JNugent Overtaking therefore need not involve a change of lane, as the sentence would otherwise read: "Do not overtake on the left". On your definition, "Do not overtake on the left or move to a lane on your left to overtake" would be a tautology.
It's a simple fact that the HC is sloppily written, which is why it does require a modicum of common sense to be used when reading it. The fact that it specifically tells drivers to return to the LH lane:
117: On a three-lane dual carriageway, you may use the middle lane or the right-hand lane to overtake but return to the middle and then the left-hand lane when it is safe.
coupled with this:
234: When you can see well ahead and the road conditions are good, you should drive at a steady cruising speed which you and your vehicle can handle safely and is within the speed limit.
and this:
242:....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 pbutting traffic in the lane to your right...
ought to be enough to tell us that such correct driving is *not* that which the HC seeks to discourage, whether or not it will be retrospectively called 'overtaking'.
I suggest that if anyone is still unsure of what to do when they are travelling in the LH lane and approaching slower or stationary traffic in the RH lane, should ask themselves whether the HC intended for them to stop or not.
-- Rob
