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Vehicles, gap, oncoming traffic4.5 m and 4.5 m long, 15 m gap, oncoming traffic 100 km/h
m
m
m
km/h

Clear view needed

180m

180

Overtaking takes 2.8 s. You cover 101 m and oncoming traffic comes 78 m closer – so you need 180 m of clear view.

Sight distance to scale

Overtaking time
2.8 s
Relative overtaking distanceBoth vehicle lengths plus twice the safety gap
39 m
Your distance
101.5 m
Oncoming traffic distance
78.1 m
How this was calculated
s_rel = 4.5 + 4.5 + 2 × 15 = 39 m
t = s_rel ÷ Δv = 39 ÷ ((130 − 80) ÷ 3.6) = 2.81 s
s = 101.5 + 78.1 = 179.5 m

Simplified model with constant speeds. You must gain the relative distance on the vehicle ahead; during that time oncoming traffic approaches.

What you can do

  • For orientation only

    Approximate model. Real-world overtaking requires sufficient visibility, a dry road surface and knowledge of traffic regulations.

Overtaking Distance Calculator by Rechnerzentrale(opens in a new tab)