To Legally Overtake Vehicles in Traffic, One Must Adhere to the Following Rules

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To be specific, according to regulations in Article 14 of the Road Traffic Law 2008, vehicles participating in traffic when intending to overtake other vehicles must comply with the following rules:

1. The vehicle requesting to overtake must signal with lights or horns; in urban areas and densely populated areas from 10 PM to 5 AM, only light signals are allowed to request overtaking.

2. The vehicle requesting to overtake may only do so when there are no obstacles ahead, no oncoming vehicles in the overtaking section, the vehicle in front is not indicating an intention to overtake another vehicle, and has moved to the right.

3. When there is a requesting vehicle to overtake, if conditions are safe, the driver of the vehicle in front must reduce speed, move close to the right side of the driving lane until the rear vehicle has overtaken and must not cause obstruction to the requesting vehicle.

4. When overtaking, vehicles must overtake on the left, except in the following cases where overtaking on the right is allowed:

- When the vehicle in front signals to turn left or is turning left;- When the tram is running in the middle of the road;- When special-use vehicles are working on the road and cannot be overtaken on the left.

5. Overtaking is not allowed in the following cases:

- There is an obstacle ahead; there are oncoming vehicles in the overtaking section, the vehicle in front is signaling to overtake another vehicle;- On narrow bridges with one traffic lane;- On curves, at the top of slopes, and places with limited visibility;- At intersections, where roads intersect at the same level with railways;- When weather conditions or the road are not safe for overtaking;- Priority vehicles are signaling priority in performing duties.

In addition, road traffic law also stipulates rules to follow when changing vehicle direction, specifically:

- When intending to change direction, the driver must reduce speed and signal the turning direction.- While changing direction, the driver of the motor vehicle or special-use vehicle must yield the right of way to pedestrians and cyclists on their dedicated lanes, yield to oncoming vehicles, and only change direction when it does not obstruct or endanger other people and vehicles.- In residential areas, drivers of motor vehicles and special-use vehicles may only make U-turns at intersections and places with signs allowing U-turns.- U-turns are not allowed at pedestrian crossings, on bridges, at bridgeheads, under overpasses, in underpasses, on expressways, at intersections with railways at the same level, narrow roads, slopes, or road sections with obscured visibility.

Nguyen Trinh

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