When Overtaking Is Prohibited

Overtaking is prohibited approaching the summit of a rise, a curve, or anywhere your view is too restricted to see oncoming traffic in time, unless you can do it without crossing onto the right-hand side of the road or the road is one-way. It is also prohibited where a no-overtaking line, sign R214 or R215 applies, and past a vehicle stopped at a pedestrian crossing.

Where overtaking is not allowed

Approaching a rise, a curve, or restricted view: Prohibited, with two narrow exceptionsRegulation 298(2)
A no-overtaking line (RM1): Prohibited, three exceptionsSARTSM Vol 1 Ch 7 §7.2.5
Sign R214: No overtaking any vehicle, for the next 500 mSA Learner Driver Manual
Sign R215: A heavy vehicle may not overtake another heavy vehicleSA Learner Driver Manual
A vehicle stopped at a pedestrian crossing: You may not pass itRegulation 315(4)
The shoulder or the verge: Never, to overtakeRegulation 298A

The rule of restricted view

Regulation 298(2) prohibits passing another vehicle when you are approaching the summit of a rise, a curve, or any other place where your view is so restricted that overtaking could create a hazard for traffic that might be coming the other way. The rule isn't about the shape of the road for its own sake — it's about whether you can see far enough ahead to know the lane you're about to use is actually clear.

It gives exactly two ways out, and both remove the head-on risk rather than excuse it: you may still pass if you can do so without encroaching on the right-hand side of the roadway at all, or if the road is restricted to traffic moving in one direction only. Neither applies just because you think no one is coming.

Lines and signs say the same thing without your having to judge it

A no-overtaking line — marking RM1 in the SADC Road Traffic Signs Manual — tells you the same thing regulation 298(2) does, but for a stretch of road an engineer has already assessed rather than one you have to judge yourself. You may not drive so that your vehicle crosses onto the right of the line, subject to three narrow exceptions: reaching a property on the other side, coming out of one, or passing something stationary that's blocking your lane.

Sign R214 prohibits overtaking any vehicle for the next 500 metres from where it's displayed; sign R215 does the same specifically for one heavy vehicle overtaking another. Their temporary counterparts, TR214 and TR215, carry the same force at roadworks. None of these needs you to assess the road yourself — the sign or the line has already done it.

The one about pedestrians people don't expect

Regulation 315(4) forbids passing a vehicle that has stopped at a pedestrian crossing to let people cross. The reason is simple: the stopped vehicle is blocking your view of exactly the people it stopped for, and pulling out to pass it is the manoeuvre most likely to put you into someone you never saw.

It applies whether or not you can see a pedestrian yourself. The rule isn't conditional on spotting someone — a vehicle stopped there is the signal, and it's enough on its own.

The mistake

Reading "restricted view" as a judgement call you get to make in the moment. Regulation 298(2) exists precisely because that judgement is unreliable — a rise or a bend can hide an oncoming vehicle travelling faster than you expect, and by the time you can see it, it's too late to abort the pass.

The other one is using the shoulder to get past when the lane ahead is genuinely blocked by the rule. Regulation 298A prohibits driving on the shoulder to overtake in every circumstance; its one exception exists so you can be overtaken safely in daylight, not so you can pass someone yourself.

This sits inside the rules of the road section

Overtaking questions are scored with the rest of rules of the road, separately from signs and vehicle controls. The free readiness test takes a couple of minutes and shows you the three sections apart.

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Common questions

When is it illegal to overtake in South Africa?

Approaching the summit of a rise, a curve, or anywhere your view is too restricted to be sure the road ahead is clear of oncoming traffic — regulation 298(2) — unless you can pass without crossing to the right-hand side, or the road is one-way. It's also illegal where a no-overtaking line or sign R214 or R215 applies, and past a vehicle stopped at a pedestrian crossing.

What does sign R214 mean?

That overtaking any vehicle is prohibited for the next 500 metres from the sign. Sign R215 is narrower — it prohibits one heavy vehicle from overtaking another heavy vehicle for the same distance. Both figures come from the Department of Transport's learner-driver manual, not the regulations.

Can I cross a no-overtaking line to pass a moving vehicle?

No. A no-overtaking line has three exceptions — reaching a property on the other side, coming out of one, or passing a stationary obstruction — and passing a moving vehicle isn't among them.

Why can't I pass a car that's stopped for pedestrians?

Regulation 315(4) forbids it outright, because the stopped vehicle blocks your view of the people it stopped for. It applies whether or not you can see anyone crossing.

Sources

National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 298(2)No passing when approaching the summit of a rise, a curve, or any other place where the driver's view is so restricted that passing could create a hazard for oncoming traffic, unless the driver can do so without encroaching on the right-hand side of the roadway, or the roadway is restricted to one direction.
National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 298AProhibition on driving on the shoulder of a public road, subject only to the daylight exception for being overtaken on a road with one lane each way, at 150 metres visibility.
National Road Traffic Regulations, 2000 — regulation 315(4)Where a vehicle is stopped at a pedestrian crossing to permit pedestrians to cross, a driver approaching from the rear "shall not pass such stopped vehicle".
SADC Road Traffic Signs Manual, Volume 1, Chapter 7 (May 2012) — §7.2.5No Overtaking Line marking RM1: a driver shall not drive so that the vehicle is on the right of the marking or crosses it, with three exceptions — direct access to or from land on the opposite side, and passing a stationary obstruction — provided it is safe to do so.
SA Learner Driver Manual — Road Traffic Signs (Department of Transport, version 1.00, June 2012) — Overtaking prohibited (R214, TR214, R215, TR215)"To inform drivers that overtaking vehicles is prohibited for the next 500m. If sign R214 or TR214 is displayed, do not overtake any vehicle for the next 500m. If you are driving a heavy motor vehicle, do not overtake another heavy vehicle if sign R215 is displayed."

Last updated 2026-09-23.