Overtaking cyclists safely

You need to constantly be on the lookout for cyclists because they are a lot less visible than cars and motor vehicles.

Whilst cyclists should have lights in poor light conditions or in the dark, not all of them do, and so you need to be particularly vigilant as light levels drop that there aren't cyclists around.

It can be frustrating following a slow moving cyclist particularly when you are hungry and want to get home for tea. However you should resist the urge to pass a cyclist when it is not safe to do so. You need to ensure that you leave them sufficient room in which to move as you pass as cyclists generally won't go in a perfect straight line so don't push or squeeze them against the kerb - give them plenty of space in which to move.

In addition if there is a poor road surface for instance potholes then bikes will swerve around these, so again you need to ensure that you give them plenty of space for that reason too.

It hardly needs saying that otherwise you risk causing them an accident or even knocking them over which is a deeply unpleasant experience for all concerned.

Related Articles...

driving theory test
What to do when you sell a vehicle
When you sell a vehicle, there are some things that you have to do straight away. As soon as the vehicle is sold you have to tell the DVLA, which stands for the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency,...

Vehicle's registration certificate
A vehicle has a document called a V5C, and this is the registration certificate for the vehicle. However this document by itself is not alone proof that the person selling you a vehicle actually...

What a slippery road surface sign could mean
The problem with a slippery road surface sign is this: whilst you know what it means, you don't know what it means. If that sounds confusing, then the point is simply this - what is it that is...

What causes accidents: speed
There is a well known saying from safety campaigns which simply says that "speed kills". Although many people think that you have to be travelling really quickly in order to make an impact...

Nervous Driver Tips
Many people who learn to drive have a combination of nerves and excitement. Even if someone says they have no nerves and are perfectly confident when it comes to driving, the first time you get...

What time of day should I book my driving test?
This is entirely up to you and so there is no right or wrong answer to this. Many of us function either better in the morning or in the afternoon. If you are a morning person then you will...

What to do at a box junction
The box junction is quite common but despite this there are a whole wide range of ways in which different drivers interpret what they are supposed to do at them so you will see different behaviours...

Using emergency telephones
There are emergency telephones along motorways. There are telephones that occur roughly once per mile along the motorway which are connected to the emergency services. There are also blue and...

What causes accidents: pulling out
One of the most typically seen accident that happens between vehicles in and around towns and city centres is the situation where two or more roads join each other. At these there will be...

What to expect at a hazard perception test
The test has fourteen different clips, as outlined in the article entitled 'how to pass the hazard perception test'. Each of those clips starts counting down from ten to zero, in order to...


Back to home page of driving theory test questions