What are the Rules for Overtaking Safely on the Road?

Black car overtaking

Mastering the overtake is critical. From winding country lanes through to busy urban centres, you need to know how to safely overtake a vehicle no matter where you’re driving.

But what are the rules around how to overtake safely on a road? This article outlines what you should know before you overtake a vehicle.

What is overtaking?

If you’re overtaking, you are passing another road user that is travelling slower than you but moving in the same direction. This could be a cyclist or horse, but it may also include buses or taxis pulled over in urban centres.

Overtaking is perfectly legal, provided you do so safely. Obviously, if there are signs or road markings that prohibit overtaking, then you should not do so. A solid white line, and a double white line on your side of the road all indicate that no overtaking is allowed on that stretch of road. The exception is if you are over the double white lines when passing a cyclist who is on your side of the road.

It is also illegal to overtake a vehicle if done in an unsafe or reckless manner. So, for example, if you attempt an overtake when another vehicle is overtaking you, or if you do so in weather with poor visibility, this is illegal.

How to safely overtake a vehicle – six rules to follow

No speeding

According to rule 125 of the Highway Code, the speed limit is the maximum that you should drive on any road. It is therefore illegal to speed when you overtake. You may be subject to a fine of up to £2,500 and six points on your licence if you are caught speeding when overtaking a vehicle.

Consider safety and necessity

Is the road ahead of you free of obstacles like pedestrian crossings? Is there a dip in the road, or a sharp curve that obscures your vision of oncoming vehicles?

Road safety charity Brake reports that over half of the UK’s fatal car crashes occur on country roads. This figure is both explained and exacerbated by overtaking and risky driving behaviour.

You need around 100 metres of space ahead of you after overtaking. If you do not have this space, if there are hazards, or if your vision is obscured, then it is not safe to overtake a vehicle.

Remember that your vehicle weight changes according to the number of passengers and type of luggage carried. If you’re going uphill, your car may also be slower to overtake.

Only overtake on the right

In the UK, we drive on the left. As such, to overtake safely on a road, you should only ever pass to the right of the vehicle that you’re overtaking. Never overtake by passing on the left or attempting to use a hard shoulder. Don’t weave in and out of motorway lanes to overtake, either.

The exception to the rule is overtaking a vehicle that is turning right. You can also overtake vehicles in the lane to your right if you are driving through particularly congested and slow-moving traffic.

Use your mirrors, signal, and check your blind spot

You need to follow proper driving protocol to overtake safely on the road. Use your mirrors to make sure that the road is clear both ahead and behind you. It’s particularly important to check your blind spot. If a hazard appears, do not overtake.

Don’t get too close to the vehicle you plan to overtake. Always signal to indicate that you’re overtaking, and accelerate with confidence and control, without breaking the speed limit.

Leave space once you’ve overtaken

You don’t want to cut up the vehicle you’ve just overtaken. Ensure that you can see the vehicle you’ve overtaken in your central rear-view mirror before pulling across into the correct lane. Otherwise, you risk them having to slam on the brakes, which may cause accidents.

Don’t follow an overtaking vehicle

Just because it was safe for the car in front of you to overtake a vehicle, that doesn’t mean it’s safe for you to immediately follow them. Always perform the requisite safety checks before overtaking.

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What are the Different Types of Speed Camera?

Yellow Gatso Speed Camera

Whether or not you’re a fan of speed cameras, as a driver on UK roads, you’ve got to get used to them. As such, it can be useful to know how to distinguish different types of speed camera, so that you can always drive within the legal speed limit on any journey you make.

What are the different types of speed camera on UK roads?

If a camera captures a driver speeding, it will take down details like the time and date of the offence, make and model of the vehicle, and speed of travel. Some types of speed camera also capture the face of the driver behind the wheel.  A typical penalty for speeding is a fine and three points on your driving licence – but penalties can be worse if the speed limit was significantly exceeded.

Fixed speed cameras

Fixed speed cameras include the Gatso speed camera (first introduced to the UK in 1991), as well as the Truvelo Combi and Truvelo D-Cam speed cameras. The Gatso speed camera is rear-facing in order to avoid blinding drivers with their flash, which gave rise to the Truvelo Combi, which is forward-facing and uses infra-red technology to capture speeding.

Mobile speed cameras

These are typically deployed by the police, who will use them on particularly accident-prone stretches of road.

As the name indicates, mobile speed cameras are operated from within police cars and can move around or be mounted roadside on a tripod. They’re also manually operated by police in the form of radar or laser guns. Be aware that mobile speed cameras can operate in unmarked cars.

