Back when Ged and I were training to become ADIs, the steps for overtaking in ‘The Driving Manual’ were stated as MPSLMSM. This remained the case in seven editions of the updated version of the book (retitled, ‘The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills’). But in the 6th impression (released in 2013), this guidance mysteriously (and without explanation) changed to simply MSPSL
So which method is best, and which routine should we be teaching?
The ‘Old’ Guidance
The following extract is taken from the 6th edition of The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills, released in 2007):
Mirrors – Always check in your mirrors to assess the speed and position of traffic behind.
Position – Be near enough to the vehicle ahead to overtake smoothly when you’re ready, but not so close that you can’t get a good view of the road ahead.
Speed – Be fast enough to keep up with the vehicle in front and with enough reserve power to pass it briskly. You might need to change down to get extra acceleration when you’re ready to start overtaking.
Look – Assess the whole situation
• the state of the road
• what the driver ahead is doing or might be about to do
• any hazards
• the speed and position of oncoming vehicles
• speed difference between you and oncoming vehicles.
Mirrors – Check your mirrors again to reassess the situation. Check especially for motorcyclists as they approach very quickly and may have been hidden from view previously. Be aware of, and check, any blind spots by taking a quick sideways glance if necessary, before deciding to pull out to overtake. Never begin to overtake is another vehicle is overtaking you or is about to do so. Overtake only when you are sure it’s safe to do so.
Signal – Always give a signal. This helps
• drivers behind
• the driver you are overtaking
• drivers coming towards you.
Manoeuvre – Make a final check in front and behind. If it’s safe, pull out on a smooth easy line.
• overtake as quickly as you can
• Check your mirrors to see that you’re clear of the vehicle you’ve overtaken
• Move back to the left again on a smooth easy line, but avoid cutting in.
This is all sound advice, especially when overtaking on a two lane, two way road and to overtake would require the driver to cross onto the opposite side of the road.
The ‘New’ Guidance
The latest version (6th impression, 2013) of The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills recommends the MSPSL routine:
Mirrors – Check your mirrors to assess the situation behind and look well ahead.
Signal – Give a signal if it will help:
• drivers behind
• the driver you’re overtaking
• drivers coming towards you
Position – Be near enough to the vehicle ahead to overtake smoothly when you’re ready, but not so close that you can’t get a good view of the road ahead.
Speed – Be fast enough to keep up with the vehicle in front and with enough reserve power to pass it briskly. You might need to change down to get extra acceleration when you’re ready to start overtaking.
Look – Assess the whole situation
• the state of the road
• what the driver ahead is doing or might be about to do
• any hazards
• the speed and position of oncoming vehicles
• speed difference between you and oncoming vehicles.
Make a final check in front and behind. Check especially for motorcyclists as they can approach very quickly and may have been hidden from view previously. Be aware of, and check, any blind spots by taking a quick sideways glance if necessary, before deciding to pull out to overtake. Never begin to overtake is another vehicle is overtaking you or is about to do so. Overtake only when you are sure it’s safe to do so.
So why the change of guidelines for Overtaking?
We believe that each method has its place. Most overtaking opportunities arise on multi-lane roads. Because there are extra lanes to use, it’s not necessary to have to cross onto the opposite side of the road. For these types of road, the MSPSL routine is perfectly adequate. However, on two lane two-way roads, the MPSLMSM becomes more relevant and effective. It is imperative that the driver plans more thoroughly with the possibility of meeting oncoming traffic, and that they overtake quickly so they can return to their own side of the road safely and in good time.
It’s worth recognising how an overtaking manoeuvre can be different, depending on the type of road and layout, and discussing this with your pupils. Bear in mind that if you are working towards your ADI Part 3 test, or you have a Check Test and are including overtaking as part of the lesson plan (e.g. a Pass Plus module on Motorways, rural roads or dual carriageways), you must know the correct recommended sequence. We have met several DSA examiners who are not aware of the changes, so it’s a good idea to refer to both the old method and the updated method as recommended in The Official DSA Guide to Driving: The Essential Skills, and considering the distinction between them.
