but I found over the years this is more dangerous as often they ignore me, then if I undertake them they might by accident or deliberately change into the "slow lane" and block me or nearly crash into me. I found it is safer to ignore them and undertake with caution.

It may be illegal and it's not done or normal in UK. In European countries especially Italy sitting in overtaking lane is not at all tolerated. They start flashing from hundreds of metres away.

I once flashed the hell out of a car in overtaking lane with nothing in slow lane and it turned out to be unmarked Garda car. They put on their lights, then did not stop me, they just wanted to show they could do what they like!

Wouldn't sensible driving dictate that almost everyone drive in the leftmost driving lane at more or less the speed limit?

So, in this"ideal world", we'd have a road-train of vehicles doing the limit in the left lane, with any overtaking lanes empty?

Does anyone actually want that?

As a side note to my above comment, where I assume the poster was confused with left and right.

I keep left with the intention of passing on the right, but if I am sitting at 120 kmph in the left lane and closing on a slower moving vehicle in the right hand lane (2 lane motorway) while my lane is clear I will remain in my lane, but remain wary of the other driver merging left. I used to enter the right lane and sit behind, but it never dawns on the driver.

If I am on the M50 and there is a slower moving vehicle in the middle lane, when it is clear to do so I will go to the third lane, far right, pass and move far left in front of them, more often that not they seem to follow suit into the far left lane if you watch your mirrors.

Yes, passing on the left is wrong (excluding limited scenarios) but so is being in the wrong lane, so if you are one of the drivers who gets thick when someone passes on your left, remember that if you were in the correct lane they couldn't pass on the left.

This one comes up regularly in Motors with the same argument about slow/slower too.

To me it's very simple - you overtake on the right unless you're in SLOW stop-start/congested traffic where you can pass on the left. This is not the same thing as passing a car doing 80, or 100 in the middle lane of a 120 limit motorway.

I don't get why this is so difficult to grasp?

The main advocates seem to be those who think they're being "clever" undertaking all the "eejits" in the middle or right lanes. This is grand until one of those pulls left on top of them without looking because they weren't expecting to be undertaken from the left (two wrongs don't make a right)

A two lane Motorway and a two lane dual carriageway are completely different things.

The M1 is appalling for this.

A row of cars sitting in the overtaking lane while the left lane is empty.

I regularly "undertake" 6/8/10 cars then indicate right into the overtaking lane.

You look in your mirror and not one of the idiots has moved into the left lane.

I think the most I ever passed (undertook) was 16 cars!

I'll probably get criticism but I'm not boasting, it happens on a daily basis and its infuriating.

What you also have to realise is some of those drivers wouldn't move into the left lane even if an emergency vehicle with blue flashing lights was behind them!

The mornings are a joke too with the concertina of brake lights all down the motorway.

Really looking forward to going back to work tomorrow 😆

Ok, I've edited my post.

The issue remains.

Rows of cars sitting in the overtaking lane while the left lane is empty.