Overtaking violations in left-turn lanes of rural roads

Overtaking is a high risk manoeuvre for road users, still drivers often accept this risk, moreover often commit irregular overtaking manoeuvres. The paper gives some overview on traffic violations and irregular overtaking manoeuvres. Left-turn lanes on the major road are usual elements of unsignalized at-grade junctions on two-lane roads outside urban areas. In several cases the left-turn lane, built for safety reasons, has the unintended negative effect, it becomes a dangerous spot. The paper analyses overtaking manoeuvres at left-turn lanes on Hungarian roads. Site surveys were completed at typical sites outside built-up areas. The frequency of irregular overtaking manoeuvres, geometric design, traffic volume, traffic mix and speed characteristics were registered at the intersections. Accident statistics have been collected. Relationships between the frequency of irregular manoeuvres, accident statistics, geometric parameters and traffic data are analysed. KEYWORDS: driver behaviour, left-turn lane, irregular overtaking, site survey, violatio