Highway Code Rules 253 to 273 (Motorway Driving)

[Howard]

Who is the bigger weaver? Intuitively I'd say it is B but I get the impression you don't think B is weaving at all.

I'm not hung up on the definition of weaving, since the Highway Code only uses it in the context of passing on the left.

I'm not hung up on it either. Not least because it appears to add nothing. But again, what extra value and meaning does the reference to "weaving" add? If passing on the left is illegal anyway then why mention "weaving" at all if that is all it means?

It's redundant UNLESS of course "weaving" has a wider meaning.

Lootman, in your quest for the definition of "weaving", next time you are driving in front of a police car why not try it a few times at various speeds and report back on the result.

Perhaps then, you will be able to give us a definitive answer to your question.

regards

Howard

[Lootman]

As to weaving I think Lootman is just being obtuse. I think we all know what is meant by 'weaving'. It is surely moving from lane to lane to overtake vehicles, typically the inside lane, across the middle lane to the outside lane and maybe back to the middle lane and out again, overtaking slower moving vehicles all the while. It is usually considered dangerous or at the very least aggressive and inconsiderate driving. (I am not saying that I think it necessarily is, but in some circumstances it can be). Passing on the inside is surely not a necessary component of it.

Not to be obtuse, but ! agree 100% with your definition of "weaving" there.

It is any excessive and aggressive switching of lanes in order to maintain a higher speed. Conflating it with undertaking just adds confusion.

[jfgw]

So part of the definition of "weaving" is that it is a manoeuvre intended to avoid hitting other vehicles.

And the HC doesn't want us to do that?

It appears that The Cambridge English Dictionary is written in a similar imprecise manner as The Highway Code.

If I shoot someone to avoid having to stab them, that must be ok right?

If you are in a position where you have to either stab or shoot someone and you have access to a gun, then probably yes. IANAL, however.

Suppose we are on the 6-lane section of the M25. Let's call the leftmost lane 1 and the rightmost lane 6.

Driver A moves between lanes 1 and 2, passing on either side.

Driver B moves between lanes 2 and 6, passing only on the right.

From what you have said, driver B makes 8 lane changes (4 to the right, then 4 to the left). You do not say how many lane changes Driver A makes but it could be many more. Even if it is just 2, I would still call it weaving (overtake on the right, move to lane 1, undertake, move back to lane 2, overtake).

The second sentence of Rule 268 does sometimes allow passing on the left:

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.

In this context, the following sentence,

Do not weave in and out of lanes to overtake.

is not redundant.


Julian F. G. W.

[AsleepInYorkshire]

I'm not hung up on it either. Not least because it appears to add nothing. But again, what extra value and meaning does the reference to "weaving" add? If passing on the left is illegal anyway then why mention "weaving" at all if that is all it means?

It's redundant UNLESS of course "weaving" has a wider meaning.

The Highway Code isn't the law, and I'd be pretty sure the word "weaving" doesn't appear in the relevant law.

The HC is (in this respect) describing road behaviour which may lead to prosecution. In my opinion the paragraph makes it pretty clear what's allowed and what's not. That's all it sets out to do.

Scott.

The Highway Code - Introduction
Who The Highway Code is for, how it's worded, and the consequences of not following the rules.
Many of the rules in the Code are legal requirements, and if you disobey these rules you are committing a criminal offence. You may be fined, given penalty points on your licence or be disqualified from driving. In the most serious cases you may be sent to prison. Such rules are identified by the use of the words ‘MUST/MUST NOT’. In addition, the rule includes an abbreviated reference to the legislation which creates the offence.
...
Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under the Traffic Acts (see The road user and the law) to establish liability. This includes rules which use advisory wording such as ‘should/should not’ or ‘do/do not’.

16 Highway Code rules you shouldn't ignore
Is the Highway Code actually law?
No, taken alone the Highway Code is not the law. But many of its instructions are backed up by law and so have legal muscle behind them. Those points supported by the law are clearly identified in the document by wording like ‘MUST’, ‘MUST NOT’, rather than ‘should’ or ‘should not’. Failure to comply with the other rules of the Code can’t directly cause you to be fined, prosecuted or disqualified – but the advice it offers can be used as evidence in any court, to establish liability.
...
There is no law itself against the act of undertaking, but it can count as an offence under careless or even dangerous driving.

There have been suggestions that undertaking (overtaking on the left) is allowable under certain circumstances. I can only find one. That is to say when the road is congested. The Highway Code does actually make it very clear under 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.

It seems fairly clear to me

1. Do not overtake on the left
2. Do not move to a left lane to overtake
3. When traffic is congested and moving at similar speeds you can keep pace with the traffic in your lane

Unless moving across lanes to leave a motorway I'd suggest "weaving" amounts to any other lane movement, even a single lane "switch".

AiYn'U