Speed and traffic cameras

These are usually used in urban areas, where you’ll see them mounted above the road on purpose-built poles. They use sensors in order to gauge whether a motorist is speeding or not, but can be used to monitor traffic and road junction violations too. They can also be found along dual carriageways in busy areas.

Average speed cameras

Average speed cameras work by recording a vehicle’s speed at two different points, and are therefore designed to keep traffic flowing evenly, as they aim to prevent drivers from slowing down when they see a camera and then immediately speeding back up. This is done via infrared sensors. They’re typically used on motorways and in towns and villages, as well as at sites of roadworks.

Variable speed cameras

If you’re a regular driver on smart motorways, you’ll be familiar with variable speed cameras, where they’re used to ease congestion or in case of hazards like accidents or weather events. Unlike the alternative types of speed camera, they’re less likely to be in use 24/7.

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Why Do I Need a Speed Limiter for My Car?

car driving on the motorway at dusk

If you’re on the hunt for a new car for the first time in a while, you’ll have come across a few key changes to the market. From the 2030 petrol ban shaking up the sales of petrol and diesel vehicles, through to the inclusion of speed limiters in cars, there are a number of new factors that you’ll need to consider when looking for a new set of wheels.

This article will examine speed limiters, including what are they, why you need them and how they might impact your driving experience.

What is a speed limiter for your car?

A speed limiter for a car is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a safety device designed to prevent drivers from exceeding the speed limits of roads. From 6 July 2022, all newly launched vehicles in the UK legally have to be fitted with one. However, many car manufacturers – including Volvo, Ford, Mercedes-Benz, and Renault – adopted speed limiters in their new vehicles before this date.

Whilst all new cars in the UK now have to have a speed limiter installed, the speed limiter can be deactivated, but this won’t permanently disable it. Next time you switch the engine on, the speed limiter will also activate.

It’s critical to note that whilst a speed limiter is designed to prompt speeding drivers to stay within the limit, the driver is ultimately still responsible for doing so. As such, if any motorist is caught speeding, they are still responsible for any potential fine.

How do speed limiters work?

There are a number of different ways in which Intelligent Speed Assistance (ISA) systems can notify a driver if they’re in excess of the speed limit. ISA systems will use either GPS data or traffic-sign recognition in order to gauge the speed limit in any area. Although they have a high degree of accuracy, critics have pointed out that such systems may be vulnerable to inaccurate GPS mapping or temporary speed limits.

Speed limiters currently can work in any of the following ways. If the system detects that a vehicle is over the speed limit, it will alert the driver and automatically limit the engine’s power in order to reduce the vehicle’s speed in the instance of driver non-response. Alternatively, the ISA system can also provide a visual symbol and pedal vibrations, flashing visual signs and audio announcements, and can push back against any foot pressed down on the accelerator pedal.

Research is currently establishing which of these cues is the most effective at inciting response. In December 2025, the findings will be analysed and future ISA systems will implement the most effective one.

It’s important to distinguish a speed limiter from cruise control, which is designed to move the car at one set speed, without the driver’s foot on the pedal. With a speed limiter, the driver remains is in full control of the car, unlike with cruise control. Speed limiters can also be overridden if drivers need to pull away by pushing down sharply on the accelerator pedal.

Speed limiters can typically be found either on the steering wheel or indicator – but take care not to confuse them with the sign for cruise control, as the symbols can be similar.

Why have speed limiters been introduced?

Speed limiters have been introduced in the UK in recognition of the 2019/2044 regulation of The European Commission. Despite having left the EU, The Vehicle Certification Agency in the UK still follows EU regulations, which is why this policy has been implemented in UK automobile markets.

There are a number of reasons why speed limiters are deemed necessary. Primarily, they are designed to improve road safety, making driving safer for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists. Manufacturers like Ford have suggested that speed limiters might also reduce the likelihood of speeding tickets (but remember that the driver is ultimately responsible for any fines accrued).

Otherwise, potential benefits to speed limiters include lower car insurance premiums as a result of lower risk of accident, as well as reduced CO2 emissions and greater fuel economy. Although, speed limiters do not yet have to be retroactively installed in older cars – they are only legally required in brand-new models at the moment.

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*for illustration purposes only

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Representative Example

Borrowing £7,500 at a representative APR of 12.4%, annual interest rate (fixed) 12.36%, 47 monthly payments of £196.44 followed by 1 payment of £206.44 (incl. estimated £10 option to purchase fee), a deposit of £0.00, total cost of credit is £1,939.12, total amount payable is £9,439.12.

Evolution Funding Limited, trading as My Car Credit, is a credit broker and not a lender.

Please ensure you can afford the repayments for the duration of the loan before entering into a credit agreement.

*Initial application is a soft search. Should you progress, some lenders may perform a hard search on your credit file.
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