There are two issues here. Overtaking stationary or slow moving traffic and overtaking other traffic at speed.
Overtaking not only requires the skill to judge speed and distance, but a good knowledge of your bike’s acceleration. With a bike you are not used to riding, take time to learn how it reacts to acceleration and braking in different gears, before doing any overtaking.
Overtaking slow moving or stationary traffic has hazards of its own, do it with care. Pedestrians are likely to appear that were hidden by high sided vehicles, traffic may turn in front of you near junctions without warning, most of our roads are narrow and you may not be able to keep to your side of the road or get back into the line of traffic you are overtaking.
The closely packed vehicles reduce your visibility, maneuverability and reaction time to a minimum. A lot of drivers will not know that you are there and may move across in front of you or open a door.
Don’t overtake when approaching:
- bends
- junctions
- lay-bys
- pedestrian crossings
- hills or dips in the road
- where there are double white lines or other signs prohibiting overtaking
There could be a high speed vehicle coming the other way, hidden from view. To overtake safely you need a view of everything going on around you. You have no idea how a driver or rider will react when they see you overtaking them. You can’t assume they will slow down to let you in. They may do the opposite.
If you are riding with others, plan everything for yourself. Snap overtaking decisions are dangerous.