Overtaking

Overtaking is something that road users do frequently. It is perfectly fine to overtake as long as it is done safely.

There are many situations when which drivers choose to overtake. It could be when a bus has pulled up and may be there for a while, obstruction in the left lane, when vehicles in your lane are travelling at a speed far below the legal limit when it safe to do the current speed limit.

Whatever the reason to overtake you should always ask yourself these questions before you begin to overtake and that is...

Is it safe? Is it safe to overtake the vehicle in front of you? Is there an oncoming vehicle that you may affect by overtaking? Are there any side roads that you haven’t spotted?

Is it legal? Will you be breaking the speed limit if you overtake? Will you be able to give the vehicle you wish to overtake sufficient room when overtaking?

Is it necessary? Do you really need to overtake the vehicle in front of you? Will you or the vehicle in front turn off soon?

These are very important questions you need to ask yourself before you consider overtaking. Overtaking is one of the most dangerous actions you will perform as a driver and you will need to get it right in order to stay safe and not affect other road users.

When you have selected a moment to overtake and you are sure that it is safe then you will need to firstly check the relevant mirrors. So in this case it would be the interior mirror to see the speed and position of the vehicle behind you and then you will need to check the right door mirror to ensure that there is no one on your right side or trying to overtake you.

Once you’ve checked your mirrors and ensured it’s clear you can then signal right (if necessary) and then start to overtake safely. Make sure that you give the vehicle that you are passing plenty of space and when it’s safe you can move back into the left position. Before you do decide to move back to the left position you will also need to check the relevant mirrors. Start by checking the interior mirror to see the speed and position of the vehicles behind you and you will need to check the left door mirror to ensure that you have successfully passed the vehicle you were overtaking and when its safe, you can then move back into your position signalling if necessary.