Under what circumstances is overtaking not allowed?
2 Answers
According to the "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China", overtaking is prohibited under the following circumstances: The "Road Traffic Safety Law of the People's Republic of China" stipulates: Article 43 - When motor vehicles are driving in the same lane, the following vehicle should maintain a safe distance from the vehicle ahead sufficient to take emergency braking measures. Overtaking is not allowed under any of the following circumstances: when the vehicle ahead is making a left turn, performing a U-turn, or overtaking another vehicle; when there is a possibility of encountering oncoming traffic; when the vehicle ahead is a police car, fire truck, ambulance, or engineering rescue vehicle performing emergency duties; or when passing through sections where overtaking is not feasible, such as railway crossings, intersections, narrow bridges, curves, steep slopes, tunnels, pedestrian crossings, or urban areas with heavy traffic flow.
After driving heavy trucks for 20 years, I've summarized some life-saving tips: Never overtake when the vehicle ahead is turning or making a U-turn – they simply can't react in time if you suddenly cut in. Don't overtake on curves or hilltops either – last time I almost had an accident on a mountain road curve when an SUV suddenly appeared from the opposite direction, scraping off my side mirror. Overtaking in rain or fog with visibility below 50 meters is gambling with your life – tire slippage and loss of steering control can happen in an instant. Slow down early when approaching crosswalks at intersections – accelerating to overtake here and hitting pedestrians would make you fully liable. The most dangerous is encountering ambulances or fire trucks – two years ago my colleague insisted on overtaking an emergency vehicle and got his license revoked immediately. Nowadays when I see construction trucks or tankers ahead, I just follow patiently – who knows when they might drop parts. Overtaking in tunnels is literally betting your life on luck – I witnessed a pile-up in Qinling Tunnel last time. Remember these hard-learned lessons – don't ruin your life just to save a few minutes.
