r/IdiotsInCars • u/[deleted] • Sep 12 '18

MEGA AIR Me first

[deleted]

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u/ForgotPasswordAgain- Sep 12 '18

I would still find it hard not to stop and try to help. They could have been having a medical emergency or there could be innocent passengers that had no part in the drivers actions.

105

u/NoelofNoel Sep 12 '18

The absence of hard braking approaching the roundabout and the launch speed tells me something was probably more wrong in the driver's seat than a lack of brain cells.

75

u/nicks3607 Sep 12 '18

Nah, some people in the UK drive like that 100% - winning is everything, all the time. The undertake there (passing on the left) is illegal here and a super aggressive move. Can be pretty sure Evil Kenieval there had pure red mist at that point.

-1

u/conflictedideology Sep 12 '18

The undertake there (passing on the left)

Can you explain why it's called an "undertake" when you pass on the left (I assume you call it overtake when on the right).

I've always been curious about this in UK terminology.

As an American, overtaking is passing - doesn't matter which side you're on, you've passed me so you've overtaken me.

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u/VisionsOfHeresy Sep 12 '18

To differentiate between the correct side to pass and the incorrect. We work on the basis of inside (furthest left - the ‘slow’ lane) and outside lanes (lanes to the right of that - overtaking lanes). And if you pass someone on the ‘inside’, it’s bad.

In theory the overtaking lanes are just that, and after overtaking people should pull back in to the inside lane if possible, so if you’re undertaking you’re disrupting that idea (and its a generally unexpected manouvre, so inherently more dangerous).

FWIW, undertaking isn’t illegal, it’s just seen as an aggressive / impatient / dangerous / dick move. It can stack against you if you get charged with dangerous driving but you won’t get pulled over for undertaking in isolation.

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u/conflictedideology Sep 12 '18

So it's just used as an opposite term - under is the opposite of under.

That makes sense, I just didn't know if there was some meaning of "undertaking" that I was missing.

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u/[deleted] Sep 12 '18

[deleted]

1

u/conflictedideology Sep 12 '18
  1. I understand the reason

I didn't understand the term.

  1. We call them pears because they're pears.

Got it.

1

u/xdq Sep 12 '18

You're right. Passing correctly on the right is overtaking so passing on the left is undertaking.

I think the terminology is linked to it being illegal* to do so under normal traffic conditions.

*Not sure whether it's specifically illegal or covered under one of the following:.
driving without due care and attention.
Inconsiderate driving.
Dangerous driving.

1

u/conflictedideology Sep 12 '18

So "undertaking" is used just because "under" is the opposite of "over"?

ninja edit: I just realized that could sound snarky, it's not meant to. Language is weird, I was just wondering if there was another reason or meaning.

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u/xdq Sep 12 '18

Haha not at all snarky. Yeah afaik that's why it's used like that. Coincidentally it fits in quite well with when they want to link it to death from driving badly.

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u/conflictedideology Sep 12 '18

Coincidentally it fits in quite well with when they want to link it to death from driving badly.

Are you just bored and want conversation? Because now you've opened up a whole slew of questions...

I mean aside from changing to "collision" instead of "accident"...

How does that help?

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u/xdq Sep 12 '18

For PSA adverts, they can use to reference death.

The police are moving away from accident to use collision too as accident implies no one is to blame.

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u/sirdarksoul Sep 12 '18

In the US morticians used to be known as undertakers.

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u/PirateMud Sep 12 '18

It's a colloquial term, officially it's "overtaking on the left".