A Quick Guide to Safe Passing Hot

Sometimes you just need to get on down the road.  But when is it safe to pass?  Here is a list of things to think about when overtaking other vehicles.

1. Passing Multiple Vehicles
So there you are – you are following two or more vehicles traveling below the posted speed.  A passing zone appears and you gas it.  Here’s the problem - your bike likely has substantially quicker acceleration than the other vehicles.   If one of the other trailing cars decides to pass after you make your move, you may find that that acceleration advantage turns to a disadvantage in a hurry.  Because of the close proximity in passing situations, you may find yourself riding up the bumper of the car that made the unsafe pass in front of you.   When making a pass of this nature, your head needs to be on a swivel.  You need to be checking for oncoming traffic, and you need to be watching the movement of every vehicle that you are passing.  Finally, don’t count on cars using turn signals before making a move to pass. 
 
2. Passing on the Right
Several potential dangers lurk here.  First, if you are making a silly, dangerous, illegal pass on the margin of the road, you are asking for disaster.  Think about it - you are riding where the debris, gravel, and tire shreds congregate.  I have seen squids make these kinds of passes and I sometimes think that they are getting what they deserve if they go down.  However, a legitimate right-hand pass can also be risky.  Let’s say that a car is traveling too slowly in the left lane of a multiple lane road and you decide to pass through the slow (right) lane.  Most drivers are not as conditioned to carefully check for interference when moving to a right lane.  They may also make such a move quickly and unpredictably.
 
3. Passing on a Double Yellow
Okay – we all know this is illegal.  We also all know how tempting it can be when we are looking to enjoy a set of turns that we know are coming up, and we are following a frustratingly slow moving car.  The risks are obvious – there is a reason it is a designated double-yellow.  Knowing that you may attempt this kind of pass, here are a couple of considerations.  First, passing in the twisties is never a good idea.  If you are passing a car on a right turn, your vision is obstructed and you may end up staring directly at an oncoming vehicle.  If you pass on a left turn, you vision is less obstructed, but you can find yourself in a very confined turning radius at a high rate of speed.  It can also be very hard to make it back into the right lane in this kind of pass.

4. Passing a Truck or Bus
There problem here is not only the length of the vehicle being passed (although that is the primary factor).  The other element in this kind of pass is the wind turbulence that the large vehicle is producing.  You can find yourself being pushed away from the truck or bus at one point in the pass and sucked into it seconds later.  You also have to be very aware of how the vehicle is affecting the existing wind conditions.  When you complete the pass of the vehicle, you are no longer protected from a prevailing wind, which can blow you unexpectedly off course.

The final word on passing in challenging situations is to be hyper-aware. Expect the unexpected from other drivers.  If there is any undue risk, slow down, back off, and smell the roses for a few miles.  Most motorcyclists are risk-takers on some level.  However, don’t let a dangerous pass be your last.