Safe Overtaking with a Motorhome

Overtaking pointers for motorhome drivers

All overtaking should be done on the right-hand side of the vehicle — it does include multi-lane freeways and motorways, though evidence would suggest not everybody considers this reasonable. The only exception is when vehicles are stopped for some reason, like doing a right-hand turn.

Things to check for when overtaking with a motorhome

Before anything else, check ahead of the slower vehicle. Is there enough distance to complete your manoeuvre? This may sound obvious, but check for side roads, railway crossings and anything else that might affect your overtaking space.

What to consider prior to overtaking

With a heavier vehicle, it’s a good idea to sit back a bit from the vehicle you intend overtaking. When the time comes that gives you space to accelerate up to overtaking speed without actually being on the wrong side of the road. Check your mirrors to make sure someone else with a quicker vehicle isn’t trying to do the same thing you are.

Indicate before overtaking

Don’t forget the old indicators. Some people seem to think that modern vehicles don’t have these things but it’s usually one of the stalks on the steering column, left-hand side for European and US vehicles, right-hand side for Japanese. Apart from being a legal requirement, it tells anyone behind what you intend to do and may catch the attention of the driver upfront as well.

If you find yourself needing to overtake a truck and have a UHF radio fitted to your motorhome, communicating with the driver can make the process much smoother and safer. Most trucks display the channel they use on the rear of the truck, but if not, try channel 40, the most commonly used channel in haulage.

Passing safely with a motorhome

One final check is to make sure there are no blind spots (road dips or curves) that might interfere with your vision. Accelerate smoothly and rapidly to pass the vehicle in front and once past the vehicle, use your mirrors to make sure there’s enough clearance before moving back into the left-hand lane — if you get lucky you might get a quick headlight flash from the passed vehicle to indicate it’s safe to do so.