Traffic safety impacts of irregular overtaking in left-turn lanes at road intersections outside built-up areas.

Overtaking is a high risk manoeuvre for road users, still drivers often accept this risk, moreover they often commit irregular overtaking manoeuvres. The paper gives some overview on traffic violations and irregular overtaking manoeuvres. Left-turn lanes on major roads are usual elements of unsignalised 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, of becoming 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. Relationships between the frequency of irregular manoeuvres, accident statistics, geometric parameters and traffic data are analysed. (Author/publisher)