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 with keep clear markings
Keep clear markings are quite straightforward to understand, although amazingly some people either ignore them or do not appear to understand what they mean! You will often seen keep clear...

Insurance for learner drivers
If you wish to learn to drive and you ever plan to use a private car then you need to ensure the car you are going to use has the appropriate cover. There are various levels of cover, the...

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...

Your vehicle's age is important
The age of your car is important for several reasons. The main reason is that if your car is under three years old, there are four documents that you must be in possession of in relation to...

Speed limits on motorways
The speed limits on the motorway are something that you will no doubt be aware of for cars, but is the limit the same for a motorbike? And what about if you are bus or a coach driver? Another...

The automatic car explained
In most cases, you will learn to drive with a car that has gears in the United Kingdom. However there are people who prefer to learn in an automatic car, and there are various driving schools...

Mock Driving Theory Test
Many learner drivers are in the process of finishing A-levels or at university, and so the process of exams and tests is very familiar to you. For those that tests and exams are a distant memory, a...

Your vehicle and driving
There is a lot to take in when you are learning to drive and when you are preparing for the driving theory test. Whilst a lot of it is common sense there is a considerable amount of information you...

Some common engine faults
It is beyond the scope of the articles here to go into detail about how the engine works and what the various parts of it are. For the theory test you won't need to know a great detail about the...

Risk factors when driving: snow and ice
When the snow is falling, there is one big problem - it is hard to see far infront. So like fog, reduced visibility is the problem with snow. And when there is heavy snowfall it can be very hard...


Back to home page of driving theory test questions