martine wrote:Another overtaking query:
Yesterday rounded a corner and found I was approaching a much slower moving car with a clear road ahead and used my existing speed to complete the overtake safely (I believe). I didn't do the classic 'overtaking triangle' in as much as I didn't match the speed, take up a followng position, move offside without closing and then accelerate when clear.
Firstly is there a name for overtaking using your existing closing speed?
Secondly did I do right? If so, what are the particular things to note when doing this?
Some know it as the 'momentum overtaking' technique, a ploy well loved by those who drive clapped out 406 oil burners, but I'm relieved to say it has the approval of my friend from Hendon, so that's OK.
It has always seemed sensible to me to retain and make use of any speed advantage you may have over the target' - but do guard against the possibility of finding you are unable to go ahead with the overtake, and maybe finding yourself closing rapidly on somebody's tail and unable to get the speed down sufficiently!
BTW, do be careful how you explain this to the Stressed One. 'e don't like bananas.
Anyhow, a gentleman recently seemed to feel guilty about having done one of these momentum overtakes, so I tried to reassure him as follows:
"There's nothing wrong with a momentum overtake, if it is done properly, so I wouldn't worry about that, but some people do seem to get their knickers in a knot about it.
One gentleman on another forum (a gentleman, moreover, with greater expertise than most of the pundits we normally encounter) likens the momentum overtake to the procedure we use when we pull out to pass a parked vehicle, which seemed to me a fair point. So, if we're expected to use the classic overtaking technique all the time, what do we need to do when we wish to pass a parked vehicle on our side of the road?
Ah, I think I've got it. What we do is go offside (subject to it being safe to do so), then we match speed with the parked vehicle (i.e. we stop just behind it and to the right, and have a careful look past to see if it's safe to go ahead with our overtake, and if it is - yippee - we can accelerate from a standing start and go past, and continue on our merry way. If it isn't safe to do this difficult overtake, it's probably because the road is now blocked by an oncoming driver who might like to have continued unhindered, instead of having to stop nose to nose with us until we stop arsing about. I hope this will be found helpful."
Assuring you of our best attention at all times,
Dave.