There's the obvious stuff of course, but a couple of things riders should also look for:
- Make sure you are in an appropriate gear before you pull out to allow you to accelerate suitably to overtake.
- Make sure there is space in the line of traffic ahead to pull back in. If there’s heavy traffic, getting back into the line at speed can be difficult if vehicles are following each other closely.
- Scan the road ahead for cross streets – cars could pull out into the on-coming lane thinking it is clear. This also applies to cross streets where the vehicle you are overtaking may turn right.
- Do a mirror check and head check before you pull out to make sure there isn’t already another vehicle or bike coming past. For example when you’ve been stuck behind a slow vehicle and traffic has banked up behind you.
- Remember to turn your indicator off when you pull back into the line of traffic.