Overtaking is one of the most dangerous maneuvers on the road. The driver needs experience to perform it competently. But first of all, he must know when overtaking is allowed by the rules, and when not. What should be the markings on the road for this? What signs prohibit overtaking? What are the necessary conditions for the safe execution of this maneuver?
Instructions
Step 1
It is necessary to distinguish between overtaking and advancing. Even experienced drivers confuse these two concepts. When overtaking, you not only get ahead of another passing car, but also drive into the oncoming lane for this. When you go into the left lane and pick up speed to get ahead of the car on your right, you are not overtaking in the true sense of the word. You are only doing a lane change ahead of time. It is necessary to distinguish between these two maneuvers (overtaking and advancing), since the signs prohibiting you to overtake allow you to get ahead of other vehicles.
Step 2
First of all, when intending to overtake, you should pay attention to the markings. Single or double solid markings between oncoming traffic streams prohibit you from overtaking. But if the line is broken or completely absent, you can safely make this maneuver.
Step 3
You can overtake other cars only if you are driving on a two-lane road, that is, with one lane for each direction of travel. It is strictly forbidden to drive into the oncoming lane for overtaking from the second row, even if there is no continuous marking on the road. This is a fairly common violation of the rules that modern motorists make.
Step 4
You may not overtake other cars if there is a no overtaking sign (3.20) on the side of the road. It doesn't matter to you if you are going to overtake a motorcycle without a sidecar, horse cart or moped. You can overtake the listed vehicles even if there is a prohibiting sign. But first, you must pay attention to the road markings. The presence of such in the form of a double or single solid line prohibits you from any overtaking. But if it is intermittent, then you can safely overtake a motorcycle or carriage, even if there is a prohibiting sign.
Step 5
If you drive a truck with a mass of more than 3.5 tons, then you may be given another overtaking prohibition using sign 3, 22. It prohibits you from overtaking. Passenger car drivers may not look at this sign, it does not apply to them. Both signs prohibiting overtaking are valid until the nearest intersection or up to a sign canceling this prohibition.
Step 6
And so: you saw that the markings and signs allow overtaking. Your next action is to assess if there are oncoming cars on the road and how far away they are from you. You can overtake if the oncoming lane is clear at such a distance that you can get ahead of the car in front and return to your lane without interfering with anyone. You should consider not only the distance itself, but also consider the capabilities of your vehicle and the permitted maximum speed on a given section of road. A powerful car will take much less time to overtake than, for example, a heavy diesel minibus. Therefore, the distance to oncoming cars, which is sufficient for overtaking, will be completely different for these cars.
Step 7
Before you start overtaking, you should definitely assess the visibility of the road ahead of you. If you are approaching the top of the mountain, do not drive into the oncoming lane. In this situation, you simply will not see the car coming towards you in time. Also, you cannot overtake near sharp turns for the same reason.
Step 8
There are a few other restrictions that prevent you from overtaking. If you see in the mirrors that you are already being overtaken, you cannot start overtaking. Moreover, the beginning of overtaking is the inclusion of the left turn signal. So if the turn signal is already flashing on the car behind you, then that driver has already started overtaking you. Accordingly, you must not interfere with it. The rules instruct you not only not to interfere, but also to move at a constant or lower speed in this case. The same restriction on overtaking is valid for you if the driver in front of you has turned on the left turn signal. You are forbidden by the rules to overtake a car that is already making this maneuver. Even if the driver in front of you does not overtake, but only goes around the obstacle, you cannot overtake him either.
Step 9
As for overtaking at intersections, you can overtake if there are no traffic lights. But in this case, you should only move along the main road. Even if there is no traffic light, you are prohibited from overtaking anyone when driving on a secondary or equivalent road. If the intersection is equipped with a traffic light, under no circumstances should you overtake.
Step 10
At the moment (2014), the rules do not prohibit overtaking at pedestrian crossings if there are no people on it. Of course, if pedestrians are moving along the crossing, you must let them pass, then there can be no question of any overtaking. But be careful: the traffic police discussed possible changes regarding this item, so you should follow the traffic rules updates. In each new edition of the rules, there may be changes in the relative overtaking. Anyone, even the most experienced driver, needs to periodically refresh their knowledge of the rules and monitor changes in them.
