Overtaking rules: when are you allowed to pass another vehicle?

Everyone needs to overtake someone at some point when driving, but picking a safe time and place to overtake is the key to minimising the risk.

Can you see far enough ahead?

These scenarios can restrict your view and you should avoid overtaking:

• Blind bends (i.e. you can’t see the exit of the bend)
• Humpback bridge of the brow of a hill where you can’t see beyond the crest
• Fog
• Sunstrike
• It’s a large vehicle and is obscuring your view ahead
• Spray from other vehicles is obscuring your view

You would break the road rules

These scenarios would contravene traffic laws:

• You have passed a no-overtaking sign
• You have to use a lane you are not permitted to use (e.g. bus, tram or cycle lane) during its hours of operation
• You have to cross double white lines with a solid line on your side of the road
• A vehicle is waiting at a pedestrian crossing
• A vehicle is driving across a pedestrian crossing
• You would have to enter an area designed to divide traffic, if it’s surrounded by a solid white line
• You would have to exceed the speed limit to complete the manoeuvre.

Other road users may be put in danger

Avoid overtaking in these situations:

• Another vehicle is overtaking you
• You’re approaching a junction on either side of the road
• You’re approaching a chicane or narrowing
• There’s not enough room for both of your vehicles on the road
• Where you would have to drive on the verge to get past
• You’re approaching a school crossing patrol
• Where traffic is queuing at a junction, roadworks or crossing
• Where other road users may be forced to swerve, brake or stop to avoid you
• At level crossings
• When following a cyclist about to enter a roundabout if you are turning left
• Where there’s no clearly marked lane to pass when a tram is stopped
• On the left, unless a vehicle is indicating to turn right and is slowing down
• Where you don’t have enough power to get past the vehicle ahead, or you are likely to be unable to maintain your current speed (e.g. you’re driving a heavily laden lorry and approaching a long steep hill)
• A large lorry is indicating left (it may need to move to the right to make the turn)
• Where the vehicle you are overtaking would have to move to the right, for example, to pass stationary vehicles or other road users such as cyclists
• Where the vehicle is being escorted by police
• Where two lanes are merging
• When a lane is closing due to roadworks
• Where you might endanger an animal (e.g. a horse and rider)
• You are following another vehicle past a long vehicle (the vehicle ahead may abort the overtaking manoeuvre if a hazard develops ahead).