Identifying Appropriate Overtaking Opportunities

Overtaking on a single carriageway public road is potentially the most dangerous manoeuvre you can make as a driver, and it is therefore something that requires careful preparation and planning. Also, when reading this series of four chapters devoted to overtaking, it should always be remembered there is no rule or law that says you have to overtake. It is a voluntary action, and it needs to be properly risk assessed.

Factors to be considered when planning to overtake another moving vehicle will be many. The condition of the road surface is important, as a broken, damaged or a contaminated road surface can easily wrong foot a vehicle and driver and cause a crash. Potholes are particularly dangerous, as these the potential to damage your tyres, wheels or suspension, and disturb the stability of the car, as well as cause the deterioration of tyre grip.

Standing water is another big issue, as to hit a deep puddle during an overtake, or at any time come to that, may cause a serious vehicle stability⁄control problem.

Risk assessing a potential overtake situation
has to cover all eventualities.

What is the visibility like (weather conditions or otherwise), for example? Fog, mist, drizzle, spray, falling snow, sleet, low sunlight – these are all factors to think about. Third Party Perception is another good one, not that it will cause you to crash in itself, but if the person who you are overtaking perceives it is inappropriate to perform such a manoeuvre, then it probably is inappropriate. Ask yourself what that individual will tell a court of law after what you are doing all goes horribly wrong?

The Law Doesn’t Excuse Speeding When Overtaking

Will you exceed the speed limit whilst you are overtaking? Yes, it is annoying to follow another car at 55mph in a 60mph speed limit, but there are no exemptions in law to say you can exceed the speed limit to overtake, even if you do slow again immediately after. If you meet with these circumstances there are ways in which you can pass, and these tactics will be discussed in chapter–4.

Are you about to enter a speed limit that is lower than the speed of the vehicle you wish to pass? Use your forward observation here, and use your common sense. You do not want to be blasting into a 30–zone at 60mph as a result of a miss–timed overtake, as that will make you look a real idiot.

What Are The Road Markings Telling You?

What are the road markings telling you? Double solid white lines, or double white lines with a solid line next to you, are a strict NO when it comes to overtaking, unless the vehicle ahead is travelling at 10mph or less. Even if you start the manoeuvre before the lines begin, it doesn’t excuse you to contravene them, because of an overtake that puts you on the wrong side of them, or if you cross them.

Stay off the white painted cross–hatchings at junctions as well. These are the shaded areas in the road (see above) that are typically found as a prelude to a right–turn lane. If the shaded area has a solid line marking its borders, this is to be regarded the same as a centre solid double white line system, which means you are prohibited from crossing them.

Watch out for those on motorway slip roads too, as these shaded areas that separate slip roads from the main carriageway can earn you licence penalty points if you are caught driving over them.

The above photograph, which is actually a still picture from some video footage we were shooting from within the car, you will see the box lorry driver obviously didn’t like the idea of following us at the approach to the 90–degree left–hand bend, and thought he would chance his arm at the overtake on double white lines.

He actually got away with this, but look up ahead. There is a farm tractor waiting to pull out of the lane that joins our road at the bend, and the bend is blind. This is an occasion that could easily all have gone so horribly wrong.

Sometimes you will find two parallel broken white lines along the road centre, and with diagonal lines shading the area between them. These are lane separator markings and are commonly used on wide single carriageway roads to discourage drivers from making an imaginary middle lane for the purpose of overtaking.

As long as these shaded areas have broken white lines around their borders it is not an offence to drive over them. However, if that action is deemed to be inappropriate, such as overtaking whilst passing the mouth of a junction, then driving within the shaded area could be considered as Careless or Inconsiderate driving, for which you can be prosecuted.

Overtaking Through Junctions is Suicide

Some other factors to consider when assessing an overtaking opportunity are the presence of junctions within the proposed overtaking area. We don’t just mean road junction either, as domestic driveways, access points to other premises can be just as dangerous. Overtaking at, or close to, a junction of any kind is always going to be fraught with danger, and even overtaking a vehicle that is turning left ahead of you is to be regarded as inappropriate.

