All courses › Car licence (class B) › How long does overtaking take?

How long does overtaking take?

Over a hill crest you cannot see oncoming traffic until it is too late. Nor overtake before crossings, in junctions or where signs or a solid line forbid it.

Overtaking takes more time and road than most people think, because you are only a little faster than the vehicle you pass. Before you start, make sure the road is clear far enough ahead, that nobody behind has started to overtake you, and that you can safely pull back in. The driver being overtaken must not speed up.

Try it yourself

Overtaking a lorry

t = \dfrac{L}{\Delta v}

the time the overtake takes

s = v \cdot t

the distance you travel while overtaking

Symbols

$L$	length to make up (gaps in front and behind + the vehicle)	m
$\Delta v$	how much faster you are	m/s
$v$	your speed	m/s

Example

You pass a lorry and must make up 50 m. You do 90 km/h, the lorry 75 km/h, so $\Delta v \approx 4.2$ m/s.

$t = 50 / 4.2 \approx 12$ s, and you travel $s = 25 \cdot 12 = 300$ m. An oncoming car at 80 km/h covers about 270 m in the same time.

If in doubt, don't. Passing a vehicle that is almost as fast as you takes a very long time.

Practise positioning, changing lanes and overtaking for free →

← Changing lanes and blind spots · Dipped and main beam →

Part of Car licence (class B): Positioning, changing lanes and overtaking.