Article 12. Passing of Oncoming Traffic
1. When passing oncoming traffic, a driver shall leave sufficient lateral space
and, if necessary, move close to the edge of the carriageway appropriate to the
direction of traffic. If in so doing he finds his progress impeded by an obstruction
or by the presence of other road-users, he shall slow down and if necessary stop
to allow the oncoming road-user or road-users to pass.
2. On mountain roads and steep roads with characteristics similar to those of mountain
roads, where the passing of oncoming traffic is impossible or difficult, it is the
driver of the vehicle travelling downhill who should pull in to the side of the
road in order to allow any vehicle proceeding uphill to pass, except where the arrangement
of lay-bys to enable vehicles to pull in to the side of the road is such that, having
regard to the speed and position of the vehicles, the vehicle proceeding uphill
has a lay-by ahead of it and the need for one of the vehicles to reverse could be
avoided if the vehicle proceeding uphill pulled in to that lay-by. Where one of
the two vehicles which are about to pass is obliged to reverse in order to make
passing possible, this manoeuvre shall be performed by the driver of the vehicle
proceeding downhill unless it can manifestly be more easily performed by the driver
of the vehicle proceeding uphill. However, Contracting Parties or subdivisions thereof
may prescribe for certain vehicles or certain roads or sections of roads special
rules differing from those laid down in this paragraph.
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