When following another vehicle, and you see its left hand indicator comes on, drop back and let it run clear, because until it has made the turn and cleared your path, you have not a clue what that driver is really going to do.

Never assumed anything, as people have a great capacity to do soemthing completely off the wall and when you least expect it. Drivers will sometimes use a junction mouth to assist in doing a ‘U’ turn, and that is not something you want to get in the way of.

Watch out of drivers emerging from junctions too. If you have ever watched vehicles pulling out from lay–bys, entrances and driveways, especially when they are making a left turn, how many people look towards their left before they do pull out? When and if they do, 9 times out of 10, it will be after they have committed themselves to emerging onto the carriageway. Kids, dogs, cyclists, other vehicles — they all have the potential to become the ingedients to a disaster.

Learn as Much as You Can About The Vehicle You Wish to Overtake

Consider what is the type of vehicle is it that you are about to overtake? Are you behind a just a truck, or is it actually the trailer being towed by a truck, and really double the length you thought? Could it be two trucks travelling close together, or a truck concealing a car or two travelling ahead? Is that car you are following just an ordinary motorist, or a car full of yobs, or even a stolen vehicle?

Even though your car may be considerably more powerful than the one you wish to overtake, it does not preclude that driver from wanting to make life difficult for you, or even trying to have a race with you. If you overtake a more powerful car to that of your own, will that driver take offence and try to pass you back – just to score the point back again. Oh yes, it happens.

What sort of reaction are you likely to get from the driver of the vehicle ahead when you begin to overtake? What is the manner in which that vehicle is being driven, i.e. steady course & speed, erratic movements etc?

Is the driver elderly, driving steadily within his or her lane? If it is towing a trailer, is it swaying about on the road, or is something likely to fall from it? Is the driver of the vehicle ahead actually paying attention, perhaps on the phone, searching for a junction, or other entrance to turn into? Never trust anyone.

Can you reasonably expect to complete the overtaking manoeuvre and regain your own side of the road within the distance you can see to be clear ahead? This basically asks the question as to whether you have enough road in sight to be able to complete the overtake. It may be clear when you pull out, but will it remain so for the duration of the whole manoeuvre?

Consider What You Can’t See as Much as What You Can

Could another vehicle, as yet unseen, approach from the opposite direction, and if it does, are you likely to cause that driver to alter course or speed? Again, whilst the road ahead may be clear when you start the process of overtaking, are you prepared for an opposing vehicle travelling at the same speed as yourself and suddenly coming into view?

If it happens, it will mean the distance you thought you had available is now actually closing down at double the rate. If that is the case you will half the amount of time available to get back to your side of the road.

Even to cause another driver to alter course or speed can be enough to prove an offence of Careless Driving, and besides which, it will do nothing to enhance your level of popularity with those who witness your shortcomings. If you are involved in a head–collision, whatever the speed you are travelling at the time, this will be added to the speed of the oncoming vehicle at impact, but then you already know that, don’t you?

Is The Overtake Really Necessary Anyway?

If you are shortly to turn off at a junction, you are approaching a roundabout, traffic signals, or you can see there is a long line of traffic ahead, is there any point in trying to get passed the vehicle you are following? That being the case, if you are not going to overtake then don’t make it look like you are trying to.

If there is nothing to be gained by passing the car ahead then why bother? Don’t try and push the car ahead, as that will be extremely bad for your image and probably cause that driver to drive more slowly?

Many more examples could be listed here, as if there are not enough already, as to what to look out for when risk assessing a potential overtake. However, if you do wish to overtake another vehicle, and after considering all the factors, there is an opportunity, then at least the decision to do so will have been based upon good sound reasoning and a balanced risk assessment.

Julian Smith
Ride Drive Limited

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Part–1 Identifying Overtaking Opportunities
Part–2 Planning & Preparation to Overtake
Part–3 Overtaking Another Moving Vehicle
Part–4 Creative Overtaking Opportunities

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This page was last updated
Thursday, 27-Jan-2011

Identifying Appropriate Overtaking Opportunities