Overtaking distance

1.5 m minimum distance when overtaking motor vehicles and bicycles

Too little overtaking distance is one of the most common causes of accidents between cyclists and motor vehicles on the road. Overtaking too closely endangers both overtaking drivers and cyclists.

Overtaking distance is not a question of right.
The conflict between cars and cyclists all too often leads to a categorical and instructive "dead end". Motorists accuse cyclists of wanting to categorically enforce their rights. Cyclists feel that their fears are not understood. What many people do not realize is that there are also clear physical reasons why the overtaking distance should be at least 1.5 m, including the reaction to pressure and suction described above.

Unlike drivers of motor vehicles, cyclists move on two wheels. They often start off swaying slightly until they have stabilized on the road. On the road, they have to be able to compensate for the suction and pressure generated by vehicles passing them at a faster speed and react to potholes and bumps. To do this, they need space that allows them to react.

Too close a distance when overtaking restricts this reaction space. This creates fear and discomfort. Hence the advice: only overtake if you can maintain a distance of at least 1.50 m.

Nevertheless: The legal situation
The topic of "overtaking distance" is not a "Lex-Aachen" and also not a "mere wish" of cyclists.
StVO § 5 Para. 4: "When overtaking, a sufficient distance to the side of other road users, in particular pedestrians and cyclists, must be maintained." This requirement was established in 1975 to provide road users with comprehensive information on correct behavior when overtaking. The law does not specify a distance that can be measured in meters.

There are numerous judgments in which insufficient overtaking distance was an issue, e.g.

• In the 1950s and 1960s, one meter was traded.
• In 1972, the Schleswig Higher Regional Court declared that a distance of two meters was required when a truck overtakes a child.
• Since the 1980s: Saarbrücken Higher Regional Court (3 U 141/79): When overtaking, the distance to the side of a cyclist riding in the right direction must be 1.5-2 m, depending on the speed of the overtaking motor vehicle.
• OLG Hamm (6 U 91/93): Minimum distance 1.5m.
• 2003: OLG Düsseldorf (1 U 234/02): minimum distance generally considered necessary: 1.5m.
• 2019: Federal Transport Minister Scheuer wants to stipulate a minimum overtaking distance of 1.5 m in urban areas and two meters outside urban areas.

Accident experts can reconstruct the distance of the overtaking vehicle to the right-hand side of the road.

Conclusions for the road

If it is not possible to overtake with sufficient safety distance, motorized traffic is required to drive behind cyclists until it is possible to overtake with at least 1.5 m lateral distance. During the overtaking process, it may also be necessary to briefly swerve into the opposite lane, provided this is clear. In the case of multi-lane carriageways in one direction, using the left-hand lane when overtaking cyclists in the right-hand lane may already create the necessary distance.

Reasons for insufficient overtaking distance include

• Lack of awareness: Many people are not aware of the importance of the overtaking distance. The campaign aims to raise awareness of this.
• Incorrect assessment: As the perspective from the car is difficult to assess, the distance is often misjudged. For this reason, the city of Aachen, with the kind support of cambio carsharing, invites people to get into real cars at its stand during campaign days and have the distance to adjacent bicycles estimated.

Compliance with the minimum overtaking distance

Further topics