Honda Jazz Mk4 2020

[Jocko]

Undertaking is passing to the left of the vehicle irrespective of whether you change lanes or not. It is only allowed in slow moving traffic where one lane is moving faster than the other, such as where traffic is turning right.

[ndavey1]

So by driving at a constant speed in lane 1 and passing vehicles that are “hogging” the middle lane I’d be in the wrong and could be fined? Even though I’ve just been told that “hogging” the middle lane is wrong. It seems the rules need to be updated. They must have been created when there were much fewer lanes, fewer cars on the road, less need to change lanes. No right minded person can think it’s safer to keep changing lanes than driving at a constant speed in one.

[culzean]

So what is considered undertaking? If I’m in lane 1 and driving at 70, a car is in the middle lane driving 60, am I justified to continue driving in lane 1 and passing? Is it right then that the slower vehicle in middle lane is in the wrong as they should be moving to lane 1 then? I always understand undertaking as deliberately moving from middle lane to lane 1 then passing?

You are undertaking every time you pass a vehicle on the nearside,  as Jocko says it is only allowed when in slow moving traffic or when another vehicle is turning right.  Always amuses me on busy motorways when one lane appears to be moving faster than the others and people dive into that lane only to find vehicles they have just passed are now passing them,  so they again dive into 'faster' lane and same thing happens ad infinitum.   On the motorways when every lane is full ( eg M6 between 7am and 9am and 4-30pm and 6pm ) I happily sit in middle lane doing 20mph with all the other traffic overtaking and being passed by other cars stressing themselves to always be in the 'faster lane'.  Leaving the inside lane a bit emptier allows the poor s0ds who are trying to join motorway a fighting chance.

So by driving at a constant speed in lane 1 and passing vehicles that are “hogging” the middle lane I’d be in the wrong and could be fined? Even though I’ve just been told that “hogging” the middle lane is wrong. It seems the rules need to be updated. They must have been created when there were much fewer lanes, fewer cars on the road, less need to change lanes. No right minded person can think it’s safer to keep changing lanes than driving at a constant speed in one.

The key is 'slow moving traffic' so if you are undertaking them at a speed over 30mph then probably you would get a ticket.  I ride a motorbike and see idiots on motorbikes riding down the middle of lines of cars moving at quite a fair speed, they call it filtering but I call it lane splitting and it is probably the most dangerous thing you can do on a bike. I will only filter at a slow speed ( about 10mph ) if cars pretty much stopped,  and be ever wary of someone darting into another lane.


https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/advice/legal/undertaking/

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[ColinB]

Actually, Rule 268 does not stipulate anything about "slow moving traffic" when referring specifically to motorways:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code/motorways-253-to-273

"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"

This suggests that changing lanes to overtake in busy conditions (whether on the inside or the outside) is regarded as more hazardous than staying in the same lane, which sounds sensible and pragmatic to me. That does not mean that staying in lane 2 when lane 1 is clear is OK, or that undertaking is OK if the road is otherwise clear.

[Jocko]

It doesn't say " slow moving traffic" but then pretty much stipulates that in the next section. I was not specifically talking about motorway traffic but traffic in general with my reference to turning right.
Rule 163.

[richardfrost]

So by driving at a constant speed in lane 1 and passing vehicles that are “hogging” the middle lane I’d be in the wrong and could be fined? Even though I’ve just been told that “hogging” the middle lane is wrong. It seems the rules need to be updated. They must have been created when there were much fewer lanes, fewer cars on the road, less need to change lanes. No right minded person can think it’s safer to keep changing lanes than driving at a constant speed in one.

The Highway Code is constantly updated and can be considered to reflect current driving conditions. This right minded person believes it is completely wrong to remain in any lane if there is an empty lane to your left. What you are doing is inconsiderate and forcing other drivers to change lanes and make their own choices to compensate for your rule breaking and inconsiderate road positioning.

[gregoz]

Waiting for tech specs..

Fuel consumption will be interesting given the new hybrid set up. My Mk3 is not great on fuel consumption although that is mostly down to short stop/start journeys in cold wet weather. I haven't seen 50 mpg as a long term average since my VW Golf TDI and that was a 2005 model.

I know one or two people who have the hybrid Yaris and that gets significantly better mpg than the Jazz in the urban environment. On the open road, much less so.

I'd be interested in a Mk4.

Hi Everyone, and welcome to the forum. This is what I will check first. So far 35 miles on the dashboard in total so I can't say anything. I will be updating…

[gregoz]

But that is only available on the Crosstar.

True. Fortunately that's the version which most interests me as it claims to have a slightly higher ride height than the normal Jazz (one of the attractions of my current HR-V).

Actually, this is very firs think I’ve found out after getting in to Jazz MK4. Driver seat can be set lower than in model MK3, and actually I like this, I like to seat lower. First difference and first thumb up for me.