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Overtaking ... Over and out?

Overtaking might not be the most common cause of road accidents, but overtaking accidents are certainly amongst the most serious.

It’s quite possible that your driving instructor didn't teach you how to overtake safely, in which case this article will raise your awareness of overtaking risks and how they can be minimised.

If you are a driving instructor, you might find the ideas form a useful starting point for your overtaking lessons (lots more instruction advice/tips in the members area)

Researchers at Nottingham University determined the following statistics when studying police records of overtaking accidents.

  • 35% hit a vehicle turning right as the overtaking vehicle was attempting to pass
  • 16% hit a vehicle traveling in the opposite direction
  • 10% side swiped the vehicle being overtaken
  • 8% lost control during whilst overtaking or returning to the nearside lane
  • 6% hit a vehicle that was turning or crossing at a junction
  • 14% involved ‘undertaking’ (passing on the left)
  • 5% resulted from evasive action taken by a driver when attempting to avoid someone else’s risky overtaking manoeuvre

The statistics certainly show that there is a lot of room for improvement, but what improvements can be made, and how?

Information about overtaking in this section is indexed below. Click on the topic that you want to learn more about or use the navigation arrow at the bottom of the page to browse the section sequentially

Preventing overtaking accidents
The overtaking plan

Read more about overtaking in Better Driving Online ...

 
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