Where should overtaking be avoided?

Why that is the answer

You must avoid overtaking before a dip in the road because oncoming vehicles can easily be hidden from view. The Highway Code stresses that you should only overtake when you have a clear, unobstructed view of the road ahead. You can overtake on one-way streets or 30mph roads if safe. After a bend, your vision improves, but overtaking before a dip restricts your line of sight, making it extremely dangerous.

How this comes up in the real test

Questions from alertness appear throughout the 50-question multiple-choice section, and the wording changes between versions. Learn the rule rather than the sentence: the DVSA can ask the same point from the opposite direction, and a memorised answer falls over the moment the phrasing moves.

The pass mark is 43 out of 50, so seven wrong answers is your entire margin. If a whole category is shaky, run the topic practice below until you are getting every question right for the right reason, then go back to full mocks under the clock.

More alertness questions

• Before making a U-turn, what should you do?
• Before slowing or stopping your vehicle, what is something you must do?
• How can you make sure that a satellite navigation (satnav) system doesn’t distract you when you’re driving?
• How should you pass the cyclists?
• Something is hanging from your rearview mirror. Why might this pose a risk?
• The windscreen pillar is restricting your view when waiting to emerge from a junction. What should you be especially cautious of?