Article 13. Speed and Distance Between Vehicles
1. Every driver of a vehicle shall in all circumstances have his vehicle under control
so as to be able to exercise due and proper care and to be at all times in a position
to perform all manoeuvres required of him. He shall, when adjusting the speed of
his vehicle, pay constant regard to the circumstances, in particular the lie of
the land, the state of the road, the condition and load of his vehicle, the weather
conditions and the density of traffic, so as to be able to stop his vehicle within
his range of forward vision and short of any foreseeable obstruction. He shall slow
down and if necessary stop whenever circumstances so require, and particularly when
visibility is not good.
2. Domestic legislation shall establish maximum speed limits for all roads. Domestic
legislation shall also determine special speed limits applicable to certain categories
of vehicles presenting a special danger, in particular by reason of their mass or
their load. They may establish similar provisions for certain categories of drivers,
in particular for new drivers.
3. The provisions set out in the first sentence of paragraph 2 may not apply to
drivers of priority vehicles referred to in
Article 34, paragraph 2, or vehicles treated as such in domestic
legislation.
4. No driver shall impede the normal progress of other vehicles by travelling abnormally
slowly without proper cause.
5. The driver of a vehicle moving behind another vehicle shall keep at a sufficient
distance from that other vehicle to avoid collision if the vehicle in front should
suddenly slow down or stop.
6. Outside built-up areas, in order to facilitate overtaking, drivers of vehicles
or combinations of vehicles of more than 3,500 kg permissible maximum mass, or of
more than 10 m overall length, shall, except when they are overtaking or preparing
to overtake, keep at such distance from power-driven vehicles ahead of them that
other vehicles overtaking them can without danger move into the space in front of
the overtaken vehicle. However, this provision shall not apply in very dense traffic
or in circumstances where overtaking is prohibited. In addition:
(a) The competent authorities may exempt certain conveys
of vehicles from this provision, or may similarly make it inapplicable on roads
where two lanes are allotted to traffic in the direction concerned;
(b) Contracting Parties and subdivisions thereof may prescribe
different figures from those given in this paragraph with respect to the vehicle
characteristics concerned.
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