Overtaking. How to do it safely?

When overtaking the most important thing is not a fast and powerful car. This maneuver requires reflexes, common sense and, above all, imagination.

Overtaking is the most dangerous maneuver for drivers on the road. There are a few rules that you must follow in order to complete it safely.

This is important to know before overtaking

Obviously, overtaking is especially dangerous on a single carriageway, especially when it is busy, as in most countries in Poland. Therefore, before you turn on the left turn signal on such a highway and start swallowing more trucks, tractors and other obstacles, you need to be sure that overtaking is allowed in this place. We also need to know how many cars we want to overtake, and assess whether this is possible, given how many straight roads we have in front of us and how fast the overtaken cars are moving. We also need to check if we have good visibility.

“These are key questions,” explains Jan Nowacki, a driving instructor from Opole. – The most common mistake drivers make is that the distance between them and the car they are overtaking is too small. If we get too close to the car we want to overtake, we limit our field of view to a minimum. Then we won't be able to see the vehicle coming from the opposite side. If the driver in front of us brakes sharply, we will crash into his rear.

Therefore, before overtaking, keep more distance from the vehicle in front, and then try to lean into the oncoming lane to make sure that nothing is moving with it, or there are no other obstacles, such as roadworks. Maintaining a greater distance is also important to allow the vehicle to accelerate before it enters the lane from the opposite direction. When driving on a bumper, this is not possible - the duration of the maneuver is significantly lengthened.

“Of course, before we start overtaking, we have to look in the side mirror and the rear-view mirror and make sure that we are not being overtaken,” recalls Junior Inspector Jacek Zamorowski, head of the traffic department of the Voivodeship Police Department in Opole. – Remember that if the driver behind us already has a turn signal, we must let us through. The same applies to the vehicle we want to overtake. If his left turn signal is on, we must give up the overtaking maneuver.

Before overtaking:

- Make sure you are not being overtaken.

– Make sure you have sufficient visibility and enough room to overtake without interfering with other drivers. Please be aware that forcing drivers to pull onto paved roads is illegal and violent behavior. This is called overtaking in third - it can lead to a serious accident.

– Make sure that the driver of the vehicle you want to overtake is not signaling an intention to overtake, turn or change lanes.

Safe overtaking

– Before overtaking, shift to a lower gear, turn on the turn signal, make sure that you can overtake again (mind the mirrors) and then start the maneuver.

• – The overtaking maneuver should be as short as possible.

  - Let's decide. If we have already started overtaking, let's finish this maneuver. If there are no new circumstances preventing its execution, for example, another vehicle, pedestrian or cyclist has appeared on the oncoming road.

  - When overtaking, do not look at the speedometer. We focus all our attention on observing what is happening in front of us.

  – Do not forget to go around the car you are overtaking at such a distance that it will not be hijacked.

  - If we have already overtaken someone who is slower than us, remember not to leave your lane too early, otherwise we will fall into the path of the driver we just overtook.

• - If you are driving back into our lane, sign the right turn signal.

  – Remember that we will be safest only after returning to our lane.

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Rules of the road - overtaking is prohibited here

According to the traffic rules, it is forbidden to overtake a car in the following situations: 

- When approaching the top of the hill. 

– At an intersection (except for roundabouts and route intersections).

– At curves marked with warning signs.  

However, all vehicles are prohibited from overtaking: 

– At and in front of pedestrian and bicycle crossings. 

– At railway and tram crossings and in front of them.

(There are some exceptions to these rules.)

When do we overtake on the left and right?

The general rule is that we overtake other road users on their left unless:

We are overtaking a vehicle on a one-way road with marked lanes.

– We are passing through a built-up area on a dual carriageway with at least two lanes in one direction.

We are driving in an undeveloped area on a dual carriageway with at least three lanes in one direction.

– You can overtake on highways and expressways on both sides. But it is safer to overtake on the left. It is worth remembering to return to the right lane after overtaking.

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When you were overtaken

Sometimes even the biggest riders are sometimes overtaken by other road users. In this case, it is worth remembering the main rule. “The first commandment is that under no circumstances should a driver who is being overtaken speed up,” says Junior Inspector Jacek Zamorowski. “Well, it's even better to take your foot off the gas to make this maneuver easier for the person in front of us.

After dark, you can light the road with a traffic light for the driver who overtakes us. Of course, not forgetting to change them to low beam when we are overtaken. A driver moving over in a slower vehicle must also switch their high beams to low beams so as not to dazzle their predecessor.