Something much more important!
Regardless of which routine is used, what doesn’t change is the importance of selecting a suitable place to overtake and judging a safe gap in approaching traffic, especially on a two lane, two way road.
The DECISION to overtake can be the killer, rather than the routine itself.
I always remember reading a local news story about a young driver who overtook another vehicle on one of the rural roads near to where we live. He had four of his friends in the car and he hit a single-decker bus coming the other way. The driver and two of his friends were killed instantly, another two were left in a critical condition. It was a shocking (yet all too common) story. I couldn’t help asking myself if we as driving instructors are doing all we can in order to reduce the chances of this happening to those we have taught to drive.
How can ADIs help?
When we discuss overtaking with ADIs coming to use for development coaching, many will say that they talk about overtaking with most of their learner drivers, but don’t cover it in much detail because practical opportunities to do so rarely arise.
It might be worthwhile for us all to consider how much depth we go into with regards to overtaking. After all, it’s a far more dangerous manoeuvre than all the reversing ones we spend so much time and focus on!
As an ADI, do you explore safe and unsafe places to overtake while out on the roads and the reasons that would make it unsafe or safe? For example:
“Would you consider it safe to overtake on this road? Why not?”
“Where might be suitable to overtake on this road?” “What makes that a good place to overtake?”
Also, do you explore how much time and distance would be needed to overtake safely?
“If we did need to overtake, which gap in the oncoming traffic do you think would be suitable?”
Once a gap is identified, a hypothetical overtake commentary can establish if it is a safe gap. For example:
“So we’d check our centre mirror and right mirror to look for anything overtaking us, maybe gear down for acceleration, signal right, check for anything overtaking us again, move out….. we’d be overtaking the car about now… oh look that car has reached us now!”
This would help the driver see how quickly the gap would close. You could then go on to explore possible consequences of overtaking without a sufficient gap. Do this often enough and the ‘calibration’ process of what constitutes a safe gap (or preferably a gap with NOTHING approaching!) will be better understood and judged by the driver in any future possible overtake scenarios. What’s really important is that they qualify as drivers with all the information and skills needed to make a safe decision… EVERY SINGLE TIME.
Returning to the tragic local story I mentioned earlier, we can only speculate whether or not the young driver’s instructor fully explored safe overtaking during their lessons together. If the instructor did cover this area sufficiently, then lack of k
nowledge and understanding may not have been a factor in the crash. Perhaps the driver just made the DECISION to overtake, regardless of the risks. Maybe he was showing off to his mates, was distracted or thought he was invincible, a lot of young people have the ‘it will never happen to me’ attitude. Perhaps his brain development was a factor – the brain’s pre-frontal cortex, which governs emotion, risk-taking and decision-making, does not fully mature until the age of 25.
However, if the instructor didn’t sufficiently cover safe overtaking, then this could be considered one of the contributory factors. As ADIs, we are all responsible for ensuring our learners pass their driving test equipped with the knowledge, understanding and skills to tackle a multitude of real life situations, beyond that which is required to pass the driving test. This includes safe overtaking.
I know it’s hard to cover all aspects of driving in the limited time available, and yes – it can sometimes be challenging to change the pre-formed attitudes and beliefs of the people we are working with. I am sure Ged and I have not always explored overtaking as much as I have mentioned here with our own pupils, particularly in the early years of our career – nobody’s perfect!
But we like to think that all the ADIs we have trained realise the importance of teaching safe overtaking and go out there making sure that all the novice drivers they work with know and understand how to overtake other vehicles.
If you don’t already explore overtaking in depth with your pupils, please start now – you might just save some lives.
GIVE US YOUR FEEDBACK! Do you teach your pupils how to overtake safely? What if no practical opportunities arise? How does your geographical location affect your ability to teach overtaking effectively? Please share your advice and experiences – we’d love to hear from you.
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