Overtaking vehicles (moving and stationary)

[foxtrot_mike]

What is the correct procedure when overtaking vehicles, ie parked or stationary

For example cars parked on a street and you need to cross into the other lane.

I have always felt that it is important to keep on your side of the road until the last minute (drive on the left) but It appears from D1 training i am doing that it is important to pull out early.

Particularly if you need to maximise your vision and theirs a bend in the road.
And you can pull in again quickly if something comes.

If you do need to pull in, what sort of distance should you leave before the parked car in front (tire and tarmac?)

[ROG]

Pull out as early as possible providing it is safe to do so but leave enough space and time to pull back in

This goes for AD and LGV driving

[GJD]

I have always felt that it is important to keep on your side of the road until the last minute (drive on the left) but It appears from D1 training i am doing that it is important to pull out early. Particularly if you need to maximise your vision and theirs a bend in the road.

There are safety considerations with crossing the white line - for example, will you confuse vehicles behind you, could they move up your inside and block your route back to the left, are there entrances or side roads on the right that someone could emerge from - but if it's safe to do so, positioning out to the right early will generally give you earlier sight of oncoming traffic, give oncoming traffic earlier sight of you, and give you much better vision of the road ahead to help you decide whether it's safe to commit to overtaking/passing. And it's not a problem as long as you can always get back to your side of the road if you need to.

It might feel uncomfortable or strange if you're not used to it, but it sounds like you've got your instructor to help you get used to it. Hopefully you'll start to see the benefits - better vision, smother progress - quickly.

And you can pull in again quickly if something comes.

If you've moved out earlier, you should see anyone coming the other way earlier too so you'll have plenty of time to pull back in comfortably.

If you do need to pull in, what sort of distance should you leave before the parked car in front (tire and tarmac?)

You want to still have a good view of the road ahead so that when the oncoming vehicle has passed, you can see whether it's clear for you to pull out again. And you don't want to give yourself a tight manoeuvre to get back out when it is clear. So probably a little further back than the "tyres and tarmac" distance you might go for in a queue of traffic - perhaps up to a car length. But also, on all but the narrowest of roads you've probably got room to position further out to the right than the parked car but still within your lane, to give yourself better vision ahead, without getting in the way of the oncoming traffic.

Gavin

[7db]

I usually reckon on pulling out as soon as I think that's the next place I need to be. If the world changes, I'll change my position accordingly.

Positioning boldly allows you to seek cooperation from oncomers and gives you information if you need to seek refuge instead.

[GJD]

I usually reckon on pulling out as soon as I think that's the next place I need to be.

I think that's probably what I do (or try to remember to do) as well. Thinking parked vehicle or other fixed hazards, the latest point I'd want to move out would be the point where staying in my lane would mean I'd start to lose vision beyond the parked vehicle because it obstructed my view. But I might well move out earlier than that.

Gavin

[zadocbrown]

If you do need to pull in, what sort of distance should you leave before the parked car in front (tire and tarmac?)

Usually much more. The closer you get the less you can see and the more steering you have to do.

[MrToad]

Positioning boldly allows you to seek cooperation from oncomers...

Ooh - that's going in my book of useful quotes.

[7db]

It also allows you to smack into things -- just pop that in there as well.

[Smiling Assassin]

LGV drivers often have a height advantage when it comes to forward observation in this type of scenario, but a probable disadvantage when it comes to the size of the vehicle and their ability to tuck back in if something comes the other way during the transit of the obstruction. They then have to rely on the cooperation and good sense of any oncoming traffic to let them through before they start removing wing mirrors from the parked vehicles (or worse)!

Over the years I've been involved more than few times in this sort of scenario and it amazes me sometimes just how dumb some drivers can be when confronted with an LGV blocking "their" road. One particularly beligerant car driver seemed to think that I could reverse back past the line of parked cars and quite effectively closed the road, despite the fact that I had a queue of traffic behind me and he had none. Other than using the truck as bulldozer (not recommended) there was little I could do - just switched the engine off, locked the doors, grabbed a book out of my bag and sat back to read a few pages until the Police turned up. Amusing in retrospect but damned frustrating at the time.

[TiJay]

You, sir, have balls of steel Well done!

[Smiling Assassin]

You, sir, have balls of steel Well done!

When a 2-tonne car meets a 30-tonne truck who is most likely to win a stand-off - especially when the truck can go neither forwards nor backwards? So it wasn't so much "balls of steel" as no other realistic option!