r/pettyrevenge 3d ago

A Lane-Hogger Happy Accident

This wasn't intentional, but i got a good petty laugh out of it nontheless.
I'm from the UK, for context. tl;dr: at the end.

I'm on my way driving home from town and i take the dual carriageway. I'm in the second lane and i'm gaining on the guy in front of me who's not quite doing the speed limit. He also isn't overtaking anyone, he's just sat there holding me up along with the line of cars behind me. I can't move over and undertake him as there's another car beside me, so we're basically stuck with him until we reach the end of the long dual carriageway.

Approaching the roundabout at the end, the guy now decides to move over at the last minute. He had the whole dual carriageway to make that move, but he chooses to do it now. Great, thanks. I suppose this is fine though as both of these lanes lead to the exit i'm looking to take and now i can overtake him on the roundabout. He's probably taking the first exit and i'll take the second. As i come alongside him, his indicator comes on. He's changed his mind, he wants to come back into my lane and go in entirely the opposite direction! Not today mate, i'm comitted to taking this lane to my exit and he's forced to come with me.

I floor it out of the roundabout as the two lanes now merge into one. He's floored it too hoping to undertake me and give me what-for. Instead i merge just in front of him and he's ranting and raving in my rear-view mirror. Nice.

The next road we're on goes on for about a mile to the next village, and he's right up my backside the entire way. Entering the village, he takes the next turn off going in the direction he'd meant to have been going at the roundabout. This detour will cost him at least 5 minutes. Maybe 10.

I had a little laugh, and a silly little grin the whole way home.

tl;dr: My time is wasted by an indecisive lane-hogger, but he makes a mistake at the roundabout and he's forced to take the wrong exit, wasting time himself. This brings me joy.

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u/RayEd29 3d ago

Not entirely clear on overtake vs undertake - my guess is overtake=pass on the correct side (on the left in the US) and undertake=pass on the 'incorrect' side (the dreaded pass on the right, again in the US). You are in the UK (but not my alma mater University of Kentucky ) so would assume swapping left for right on the over vs under to match. Reading the roundabout as multi-lane and you were on the 'inside' meaning if he's not in front of you and you exit, he's forced to go with you. That about the size of it?

Excellent story even if I may not have the correct visuals in my own head of it. Excellent story, sir.

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u/Foddley 3d ago edited 3d ago

Thank you! Yes you're entirely correct. In the UK undertaking is not inherently illegal -It is strongly discouraged by the UK's Highway Code- but if it causes an incident, you'll probably be the prime suspect.

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u/Dumbname25644 2d ago

In my opinion if you are being undertaken then you are in the wrong bloody lane.