The overtaking plan

The overtaking plan has three main elements ...

	Choosing a safe location
	Considering other drivers
	Controlling the vehicle safely

Choosing a safe location

Before starting any overtaking manoeuvre, consider the safety and legality of the location. Can you see clearly ahead?

Are there any junctions to the left or right from
which vehicles may emerge?
Are there any gateways?
How wide are the footpaths?

You are looking for anything that might make your manoeuvre unsafe. The obvious things are road features, markings and signs. Bends, hill crests, solid white lines, hatched areas, ‘No Overtaking’ signs, pedestrian crossings, etc.

Defensive drivers will also be considering other information. A ‘cattle’ warning sign, for example, might draw your attention to a greasy road surface which could cause danger when overtaking; skid marks might indicate a concealed entrance.

You should also aim to find a location that will minimise time spent on the wrong side of the road. With this in mind you could consider overtaking immediately after a junction or bend where the target vehicle’s speed is slowest. If you do this, care must be taken not to surprise or upset the driver you are overtaking (see ‘the two P’s’ below).

Considering other drivers

To reduce the risk of giving approaching drivers a heart-attack (fear!), you must be able to judge the speed of the ‘closing-gap’ accurately.

If two vehicles approaching each other at 45 mph and 55 mph respectively, the gap between them will be closing at approximately 48 metres per second.

(Pace out 48 metres to see how long it is ... Then try it with your eyes closed to get a sense of the danger!)

In addition to approaching vehicles, you must also consider the vehicle that you are intending to pass.

Is it being driven erratically?
Will it start to speed up?
Who’s driving?

(Beware of cars with ‘lucky-dice’ dangling from the mirror – they are often driven by gamblers!)

The two P's

I remember an invaluable driving rule that I picked up from a police instructor many years ago – it’s ideal when making the decision to overtake and simply states that you must always remember the two ‘P’s

Is your manoeuvre Practical? Consider whether your manoeuvre is practical (bearing in mind the points outlined in this article).

Is your manoeuvre Political? What will other road users think? Even though your expert knowledge tells you that it’s perfectly safe to overtake, that safety can soon be put in jeopardy by another road user who takes exception to your actions.

Controlling the vehicle safely

In order to overtake safely you need to be quick and stable.

Quick to minimise your ‘time exposed to danger’ on the wrong side of the road
Stable to maintain control, especially if things don’t go to plan

Your ability to be quick will depend to a degree on the vehicle that you are driving. If your car is not powerful enough to overtake using the method outlined below, it’s not safe to overtake. Avoid the temptation to ‘wind up and swoop out’. While this method will work, you are dependant upon the actions of others to maintain your safety margins. If something unforeseen happens you will be left with no escape route.

Keep your vehicle stable by choosing the safe overtaking path shown on the diagram below. (The red line shows the unstable path taken by ‘swoop out’ drivers).

The overtaking plan

the numbers in brackets correspond to the numbers on the diagram above.

Mirrors:
Early repeated mirror checks are required to ensure that the road behind is safe and that you are not being overtaken yourself.

Hangback: If the road appears to be clear ahead of the ‘target’ vehicle, close the gap to your ‘launch point’ selecting the most appropriate gear for brisk acceleration. Ensure that you position to maintain maximum forward vision. Never hold a position that is closer than a one second gap on a good, dry road.

Mirrors/Signals: Make a final check of all mirrors and consider a direction signal to show that you are moving out and/or a flashing headlamp signal to alert the driver ahead to your presence. Also check that the target vehicle, or other vehicles ahead, are not signaling to turn.
Position: Move out with moderate acceleration (1). If the road is still clear increase power to drive through (2).

Mirrors/Position: (2) Ensuring that the ‘target’ car is clearly visible in the nearside mirror, start your gradual straight-line return to the left.

Mirrors:  At (3) the overtaken vehicle should be clearly visible in your centre mirror and you should be pulling away to (4) opening the gap.

Remember, we don’t live in an ideal world; effective journey planning will help to ease frustration and reduce your need to overtake; choose a safe overtaking location; remember ‘the two P’s’; and make sure that you are ‘quick and stable’.