Traffic rules
Overtaking Rules
Where it is forbidden
Because traffic keeps left, the overtaking lane is the right-hand side. Overtaking on the left is the wrong answer unless you are in a separate lane that is already moving, such as a filter lane, and you are not squeezing past on the verge.
Do not start the manoeuvre where you cannot see far enough: a bend, the brow of a hill, a dip. Do not start it at a junction, at a pedestrian crossing, or where the centre line is solid. Do not overtake a vehicle that is itself overtaking, or one that has stopped for a pedestrian.
How to do a lawful one
Check the mirror, check the right blind spot, indicate, move out, pass decisively, indicate left, and return to the left lane without cutting in. If the gap is shrinking, drop back. Being alongside another car at a solid line is already the failure.
More pictures are on the overtaking diagrams page.
Free practice question
These are PassDrive practice examples, written so you learn the rule. The VID screen randomises its questions, so the wording on the day will be different.
Practice
A slow car is ahead. The centre line is solid and the road looks empty. May you overtake?
- Yes, if you can finish before anything appears
- Yes, on the left
- No
- Yes, if you hoot for three seconds
Show the answer
C. No. A solid centre line prohibits the overtake. An empty-looking road does not cancel the marking.
Questions people ask
May the car being overtaken speed up?
No. A driver being overtaken should hold a steady line and not accelerate. The test can ask that from either seat.