Is it allowed to overtake from the right side?
2 Answers
Overtaking from the right side is not allowed. Traffic laws stipulate: When overtaking, motor vehicles should turn on the left turn signal in advance, switch between high and low beams, or honk the horn. Overtaking from the right side will result in a penalty of 3 demerit points and a fine ranging from 20 to 200 yuan. Overtaking is prohibited under the following circumstances: 1. The vehicle in front is making a left turn, U-turn, or overtaking. 2. There is a possibility of encountering oncoming traffic. 3. The vehicle in front is a police car, fire truck, ambulance, or engineering rescue vehicle performing emergency tasks. 4. Passing through railway crossings, intersections, narrow bridges, curves, steep slopes, tunnels, pedestrian crossings, or sections with heavy urban traffic where overtaking conditions are not met.
As someone who's driven long-haul for ten years, I've seen way too many accidents caused by passing on the right. Our national traffic laws explicitly prohibit same-direction passing from the right lane on single-lane roads, especially on highways. The reason is simple: the right lane is usually the truck/slow lane with huge blind spots. If you suddenly dart out from the right, the vehicle ahead can't see you at all. I once witnessed a car trying to pass a semi-truck on the right on the Shanghai-Kunming Expressway - it got T-boned by a merging truck and went flying. Plus, the right lane often has merging traffic with high sideswipe risks. Even if you're in a hurry, don't take the risk. Better to wait a few extra minutes for a safe left-lane pass. Remember: the lives on your dashboard are worth way more than the needle on your speedometer.
