A method for determination of the "approach line" length at sections where overtaking is prohibited

Abstract According to an analysis of effective legislative acts, disadvantages in traffic management regulations related to the application of horizontal marking, manifesting in overtaking, are identified. In particular, effective regulations determining the length of a section preceding a continuous line prohibiting overtaking were approved in the 20th century and currently have no technical substantiation. Calculation and technical substantiation of the "approach line" length (1.6 in the Road Traffic Regulations of the Russian Federation) at sections where overtaking is prohibited are based on the dependency of distances travelled by vehicles on absolute and relative vehicle speed, time spent to cover such distances, and deceleration parameters ensuring traffic safety. It is theoretically substantiated, that the length of horizontal marking line 1.6 preceding road marking, prohibiting travelling on the lane of traffic moving in the opposite direction at a marked section of the road, is insufficient. According to calculations, in non-residential areas, its minimum length shall be at least 120 m. A dependency of vehicles’ motion relative to each other, travelled distances, and speed on time and motion pattern is established. Results of the study have applied relevance and can be used by practitioners in the field of vehicle maintenance to perform vehicular investigation to obtain objective data on the observance of Road Traffic Regulations (RTR) by drivers.