How to Pass Another Vehicle and Overtake Safely

Passing another vehicle and overtaking is a high-risk manoeuvre. Learn how to do it safely. Watch the video. SUBSCRIBE TODAY! ► http://youtube.com/c/smartdrivetest

Passing on a two-lane highway with opposing lanes of traffic is a high-risk manoeuvre. If you misjudge and overtake incorrectly you could be involved in a head-on collision. Head-on crashes are often fatal. Due to the combined speeds of the vehicles, vehicle occupants rarely survive a head-on crash.

And because head-on collisions often occur in rural areas, it takes a significant amount of time for emergency crews to arrive at the scene, extricate you from the wreckage, and transport injured people to the hospital. Trauma victims must be treated within an hour of incurring their injuries, otherwise their chances of survival are low.

Two road engineering features that have been implemented in the last quarter of a century have significantly reduced the number of head-on crashes:

1) paved shoulders on highways;
2) passing lanes at regular intervals.

Shoulder drop off was one of the most significant factors that caused head-on accidents. Inexperienced drivers would drop the vehicle off the shoulder of the pavement, panic, and yank the steering wheel back onto the roadways. The vehicle would shoot back onto the roadway, careen into the opposing lane of traffic and there would be a head-on crash.

With the paving of the shoulders of roadways in combination with rumble strips, head-on crashes have been significantly reduced. Another contributing factor is GPS and cell phones. Due to improved communications, emergency crews can more quickly transport car crash victims to hospitals.

The other contributing road engineering feature that has reduced head-on collisions is passing lanes at regular intervals - not more than 10-30 miles between passing lanes. Passing lanes allow traffic to overtake safely without entering the opposing lanes of traffic.

In the video above, the truck that passed risked a dangerous manoeuvre for little gain. After 30 minutes of driving the truck didn't gain a whole lot of distance. And in the 47 kilometres that we travelled south along highway #97, there were 4 passing lanes; therefore, we were never more than 10 minutes from a passing lane at any given time. And the traffic flow that day was 110kph (68mph), allowing for an average speed of 100kph (62mph).

Driving farther in a day for a commercial driver is not about attaining higher rates of speed, but attaining a higher daily average speed. In other words, a constant speed for the duration of the day will get you more overall distance at the end of the day.

Finally, for commercial drivers, you need to remember that you are setting an example, and risking a head-on crash when you're only 8 minutes from a passing lane is not prudent.

Good luck on your road test!
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Видео How to Pass Another Vehicle and Overtake Safely канала Smart Drive Test