"Keep Left Unless Overtaking"

[JB]

Plonky a quick question, derived from your comments on another thread:

It is almost impossible to inappropriately speed on the M4 due to the imbeciles that stay in the No.3 lane and travel at the same speed as people in the No1. and No.2 lanes.

I have been going out onto the M4 when I am on dayshifts and booking people for that offence in between Emu Plains and Wallgrove Rd.

Look out for the XR8 with the "Keep left unless Overtaking" sign flashing in the lightbar because it is truly one of my pet hates !!

Is Keep Left Unless Overtaking actual law? Melbourne is the worst for people just sitting in the outside lane, and it does become dangerous particularly for those that sit there under the limit.

For the other members what are your experiences? Melbourne's so called speed camera's incite poor driving due to people braking at hwy speed's when they see a camera, you cannot overtake as you may get snapped. You can actually move through traffic if you stick in the far left lane as everyone sits over on the right. All I see the camera's doing is promote poor driving. There are no tolerances with even 4km/h over the limit.

In Melb there is no police focus on actual driving offences, it's all about speed and drink driving (not that I am against drink driving). You never see people booked for sitting in the outside lane, tailgating which is common, driving erratically, no indicating, no lights and the list goes on.

What are the actual law's that exist? What are people's thoughts?

[newxr]

Don't know about Vic but in NSW "keep left unless overtaking" is the law and actually drivers have to keep left on all roads with speed limits 80km/h or above even if they do not have a sign "keep left unless overtaking".

[turbotom]

tail gating would have to be my pet hate.

Driving back from Melboune on the long weekend, on at least 5 seperate occasions, I had a car sitting on my tail. Cars varied from Hyundais, Suzuki, old 4cyl Torana, VH Late model camira and Rav 4. They would approach, and then sit not more than 3 metres off my bumper, whilst I was sitting just over 100kph (103~105kph) on Victoria's Western Hwy. In all the cases, it was a young (probably less than 20 yr old) drivers on P's. three of them were girls.

They'd sit on my tail straddling the solid white line, waiting to get a look to see when they could overtake. At the first opportunity they'd floor it and get past me, then brake, and sit on 100kph, forcing me to brake and reset my CC.

WTF. Its as if its a competition to see who is in front.

Could it be a reflection of the competitive nature of video car driving games, so prevalent in the childhoods of these younger drivers????? food for thought.

And then there's the as$-wipes who sit on 95kph on the highway, and when you get to the overtaking lane, they speed up to >100kph, then slow back down to 95 when the overtaking lane concludes..... AHGGHHHH!!!

That's when you floor it just to get past the dic&head, and have to risk a potential speeding ticket.

Keeping left in double lanes is a relatively new law, I think. There weren't many dual lane carriageways when I got my licence.

I certainly think that there is a lot of older drivers, who have NOT had to read/sit the current test rules that have NO idea they are NOT complying with the road rules.

Try telling a 40 year veteran of driving he does NOT know the rules.

I guess there could be an argument that drivers should resit an exam at regular intervals to ensure they are aware of changes..... hmmmm, don't like the idea personally, but there are a lot of ignorant drivers out there.

So many issues with driving that are also fuels for instigating a road rage incident.

There is a real need to put across a message of courtesy on the road.

How can that be promoted / rewarded effectively to get to all drivers, young and old.

[JB]

Don't know about Vic but in NSW "keep left unless overtaking" is the law and actually drivers have to keep left on all roads with speed limits 80km/h or above even if they do not have a sign "keep left unless overtaking".

Once you get out of town on the "Major Hwy's" like the Hume etc, it's not so bad. More people driving too close at 110km/h than anything.

Around the local freeway's I.e the Eastern and Sth Eastern Keep left does not seem to exist. In relation to 80k zones Forget It!!

[tab]

Don't know about Vic but in NSW "keep left unless overtaking" is the law and actually drivers have to keep left on all roads with speed limits 80km/h or above even if they do not have a sign "keep left unless overtaking".

Same up her in Qld, but I can't recall ever witnessing or hearing about this being enforced. I think the criteria is very similar: >80km/h on multi lane & devided roads.

Trent.

[Redhawk]

In WA it is law to keep left unless overtaking. They had a blitz once, guess what.... people kept left. But unfortunately the blitz ended and now people drive in the RH lane below the limit.

The worse offenders are women, I'm not being sexist, just stating a frequent observation.

One thing but, when they see the GT bulge and menacing front bumper coming up in their rear view mirror nearly all the slug bludgers pull over rather sharply!!

[crisso]

I have found since I swapped to the T, silhouette in colour, drivers jump out of the right hand lane when I approach...must be an intimidating car/colour

[tab]

I have found since I swapped to the T, silhouette in colour, drivers jump out of the right hand lane when I approach...must be an intimidating car/colour

Flashing headlights and a beeping horn usually helps as well!!! It's unfortunate that it has to get to this extreme but unfortunately it is often the only way to get through to people.

Trent.

[Antisocial]

White XR....not dissimiar to unmarked ECILOP vehicles.

So almost every one is very polite to me, especially on Blue shirt days.. :lol:

[plonky]

Keep left unless Overtaking:

You must keep left unless overtaking where the speed limit is MORE than 80kmh or where there is a sign posted advising to Keep left unless overtaking.

I remember this offence distinctly because one of my instructors on the HWP course used the offence all the time as an example.

The offence is only committed where the speed limit is MORE than 80kmh, so if the road is multi lane and the speed limit is 80kmh, then there are NO requirements to keep left.

If there was a sign stating "Keep left unless Overtaking" in an area where the speed limit is 80kmh and less, then the offence can be committed.

Its not very regularly Policed, and people that have been getting breaches from me get VERY irate about it and think I should be out stopping speeding motorists.

I am very much of the view of free flow of traffic, very much like the way the HWP in the USA police their multi lane freeways.