Are You Sure You Know How to Safely Overtake?

Safe overtaking is perhaps one of the most important factors in making sure that, while driving, we stay safe. Unfortunately, for many reasons that we will mention below, many drivers ignore or overlook the basic rules of safe overtaking.

In many cases, this results in serious accidents, possibly even fatal ones ( Find out here about Greece's position in fatalities in the EU for the year 2019).)
The way we drive reveals a lot, and one of them is how much we respect ourselves and the lives of others. Therefore, every time we drive and want to overtake a car, we should keep in mind and faithfully apply all the rules, in order to be sure that the outcome will not be bad.

In today's article we will explore the reasons why most drivers do not apply the rules of safe overtaking, what are the conditions to overtake someone, as well as the cases in which it is forbidden to overtake.

As mentioned above, there are several reasons that most drivers do not apply the basic rules of safe overtaking. One of them is haste, as many drivers are in a hurry to reach their destination and overlook the driving rules that will keep them safe.

A second very important reason is the superficiality, which is also responsible for a large proportion of the accidents that occur on the roads every day. Some drivers behave frivolously when driving, and this is extremely dangerous as it can cost human lives. Also, some drivers have inexperience, and this is also one of the main reasons that some do not follow the rules of safe overtaking.

Finally, one of the main reasons why the rules of safe overtaking are not followed by all drivers is that they overestimate their capabilities.
This is perhaps the most common factor in violations, as many drivers feel that, due to years of experience, they can predict everything.
And this, of course, is extremely dangerous both for themselves and for those around them.
If we add to this the consumption of alcohol ( Learn now 5 Truths about drinking alcohol that will make you think again before you drive ) then we have an explosive mixture on the roadway.

In any case, whatever the reasons why some drivers do not adhere to the basic rules laid down regarding safe overtaking, we should all be very careful and know exactly the right ways and conditions in order to overtake another vehicle.

But what are they?

First of all, we should mention that making a safe overtaking is not only a matter of experience, but also of knowledge. Every time we go to overtake a vehicle, we should keep in mind and apply the following rules.

• We check that there is NO relevant signal on the road that prohibits overtaking.
• We make sure there is a dotted dividing line between the lanes. The dotted dividing line signals that at this point of the road another vehicle is allowed to overtake. On the contrary, if there is a continuous line between the two lanes, then overtaking is not allowed for any reason and under any circumstances.
• We check that there is a lot of visibility for a large part of the road at the point where we will attempt the overtaking.

• We check that they do not follow turns after the point where we will attempt the overtaking.

• We make sure that there is no other vehicle that seeks to overtake our own vehicle the moment we start overtaking.
• We make sure that there is no other vehicle that seeks to overtake the vehicle we want to overtake ourselves.
• We timely signal with the turn signals that we are preparing to overtake the other vehicle and use the lights to alert the driver, even if it is a day.
• We remember that overtaking is ALWAYS and ONLY from the left.
• We keep the overtaking time as soon as possible. We can achieve this with strong acceleration, which we achieve with a shorter gear ratio in the gearbox. Many times, depending on the speed of the car, we need to lower at least one gear to our box in order to increase the engine speed and achieve more torque, in order to have the best results and achieve a better and faster overtaking.
• We always keep the right distance from the vehicle we want to overtake, being careful not to be either too close or too far from it.
• After the overtaking is successfully overtake, we need to use the right turn signal in order to alert the overtaking vehicle that we are returning to our lane again.

These are the basic rules that we must ALWAYS adhere to in order to make sure that we have made a safe overtaking.

However, there are also some cases in which it is forbidden to overtake another vehicle, and it is very important to know them in order to drive safely.

The cases, therefore, when it is forbidden to overtake another vehicle are the following:

1) At intersections.

2) At roundabouts.

3) At railway crossings.

4) At pedestrian crossings.

5) Within residential areas.

6) When we are behind a bus, especially if it is a school bus, inside or outside a residential area.

7) When the vehicle behind us started overtaking us.

8) When the vehicle in front of us began to overtake its vehicle in front.

9) Where the marking prohibits it.

10) When there is a continuous dividing line between the lanes, and not a dotted one.

In conclusion, it is very important, first of all, to be aware of all the conditions in order to make a safe overtaking. If we follow all the steps mentioned above accurately, then we are most likely to eliminate the chances of car accidents while driving.

It is very important during driving to take care of ourselves and the rest of the drivers. Let us not ignore and let us not overlook the right ways to make a safe overtaking.