Overtaking 101


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if not the hand signals, then what is the right signal for the vehichal to let pass.

short flashing of indicator left side or right side . or something else..!!

couple of times when i flash the right indicator the people behind me also slowed down.maybe they thouth i am gonna take right turn..

i have seen a guy turning on reverse light while on the go(god only knows how he managed it) i slowed down, but he signalled me to pass with hands finally
 
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+1 to Jalex's above statement! If its a two lane road overtake at a time when you don disturb the momentum of the oncoming vehicle. If its a four lane road honk twice as you come closer to the slow moving vehicle. If some body is trying to overtake you in a four lane road , just let him go. Some of my friends scold me "why are honking the horn always while over-taking , the vehicle in the front wont suddenly jump lanes!" But believe how much ever you honk some drivers(especially truck drivers and Govt buses) jump lanes all of a sudden!
 
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if not the hand signals, then what is the right signal for the vehichal to let pass.

short flashing of indicator left side or right side . or something else..!!

couple of times when i flash the right indicator the people behind me also slowed down.maybe they thouth i am gonna take right turn..

i have seen a guy turning on reverse light while on the go(god only knows how he managed it) i slowed down, but he signalled me to pass with hands finally
To let someone overtake you from behind, Always use the left indicator. Flash it three times and move to the extreme left and let him pass.

And if you use the right indicator for letting someone pass you, then what would you do when you really are going to turn right?

Another thing is that this is not a method prescribed by law over here. Just a modest way and good etiquette.
 

350Z

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if not the hand signals, then what is the right signal for the vehichal to let pass. short flashing of indicator left side or right side . or something else..!! couple of times when i flash the right indicator the people behind me also slowed down.maybe they though i am gonna take right turn..
I have seen this practice in some parts of India (Mostly rural), Like Silvassa and Highways of UP. I was amazed to know how people there have created there own laws, which only they can understand and not an outsider. Flashing of the right side indicator for this purpose is meaningless and can create a confusion big time. I think the purpose of an indicator is basically to “indicate” the other person where you plan to approach ahead and not tell where they should approach.

i have seen a guy turning on reverse light while on the go(god only knows how he managed it) i slowed down, but he signalled me to pass with hands finally
This happens only in India. :biggrin:

Drive Safe,
350Z
 
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To let someone overtake you from behind, Always use the left indicator. Flash it three times and move to the extreme left and let him pass.
And if you use the right indicator for letting someone pass you, then what would you do when you really are going to turn right?
Another thing is that this is not a method prescribed by law over here. Just a modest way and good etiquette.
well so far i haven't yet figured out what people understand.
i practiced left indicator couple of times (obviously sensible) but the driver behind thought that "alright this guys is going to turn left anyway so let me follow" and he keeps following. now i do not want to slow down(why should i) so i saw couple of people giving out right indicators and moving on to extreme left side which makes some sense too. and that is what i am in favour of.
but again it is all weird . it seems neither i should let anybody pass nor i should overtake. just be adamant and stay on my ground.

btw what does book rule says..anybody know it?
 
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i have seen a guy turning on reverse light while on the go(god only knows how he managed it) i slowed down, but he signalled me to pass with hands finally
Similar thing happened with me last month when i was heading back home on NH6. I was behind a Sumo Victa which was driven recklessly, i was waiting for traffic to recede so that i could overtake it when suddenly he braked his car hard and as a result of faulty connection, instead of brake lamps, his reverse lamps were doing the job of that indication[lol].

Like Vibhor said, this happens only in india.
 
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Flashing someone does not mean that he, that is the person coming opposite should stop by all means. Infact in some countries, for instance in the U.K it has the opposite meaning which is "After you" or "You First".

Flashing the lights to someone who is already very near for you to overtake can make him angry, Cause for him it is a threat and creates a sense of insecurity and you are literally declaring, " I am going to overtake, so stop and on to the shoulder with you " Its bad manners and dangerous and thats why sometimes you see people coming opposite speed up and defend their space when you do so.

Its better to overtake when there are no vehicles coming opposite, But that is starting to become next to impossible cause there are so many cars and not enough roads.

