Overtaking has always been the most dangerous driving moves that makes every day motoring a matter of anxiety. Although the mechanics behind every overtaking had been easy, but the consequences can never be. Even then we need to overtake at times. And it is never too late to know a few basic facts of overtaking even if you have plenty of experiences on it till now.
Queue Jumping
The Petaluma Honda dealer experts agreed that there will be always a type of drivers who will do anything to pass the cars one at a time, whenever there is a long queue. But that is outright dangerous. If there is another driver who is trying to do the same and he is not able to see the first one, both can collide at a bad speed. So, unless it is that necessary, avoid overtaking in the first place. But if that is not an option for you, do not forget to check in the rear-view mirror before you plan to overtake a slow-moving car in front of you.
Positioning Yourself
While following a vehicle in the front, you always need to maintain a safe distance. Otherwise it will restrict the field of view, of both. Neither the front car driver will be able to see you, nor you would know what is coming from the other side.
By keeping the required distance, it would be easy for all to read the road both ahead and behind. Now one can match the speed in proportion to the car positions around. This will also help in finding a clear stretch of road where overtaking can be done safely and smoothly.
Overtaking Tips
Overtaking is a driving act that needs to be done with the maximum speed possible. This is because as long you take to stay exposed to danger it is a threat for you. So try to bring it down to a minimum. But in the need to get quick, you need to bring the gear one or two steps down before you start pulling out.
Before you plan to overtake, look at the rear-view mirrors to make sure that there’s no car coming from behind, then indicate with your car lights and start pulling out your car. But remember this is not the time to accelerate yet.
After you pull out, then it is time to accelerate hard. That way, even if there any misjudged movement has been done, you can still have scope to pull it back into its original line. On the contrary, if you pull out under full power and then find out an unexpected obstruction on the way, it would be too difficult at that time to brake while keeping full control over the car and then pull it back again.
The Last Minute Check
The experts at Petaluma Honda dealership advised that if you are in any doubt on the intentions of the overtaken vehicles, mark your presence with a flash of tail lights or a quick blow of the horn. This should be done without fail especially if you are overtaking a line of vehicles. When you have already past, now you can smoothly pull back your car into the line and keep driving at the speed you want.
