Overtaking at night?
Discussion
In the winter when it gets very dark quite early. If you were taveling down a country B road and came across a slow car, is it ok to overtake? I only thought the other day how dangerous this could be. If some d
head is traveling the other way with their headlights off, there could be a highspeed head on collision!
What are your views on this?
head is traveling the other way with their headlights off, there could be a highspeed head on collision! What are your views on this?
With overtaking (like driving in general) you play the odds.
The odds that there won't be a massive hole in the road.
The odds that there won't be a child sleeping around the next corner.
The odds that a lightening bolt won't hit your car and destroy all breaking capacity as you approach traffic lights etc
Way the situation up in the same way as usual...
The odds that there won't be a massive hole in the road.
The odds that there won't be a child sleeping around the next corner.
The odds that a lightening bolt won't hit your car and destroy all breaking capacity as you approach traffic lights etc
Way the situation up in the same way as usual...
- Visibility
- Entrances/ Exits to the area you will be on the wrong side of the road in
- Attitude and control of the car you will be overtaking
- Time and conditions to overtake
- Road surface
You would need to have enough vision to deal with unlit objects, pedestrians, bicyclists etc. Almost certainly impossible on dipped lights, but I would go onto mains once offside before making the commitment.
My greatest difficulty travelling on unlit roads at night is being slow enough to cope on dipped beams if traffic appears towards me.
My greatest difficulty travelling on unlit roads at night is being slow enough to cope on dipped beams if traffic appears towards me.
I find it difficult to see far enough ahead to tell if a pass is 'on' when the car in front is driven by one of those gimps who refuses to use full beam and potters along with lights dipped the whole time. If you know the road its easier, or if there are more cars further ahead to show where the road goes, but otherwise you just can't see far enough ahead until you get out onto the other side of the road and put your lights on full.
dibbers006 said:
With overtaking (like driving in general) you play the odds.
Overtaking shouldn't be about playing odds. You should make a decision based upon the facts placed in front of you - a huge number of facts, from knowledge of the road, familiarity with the vehicles capabilities to the most important - observation.Contrary to popular belief it is possible to safely overtake vehicles with no more risk than any other maneouver. Night time is no different, it just affects observation. You can see headlights illuminating the far hedgerow as a vehicle comes round a bend etc, and can see them poking out somewhere that might indicate a junction with a vehicle waiting to turn. You might not be able to see as far ahead though.
Its been posted somewhere else that you need to make a judgement call and be able to recognise the difference between not being able to see something and positive identification that something isn't there (and vice versa.)
For example, you're driving along at night behind a slow vehicle and you come to a straight stretch. Ignoring the myriad of other considerations, one of the things you'll ask yourself is, 'is there any dead ground along the stretch?'
If you can say, "No, I can clearly see the road ahead and there is no dead ground," you're in a position to make a judgement to overtake. If the answer is, "I can't see any dead ground," you're not certain its not there, and can't make a safe judgment.
Theres loads of other things to consider too and I'm too tired to come up with an exhaustive list. Most should be common sense anyway.
tenohfive said:
Overtaking shouldn't be about playing odds.
Everything is about playing the odds. The chances of something going wrong are never zero. You just have to decide whether they are low enough to be acceptable to you under the circumstances. Assuming that you're a rational, sensible person and have judged the risks accurately then that means most other people would probably find them acceptable too. GreenV8S said:
tenohfive said:
Overtaking shouldn't be about playing odds.
Everything is about playing the odds. The chances of something going wrong are never zero. You just have to decide whether they are low enough to be acceptable to you under the circumstances. Assuming that you're a rational, sensible person and have judged the risks accurately then that means most other people would probably find them acceptable too. 
tenohfive said:
dibbers006 said:
With overtaking (like driving in general) you play the odds.
Overtaking shouldn't be about playing odds. You should make a decision based upon the facts placed in front of you - a huge number of facts, from knowledge of the road, familiarity with the vehicles capabilities to the most important - observation.Your friend had a very lucky escape! Was this after dark? Did the tractor driver get the book thrown at him?
I'd say that the odds were 100/1 of that happening (without knowing the full circumstances of course)
Overtaking at night IS harder because visibility is poorer on the whole. Especially when the numpty in front won't run with full beams to help illuminate your overtaking space.
I'd say that the odds were 100/1 of that happening (without knowing the full circumstances of course)
Overtaking at night IS harder because visibility is poorer on the whole. Especially when the numpty in front won't run with full beams to help illuminate your overtaking space.
[quote=brisel]I'd say that the odds were 100/1 of that happening (without knowing the full circumstances of course)quote]
So for every 1 in 100 overtakes you will hit a tractor head on? That's pretty bad odds in my book. If that's all I have to work to, I'll just stick behind the car in front.
If you can't stop in the distance you can see to be clear; don't go for it.
So for every 1 in 100 overtakes you will hit a tractor head on? That's pretty bad odds in my book. If that's all I have to work to, I'll just stick behind the car in front.
If you can't stop in the distance you can see to be clear; don't go for it.
Daaave said:
brisel said:
I'd say that the odds were 100/1 of that happening (without knowing the full circumstances of course)
So for every 1 in 100 overtakes you will hit a tractor head on? That's pretty bad odds in my book. If that's all I have to work to, I'll just stick behind the car in front.If you can't stop in the distance you can see to be clear; don't go for it.
Edited by waremark on Thursday 14th May 01:04
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