Overtaking passes another road user travelling in the same direction, but changes road position, speed and safety margins. From assessment to returning to the normal lane, the driver must monitor what is ahead, alongside and behind.
The decisive question is whether the whole manoeuvre can be completed without making anyone else brake, change course or surrender needed space. Signs and prohibitions set the limits; visibility, traffic, speed difference and the road users involved determine whether a permitted pass is sensible. If any condition is missing, waiting is part of safe driving.
Understand the manoeuvre before starting
Under the Italian Highway Code, overtaking is the manoeuvre by which a vehicle passes another vehicle, an animal or a pedestrian, whether moving or stationary, occupying the lane or part of the carriageway normally being used. It does not necessarily involve entering opposing traffic. On a multilane road, moving left to pass a slower vehicle travelling in the same direction is still an overtaking manoeuvre.
Before deciding, picture every stage: leaving the normal position, drawing alongside, clearing the front of the other vehicle and returning with a proper gap. The required distance grows when the speed advantage is small, the vehicle being passed is long or one's own acceleration is limited. A short clear stretch ahead is not enough unless the whole manoeuvre can be completed and abandoned within it.
Checks that support the decision
First examine the road and its rules: a line that may be crossed, no applicable prohibition, a clear view for the entire distance required and enough room before approaching traffic. Bends, crests, gradients, rain, glare and large vehicles can conceal a conflict even when the first section looks empty. Adjust speed before deciding, because moving too close to the vehicle ahead reduces the view on which the decision depends.
Mirrors and a blind-spot check establish whether a following driver has already started to pass. Then observe the vehicle ahead: an indicator, lateral movement or approach to an obstruction can reveal an incompatible manoeuvre. Finally assess the real performance of one's own vehicle, including load and gradient. A safe plan cannot rely on other drivers slowing down or on extra space somehow appearing after the pass has begun.
Signal, move alongside and preserve space
Once every condition is satisfied, switch on the left indicator in good time and recheck the mirror and blind spot. The indicator is required to announce the lateral movement, but it gives no priority and does not require others to make room. A brief main-beam flash may signal an intention to overtake; outside built-up areas, a short horn warning may also be used when circumstances make it advisable. These are warnings, not demands, and never replace the indicator or the checks.
Overtaking normally takes place on the left, following a smooth path and leaving an adequate lateral gap. Accelerate enough to avoid lingering beside the other road user, but never exceed the speed limit or choose a speed unsuited to conditions. Following too closely before moving out seriously reduces the view ahead; passing too close leaves no allowance for a pothole, a gust of wind or a small deviation by either vehicle.
Clear the vehicle and return without cutting in
Begin the return only when the overtaken vehicle can be seen with a generous margin in the interior mirror, or in the available exterior mirrors on vehicles without one. Signal the move, return progressively to the normal lane and rebuild a safe following gap. Pulling immediately across the other vehicle removes its braking space and may force its driver to slow sharply, turning a well-started pass into a dangerous final phase.
On a carriageway with at least two lanes for each direction, move back towards the right after passing. A driver may remain in the overtaking lane to pass another vehicle immediately, provided faster traffic approaching from behind is not obstructed; this is not permission to occupy the left lane indefinitely. If conditions change while alongside, abandon the attempt calmly while space remains, without abrupt steering or braking.
Places where overtaking is prohibited or unpredictable
A NO OVERTAKING sign prohibits the manoeuvre for the vehicles to which it applies. A solid line has a different effect: it must not be crossed or straddled, but by itself it does not prohibit passing a road user when the vehicle remains wholly on its permitted side and no other rule forbids the manoeuvre. Overtaking is prohibited at or near bends and crests, and at any other place with insufficient visibility; in these cases it is permitted only on separated carriageways, one-way roads or roads with at least two lanes in the same direction, and only where the required road markings are present. It is also prohibited at or near junctions and ungated level crossings, subject to the specific exceptions in the Code.
Do not overtake a vehicle that is already overtaking another, or pass a queue waiting at traffic lights, a level crossing or congestion by entering the opposing side. Never pass a vehicle that has stopped or slowed to let pedestrians cross, because it may conceal them completely. A broken line merely means it may be crossed when lawful and safe; it does not automatically authorise overtaking.
Special cases and vulnerable road users
Overtake on the right when the vehicle ahead has signalled and begun a left turn; on a one-way carriageway, the same applies when it has signalled and begun to stop on the left, provided there is safe space. A tram not running on a reserved track is overtaken on the right when the width beside the rail allows; on a one-way carriageway it may be overtaken on either side. If a tram or trolleybus is stopped in the centre for passengers and there is no refuge, overtaking it on the right is prohibited.
When passing bicycles, mopeds, motorcycles, pedestrians or animals, allow for instability, wind and surface defects. A cyclist must be given an appropriate lateral distance and, where road conditions allow, at least one and a half metres. If that space is unavailable, wait. Pass animals and pedestrians slowly, ready to stop the manoeuvre, and avoid warnings or acceleration likely to frighten them or make their movement less predictable.
The responsibilities of the driver being overtaken
A driver being overtaken must not accelerate and should facilitate the manoeuvre. On a road with one lane in each direction, keep as close as reasonably possible to the right edge without entering an unusable shoulder or endangering vulnerable users. Do not compete, close the available gap or change lane unnecessarily. A stable, predictable course reduces the time for which the two vehicles remain side by side.
Being passed does not require sudden braking or a hazardous deviation to compensate for someone else's poor decision. Maintain a steady pace, watch the space ahead and leave room for the passing vehicle to return. When an emergency vehicle approaches with the prescribed audible and visual warnings operating, this is not ordinary overtaking: clear a path and stop if necessary, using deliberate movements that do not create a fresh obstruction.
Sources and legal references
These references support the rules and principles explained in the chapter.
- Codice della strada, articolo 40: segnali orizzontali · Automobile Club d'Italia Accessed
- Codice della strada, articolo 148: sorpasso · Automobile Club d'Italia Accessed
- Codice della strada, articolo 153: uso dei dispositivi di segnalazione visiva e di illuminazione · Automobile Club d'Italia Accessed
- Codice della strada, articolo 177: circolazione dei veicoli in servizio di emergenza · Automobile Club d'Italia Accessed
- Circolare protocollo 19281 del 5 luglio 2024: listato dei quesiti per le patenti A e B · Ministero delle infrastrutture e dei trasporti Accessed