Watch as driver overtakes more than 20 cars to avoid traffic, branding other motorists stupid – but people are divided
THIS is the moment a driver overtakes 20 other cars, branding other motorists ‘stupid’ – but people are divided.
The man, under the name “Jobber” posted the clip of him gliding past a lengthy jam to TikTok.
In the video, he can be seen passing a long queue of vehicles by using the right-hand merging lane, known as merging in turn.
Jobber said: “I wonder if the NPC drivers who fill the left-hand lane at a merging lane realise that if they were driving properly, those who take advantage of their stupidity wouldn’t be able to pass any cars.”
NPC stands for non-playable character and refers to computer-controlled people in video games.
He continued: “[That’s] because both lanes would have an equal number of traffic if they were driving properly.
“Just a reminder this is about keeping junctions and roundabouts behind unblocked
“This very extra lane was added purely to keep a major junction behind unblocked and it works.”
Jobber then hit out at potential critics, saying: “No, you silly dingbats, you don’t have to stop to let cars in.”
Instead, he claimed that you can thread the throttle and create a gap in front of your car, allowing you to merge seamlessly.
He was backed up by a number of social media users in the comments.
One wrote: “See this all the time. Traffic would flow better if everyone used the lanes correctly.”
Another pleaded: “Why do so many drivers get angry and block us users who use the road correctly?”
However, not everyone was on board.
One person chimed in: “This confuses me. I’ve literally just done my theory test and it states that you should merge in good time, not wait until the last minute.”
A second added: “NPC? We’re not all driving in a rush like you.
“I like to sit in traffic & enjoy the journey & scenery.”
But who was in the right?
Well rule 134 of the Highway Code states: “You should follow the signs and road markings and get into the lane as directed.
“In congested road conditions do not change lanes unnecessarily.
“Merging in turn is recommended but only if safe and appropriate when vehicles are travelling at a very low speed, e.g. when approaching road works or a road traffic incident. It is not recommended at high speed.”
This suggests that Jobber has the right idea as, since the queue of traffic is moving slowly, he is well within his rights to merge as he did.
Indeed, the AA recommends the practice, saying: “Where traffic is queuing and moving slowly you should use all available road space in both lanes with drivers at the front of the queues taking it in turns to ‘merge in turn’.
“This can help reduce the overall length of the queue significantly and minimises the risk of disruption at junctions further back up the road.
“Next time you find yourself in slow-moving traffic approaching road works or an incident that’s blocking one lane, try to resist your deep-seated urge to queue early, use all available lanes and merge in turn when you reach the lane closure.”