You’re Travelling Along A Motorway. When Are You Allowed To Overtake On The Left on a Motorway?
In typical driving conditions, you should overtake on the right. However, overtaking on the left is acceptable when traffic is moving slowly in queues, and vehicles to your right are traveling more slowly than those in your lane.
When cruising down the motorway, understanding the overtaking rules is important. It helps in safe and efficient travel. While there are particular scenarios where overtaking on the left is not only allowed but necessary!
One example of this would be when you are stuck in slow-moving traffic lines. And the cars on your right are going much slower than you are. To maintain a steady flow, overtaking on the left in this scenario becomes more than just an option. Principles of efficiency and traffic flow optimization.
It is normal for lanes to become bottlenecked with some lanes moving more quickly than others. Especially, when traffic is heavy and moving slowly! Cars can pass slower-moving traffic and maintain the flow of traffic by overtaking on the road. Even in crowded situations, it’s important to drive cautiously when passing on the left.
When changing lanes always indicate your intention! Look out for oncoming cars in your blind spots and mirrors. Moreover, keep a safe following distance. From the car in front of you to accommodate emergency braking and lane changes! On top of that you should only overtake on the left when it is absolutely required. That doesn’t give you carte blanche to swerve arbitrarily in and out of lanes. Instead, decide when it is safest and most sensible to overtake on the left. You can do this by using your discretion and judgment.
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