When overtaking a truck, the safe behaviours are to:

  • check your blind spot and mirrors
  • check ahead for approaching traffic
  • indicate in advance

You must NOT exceed the speed limit, even to “quickly clear” the vehicle. Exceeding the limit is illegal and unsafe, so it is not a correct option.

Safe behaviours (what you SHOULD do)

  • Check your blind spot and mirrors : Before moving out, look in your mirrors and over your shoulder to be sure there is no vehicle beside or just behind you in the next lane.
  • Check ahead for approaching traffic: Make sure the oncoming lane (or the lane you’re moving into) is clear for the entire time you’ll need to pass the truck, remembering trucks are long and take more time to overtake.
  • Indicate in advance: Signal early so drivers behind and in front know you intend to overtake; hold the signal while you change lanes and complete the manoeuvre.

Behaviours that are NOT safe

  • Exceeding the speed limit to overtake: Guidance for driver tests and road safety explicitly rejects “exceed the speed limit to safely clear the vehicle” as a safe behaviour; it is listed as an incorrect option in multiple explanations of this exact question.
  • Lingering beside the truck or cutting back in too soon: You should pass decisively within the speed limit and only return once you can clearly see the truck in your mirrors, giving it ample space.

Mini recap

For the question “you want to overtake the truck. which of the following are safe behaviours when overtaking another vehicle?”, the correct (safe) choices are:

  • Check your blind spot and mirrors.
  • Check ahead for approaching traffic.
  • Indicate in advance.

Do not choose “exceed the speed limit to safely clear the vehicle,” as it is unsafe and incorrect.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.