Anyways, Make the maneuver without bullying or irritating the vehicle coming opposite and do not break his momentum as far as possible. Know the limits of your vehicle well. (Braking & acceleration limits.)
You misunderstood what I was trying to say, or rather I was not clear. I meant to flash the guy ahead of you travelling in the same direction :P

Also giving the right side indicator to indicate people to overtake is extremely dangerous (though many people do it) A friend of mine saw a biker get killed like this on the highway.

He was following a TRUCK on the Pune-Nasik highway. It is basically a two lane highway (One of each side) There was a biker who overtook me and now was behind the truck. The truck gave an right side indicator, the biker thought that meant to overtake, half way alone the length of the truck, the trucker slowed slightly turned RIGHT! The biker panicked and when under the truck!

Generally worldwide (for right hand cars) left indicators are given to overtake and right indicators and give not to overtake! simple! But in India we are not thought traffic rules by anyone! [frustration]
 
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Generally worldwide (for right hand cars) left indicators are given to overtake and right indicators and give not to overtake! simple! But in India we are not thought traffic rules by anyone! [frustration]
once i went to delhi in a taxi . the driver told me the opposite
 
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once i went to delhi in a taxi . the driver told me the opposite
That was the point I was trying to make! Everyone in India has got it wrong! especially truckers. Its common sense! If the guy ahead gives you right hand indicator, how can you tell for sure if he wants you to overtake or he himself wants to turn right?
 
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That was the point I was trying to make! Everyone in India has got it wrong! especially truckers. Its common sense! If the guy ahead gives you right hand indicator, how can you tell for sure if he wants you to overtake or he himself wants to turn right?


Very much true and confusing in highways! I always prefer to wait for a few seconds to analyse and understand his real signal and then only perform an overtake.
 
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The truck gave an right side indicator, the biker thought that meant to overtake, half way alone the length of the truck, the trucker slowed slightly turned RIGHT! The biker panicked and when under the truck!
Same happened with one of my friend who was driving on Blore- chennai highway. he put right indicator to turn and the biker thought he's letting him overtake and both crashed. fortunately a slow speed crash which only damaged my friend's car on the door !
i have witnessed quite a few times truck drivers use their right indicators for letting you overtake them. IMO good judgement and sense of speed is all required for safe overtaking.
 
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Indicators are used to give direction the vehicle is going to go either right or left. To best of my knowledge there is no indicator rule for overtaking.

In our country people always stick to extreme right lane and drve slowly leading to dangerous situation when cars overtake from left.Slow moving vehicles whether cars, trucks, buses , auto stick to extreme right lane and refuse to give way leading to slow movement in all lanes of road.
 
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In our country people always stick to extreme right lane and drve slowly leading to dangerous situation when cars overtake from left.Slow moving vehicles whether cars, trucks, buses , auto stick to extreme right lane and refuse to give way leading to slow movement in all lanes of road.
ya it is very true. i have witnessed this many times.
this is because of lack of common sense or intentionally .

when i am going to overtake, honk the
horn twice(Day time) and flash headlight(Night time).
some will give way but some others don't[frustration].
 
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I'll tell you what I know about overtaking. See if I make sense:

Scene 1 (in a society where rules are followed and laws are clear and enforced): in a two lane highway, always overtake from the faster lane (this can be either left or right, depending on the local culture). In a multiple lane highway, you may use any lane to overtake, as long as you do not surprise other drivers.

Avoid overtaking when approaching a turn, in fog, on bad roads, or when you cannot see clearly about a kilometer/three quarter of a mile ahead.

Scene 2 (in a society where laws are unclear or not understood properly and enforcement is spotty): pause, honk, blink and observe, even if it is for a moment. Check if the vehicle you intend to overtake is slowing down or speeding up, moving to different lane or staying in the same lane, making any gestures or if there is no response at all.

Take action accordingly, but use extreme caution. Generally, if you have a speed advantage, or if you have space advantage, you may proceed without great caution. In all other cases, assume that the other guy will be unpredictable and proceed. They generally are.

In India, every body has his/her own understanding of how to overtake, but that may not necessarily match with each other's. And that's why we go case by case or in other words, car by car.
 

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