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Photo by Taber Andrew Bain/Flickr/CC
Photo by Taber Andrew Bain/Flickr/CC

You've got a deserted two-lane mountain road all to yourself -- except for the oldster in the Buick Century directly in front of you. He's poking along at half the speed limit with his left turn signal flashing and brake lights pulsing like a Bon Jovi concert.

You've got to pass, but your bad luck got you stuck behind Abe Vigoda in the first place. Knowing you, the chances are pretty good you'll plow head-on into an 18-wheeler coming in the opposite direction.

Wired's Autopia blog has put together some helpful tips for passing safely.



Make sure it's legal

While laws vary wildly in different jurisdictions, it's generally the case that vehicles cannot pass over a solid dividing line.

On roads with a single lane in each direction, a solid-yellow center line will often give way to a dotted line on one side. If so, the lane closest to the dotted line can pass. On multiple-lane roadways, passing usually must be done in a dedicated passing lane, or fast lane.

Use common sense. If you see a sign that says "No Passing Zone" or something similar, don't pass. If you're on a two-lane road, only pass when it's absolutely necessary. Follow all signs and local regulations.

And when in doubt, don't pass.

Rather wait

While it is frustrating being stuck behind a slow vehicle, it actually adds less time to your journey than you might think. If you see a gap which is probably safe, rather wait for a larger one which is definitely so.

Take the following example: assume you want to cruise at 120 km/h, but the old Volkswagen Beetle in front of you can't eke out more 100 km/h. To your great frustration, you miss a potential chance to overtake, and have to wait a whole minute before the next chance. If you had passed, you would have travelled roughly an extra 333 m. At your cruise speed of 120 km/h, 333 m only takes 10 seconds to travel. In other words, your lost opportunity cost you exactly 10 seconds of journey time.

Unless you are on your way to disarm a nuclear bomb, it is crazy to risk your life and others' for 10 seconds.

Mind your mirrors

The key to passing safely starts before you're even driving the car, with properly adjusted mirrors.

Try out the "BGE" system – or "Blindspot/Glare Elimination."

To set the driver-side mirror, put your head against the driver-side window and move the mirror until you can see only the slimmest sliver of the side of your car. For the inside mirror, lean into the dead center of the car and repeat the process with the passenger-side mirror. You will not be able to see the sides of your car while driving and may be unnerved at first, but it will be much easier to check your blind spot with a minimum of turning your head.

Prepare to pass

You want to get past the car/truck/whatever as quickly as possible. If you shorten your time "out there" then you reduce the likelihood of bad things happening.

Many drivers have little experience with passing on two-lane or similar roads, especially if they mostly drive in cities. So listen up. Rule #1 is to NOT pull out and then floor the gas pedal. If, for example, you're following an 18-wheeler, it will take a while to pass. It will take a lot longer if you start at the same speed when you pull out.

Instead, drift back a little from the truck. This will give you somewhat better visibility too. When you see the right-sized opening ahead, goose the gas while you are still in the same lane behind the truck. If the other-lane opening still looks good you pull out, now traveling much faster than the truck, and complete the pass and slow down into traffic.

The alternative is pulling out, flooring your car and being only half-way past the 18-wheeler when oncoming traffic gives you the quick trip to the funeral home. Unless you're driving a Ferrari (or similar), your acceleration is really slow when you're at highway speed. So you need to get your speed up before you pull out into the other lane.

While you're doing this, you need to have an eagle-eye on the oncoming lane. If it closes out you can brake before pulling out. Remember - your brakes work much quicker than the gas. That is, you can pull off speed much more quickly than you can add it.

Complete the pass

If passing on a two-lane road, make sure you have a clear view of the road ahead. Hills and curves can obstruct your view of oncoming traffic. Make sure no cars are on side streets waiting to turn into the lane in which you will be passing, as they most likely won't be expecting you.

When you're getting ready to pass, check your mirrors and check over your shoulder. If your car has a blind spot detection system, still verify that it is safe to pass with your own eyes. Make sure that oncoming cars in the passing lane aren't traveling so fast that you will not be able to complete a pass in time.

Some states require that the driver sound the horn to indicate their intent to pass. In North Carolina, specifically, the horn signal places the driver of the vehicle you are passing under a legal obligation to help you pass. When being passed in North Carolina, if you increase speed and fail to give way to a passing vehicle, you will be charged with a misdemeanor if a crash occurs resulting in bodily injury or property damage.

Put on your turn signal and accelerate past the car you are passing, you may exceed the speed limit, and should, while passing. Merge back into the lane of travel as soon as you have safely overtaken the slower traffic. If law permits, use your "flash to pass" function on your car. Consider activating your vehicles park lights before passing just in case. This should get the other driver's attention. A good rhythm for flashing your passing signal is one second on, one second off a total of three times. An often made mistake is failing to have an exit strategy just in case the pass fails. One instance would be if you had cars following you closely. Slow down, and make some room between you and the car you wish to pass. If by some chance the pass cannot be made safely while in the opposing lane, you should have some room to drop back into line behind the vehicle you were passing. If it becomes apparent the driver in front wants to impede your progress and a car approaches from the opposing lane on a two way road or hi-way, do not floor the accelerator; instead consider braking firmly and exiting to the shoulder at a safe speed. Note: Safe speed. Flash your "flash to pass" lights to warn the oncoming car if you have to exit to the opposite shoulder. The oncoming driver may slow down as a precaution. Ultimately, if you are not fully convinced you can pass safely; then abandon the idea of passing and put some room between you and the car in front of you by either slowing down; or pulling off the road to a marked or safe area. Let someone else prepare the slow driver for passing vehicles, and wait your turn.

If, on a multiple-lane highway, two cars attempt to merge into the same lane during a passing maneuver, the car in the leftmost lane has the right of way. Never assume the other driver accommodate you should something go awry. Laws differ in some countries on who has right of way during the merge process.

Be weather-wise. Base your decision on road conditions. During rain, ask yourself if you can pass a vehicle without throwing a huge spray of water over the vehicle to be passed. A sudden loss of visibility on the other driver's part could see him careening into you as you pass, and vice-versa. Switch your wiper speed to high as a precaution before you pass in moderate to heavy rain.

In most jurisdictions you are not permitted to pass on a bridge where there are only two opposing lanes.

Don't be a jerk

Just because you can fit your car somewhere doesn't mean that it's a good idea to squeeze in. A good trick to ensure you aren't "cutting off" another car is to only merge back into the travel lane once you can see the headlights of the car you have just passed in your rear view mirror. If you can't, you're probably too close. Cutting over at this point could cause an accident or even send another driver into a fit of road rage.

If it's legal to pass on the right, don't pass too quickly. Many drivers don't expect to be passed on the right.

Do not pass on the shoulder – it's often illegal, and can confuse other drivers. Also, driving too quickly on a rough shoulder can damage your car or cause you to lose control.

If you are being passed, don't speed up. It's illegal and it's dangerous.

A note for driving outside North America: here in the US the single word "pass" is used to describe moving past another vehicle no matter whether you are both traveling in the same direction, or are traveling in opposite directions. In many Commonwealth countries, the term used to describe going around that oldster blocking your lane with his Buick Century is "overtaking". "Passing" is what happens every time a car in the other lane goes past, and only that. Now the road signs in those foreign lands will make sense!

Midstripe photo on How-To frontdoor by Flavia/Flickr/CC

This page was last modified 17:09, 20 March 2011 by unc. Based on work by howto_admin, swah, cookish, cordedpoodle, beadlebird, chromeronin, vdev, nostradances, japellino and ralfred.

All text and artwork shared under a Creative Commons License.



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