14.10. Is the driver of the black car allowed to overtake in this situation?
UAЧи дозволено водієві чорного автомобіля виконати обгін у цій ситуації?
This is an exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine about the safety of overtaking on a two-way road, where the risk of a head-on collision is at its highest. Such situations are especially dangerous on curves and in places where the driver cannot see the oncoming traffic at a sufficient distance, so the traffic rules establish direct prohibitions regardless of the driver’s intentions or confidence in the maneuver.
The question tests Section 14 "Overtaking" and the ability to apply clause 14.6(d) of the Traffic Rules: overtaking is prohibited on sharp curves and other sections with limited visibility or insufficient visibility. It is also important here to understand the definitions from clause 1.10: overtaking is passing another vehicle by moving into the oncoming lane, and limited visibility arises due to the road’s geometry, vegetation, and other objects. Warning sign 1.3.1 "Multiple curves" additionally alerts the driver that a series of dangerous curves lies ahead, where the oncoming lane may "open up" too late for the maneuver to be completed safely.
If we analyze the answer options, the advice "allowed, after making sure there are no oncoming vehicles" does not apply precisely because of limited visibility: the driver is physically unable to reliably assess the situation along the entire length of the overtaking maneuver. The condition about a speed of less than 30 km/h refers to specific exceptions for crossing a solid line in certain cases, but it does not cancel the direct prohibition of overtaking on dangerous curves under clause 14.6(d). The combined option is also incorrect, because no additional "assurance" or low speed of the vehicle being overtaken makes overtaking legal in a zone with limited visibility, which is exactly what is being tested in the theoretical exam.
Clause 14.6 (d) (Section 14 "Overtaking")
Overtaking is prohibited: (d) at the end of an ascent, on bridges, overpasses, flyovers, on sharp curves and other road sections with limited visibility or in conditions of insufficient visibility.
Application to the situation: on a section with dangerous/sharp curves and limited visibility, entering the oncoming lane for overtaking is directly prohibited by this clause.
Clause 1.10 (term "Overtaking")
Overtaking — passing one or more vehicles involving entering the oncoming lane.
Application to the situation: the intention of the black car to pass another vehicle by entering the oncoming lane is exactly "overtaking," and therefore the prohibitions of clause 14.6 apply to it.
Clause 1.10 (term "Limited visibility")
Limited visibility — the visibility of the road in the direction of travel, limited by the geometric parameters of the road, roadside engineering structures, plantings, and other objects, as well as vehicles.
Application to the situation: curves and roadside plantings/objects create limited visibility, which is a direct reason for the prohibition of overtaking under clause 14.6 (d).
Clause 33.1 — 33 "Road signs", 1 "Warning signs", sign 1.3.1 "Multiple curves"
Sign 1.3.1 "Multiple curves" — a section of road with two or more dangerous curves in succession, with the first curve to the right.
Application to the situation: the warning sign confirms the presence of dangerous curves (a typical area with limited visibility), where overtaking is prohibited by clause 14.6 (d).
Thus, the correct answer is "Prohibited," given that according to the definition in the Traffic Rules, overtaking (entering the oncoming lane to pass) on sharp curves and other sections with limited visibility is directly prohibited by clause 14.6 (d).
To answer the question, let’s first recall what overtaking is. According to the Traffic Rules, overtaking is defined as passing another vehicle, which necessarily involves entering the oncoming traffic lane. That is, for the driver of the black car to overtake, they must drive into the lane for oncoming vehicles.
The depicted section of the road has signs of limited visibility: a warning sign indicating several dangerous curves and the road configuration itself (a curve where the oncoming direction cannot be seen far enough ahead). Limited visibility means that the driver cannot see vehicles that may appear in the oncoming lane in advance due to the road’s geometry and surrounding objects.
This is exactly why the Traffic Rules explicitly prohibit overtaking in such places. According to clause 14.6 (d), overtaking is not allowed on sharp curves and in other areas of roads with limited visibility. The logic of this rule is simple: during overtaking, the car spends some time in the oncoming lane, and because of the curve, the driver may notice oncoming traffic too late, creating a real risk of a head-on collision.
Therefore, the correct answer is "Prohibited," because overtaking here would require entering the oncoming lane in a dangerous curve with limited visibility, where clause 14.6 (d) of the Traffic Rules directly prohibits overtaking.