09/06/2026
đźš› THE HGV WAS ALREADY OVERTAKING
( A requested post from a HGV driver)
This is a situation many professional drivers will recognise.
An HGV moves out to overtake a slower vehicle. The manoeuvre is planned, mirrors checked, and the overtake begins.
Then something changes.
The vehicle being overtaken suddenly starts accelerating.
Not dramatically, sometimes only by a few miles per hour.
The result is that the lorry is left sitting alongside them for far longer than intended.
Many car drivers do not even realise they are doing it. They may have been distracted, noticed the lorry coming past and subconsciously increased their speed, or simply failed to maintain a consistent pace.
What they have actually done is trap both vehicles side by side.
The HGV cannot complete the overtake as planned. Moving back in may not be possible. Other traffic begins building behind. Frustration grows, and a manoeuvre that should have taken seconds can end up lasting miles.
From the lorry driver’s perspective, it is not about winning a race.
It is about completing a safe overtake and returning to the correct lane.
If a vehicle is overtaking you, maintaining a steady speed helps everyone. Suddenly accelerating halfway through the manoeuvre often creates more risk, more congestion, and more frustration for every road user involved.
The roads are not a competition.
Sometimes the safest thing you can do is simply keep doing what you were doing in the first place.
✍️ Sheena Ahmed
Motorvation School of Motoring
