Overtaking
Only overtake if it is safe for you and other road users. Be particularly careful of features that may hinder your view of the road ahead, such as hills, dips, bends, bridges, pedestrian crossings or roads narrowing. Pay attention to the rules on road signs or markings (continuous, broken, single, double white lines) covered in Section 6.
How to overtake safely
Make sure the road ahead is clear so you have enough distance to overtake and get back to your own side of the road without forcing any other road user to move to avoid you.
Never directly follow another overtaking vehicle.
Give way to faster traffic already overtaking from behind.
Before overtaking check that the way is clear, check in your mirror and check your blind spots to ensure another vehicle is not approaching from behind. Give your signal in good time, move out when it is safe to do so, accelerate and overtake with the minimum of delay.
When you are well past, check the mirror, signal and gradually move in again making sure not to cut across the vehicle you have passed.
Take extra care when overtaking a vehicle displaying a ‘LONG VEHICLE’
sign. This means that the vehicle is at least 13 metres long and you will need extra road length to pass it and safely return to the left-hand side of the road.
You must not break the speed limit, even when overtaking.