Meeting Traffic/Clearance

How To Approach Meeting Situations

When dealing with meeting situations it is important that you understand the meaning of ANTICIPATION. Anticipation is looking well ahead and working out what other road users are doing. You will then need to act promptly on the changes you see happening. You need to CONTINUOUSLY question what is happening well ahead. If you do this, you will be able to decide in good time what you should do. Eventually, with experience, you will do this automatically.

Meeting Traffic - A meeting situation occurs when one vehicle has to move into the middle of the road, for example to pass a parked car, and there is another vehicle coming towards it. Unless each driver has identified the potential danger and planned carefully, both cars will meet in the middle of the road. This could result in an accident.

Anticipation - LOOK well ahead and identify if there is a vehicle coming towards you. Understand if either you or the oncoming vehicle needs to move into the middle of the road. If there are no hazards such as parked cars to go around, then you do not have a meeting situation. If there are, then you could have a potential meeting situation

Mirrors - MIRRORS: Having identified the potential meeting situation, check your centre and right door mirrors. You will need to understand what is happening behind you before you slow down or change direction.

Priority - PRIORITY: If the hazard is on your side of the Road, then the oncoming vehicle has priority and you should hold back. If the hazard is on the other side of the road, then you have priority and the oncoming vehicle should hold back. If there are hazards on both sides of the road then no one has priority.

Holding Back - HOLD BACK POSITION: Regardless of who has priority, the most important thing to understand is what the vehicle coming towards you is doing.

Continually question the oncoming vehicle's movements. Is the oncoming vehicle slowing down? Is the oncoming vehicle moving towards the kerb? If it is, it is likely that vehicle is 'holding back' and you should be able to continue. On the other hand, is the oncoming vehicle maintaining its speed and position. If it is, then you should consider 'holding back'.

It may be that by timing your approach and slowing down it will give the vehicle coming towards you plenty of time to move past the hazard before you reach it.

It may be that the road is wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass the hazard at the same time, but at a slower speed.

It may be that the road is not wide enough for 2 vehicles to pass the hazard at the same time and despite slowing down you are going to have to stop to allow the other vehicle through. In this instance you should 'hold back'. The correct 'holdback' position is generally about 1-2 car lengths away from the hazard and left of the centre line. Your position should allow enough room for the oncoming vehicle to pass comfortably and at the same time inform other road users you intend to continue when it is safe to do so.