Test yourself
What the sign looks like and what it’s telling you
The sign at a glance
| Category | Regulatory |
| Shape | Rectangle |
| Colours | Red border with black symbols |
| Standard | AS 1742 (Australian Standard for traffic signs) |
| Appears in | All states and territories |
In most Australian states you’ll meet this as a regulatory sign: the black words NO OVERTAKING OR PASSING on a white rectangular plate, and in some locations a symbolic version showing two cars inside a red circle. "Regulatory" is the important word — unlike the yellow diamond warning signs that suggest caution, a regulatory sign is a legal instruction. The moment you drive past it, the instruction is active for you.
What it instructs is simple: do not move out to get past the vehicle in front. That covers the classic overtake — pulling into the oncoming lane on a two-way road — and it also covers passing another vehicle on the same side of the road. It applies to you whether the vehicle ahead is a semi-trailer doing 90, a tractor crawling at 25, or a nervous learner sitting well under the limit.
The sign does not ask you to judge whether overtaking is safe here. The road authority has already studied this stretch and decided it isn’t — so the decision is taken out of your hands. That is the entire purpose of a regulatory sign: consistency, so that no driver has to gamble on a blind crest and no oncoming driver has to hope you guessed right.
The rule behind the sign — and where line markings fit in
The obligation itself is short: while a "no overtaking or passing" sign applies to you, you must not overtake or pass. It doesn’t matter that the road ahead happens to look clear at that second — the ban is fixed to the piece of road, not to the traffic conditions, and it runs until you’re past the section the sign was placed to protect.
The part that catches people out is the relationship with road markings. A single or double continuous (unbroken) dividing line does the same job as this sign — it prohibits crossing to overtake — and it needs no sign at all. So on a winding country road you’ll often see both working together: the sign warns you the restriction is coming, and the solid line enforces it along the curve. Where the line becomes broken again, overtaking may be permitted once more, provided it is safe and legal.
Enforcement sits with your state or territory, each of which runs its own version of the Australian Road Rules. The meaning is national and stable, but the fine and demerit points attached to breaching it differ between jurisdictions — so for the exact penalty, always check your own state road authority rather than trusting a figure quoted for somewhere else.
Why the sign is there: the real reason overtaking gets banned
Overtaking is one of the highest-risk things a driver does, and understanding why makes the sign easy to respect rather than resent. To overtake on a two-way road you spend several seconds either alongside another vehicle or fully in the lane meant for oncoming traffic. To do that safely you need enough clear sight distance ahead to see any approaching vehicle, judge its speed, pull out, accelerate past, and tuck back in — all before that oncoming vehicle reaches you.
The danger is the closing speed. If you’re doing 100 km/h and so is an oncoming car, you’re approaching each other at 200 km/h — nearly 56 metres every single second. A head-on at those speeds is among the most severe crashes on the road.
Crests, curves, dips, bridges and tree-lined bends all hide oncoming vehicles until it’s too late to react. The "no overtaking or passing" sign is placed at exactly the points where measured sight distance drops below what a safe overtake needs. So the sign isn’t bureaucratic caution — it’s marking the specific metres of road where an overtake could kill you, and taking the guesswork away.
What to actually do when you see it — and how to stay calm
For a nervous learner, being trapped behind a slow vehicle can feel stressful, so here’s the calm sequence. First, ease off the accelerator and settle in behind the vehicle ahead at a safe following distance — aim for at least a three-second gap, more on a wet or unfamiliar road. That gap is your friend: it gives you time to react and stops you feeling rushed.
Resist two urges. Don’t creep up and tailgate to pressure the driver in front — it’s dangerous, it’s a separate offence, and it changes nothing. And don’t start drifting out to "have a look" past them while the sign or solid line applies. Use the moment instead to loosen your grip, breathe, and keep scanning ahead for where the restriction ends: a broken centre line returning, an overtaking lane opening up, or the hazard (the crest, the curve) falling behind you.
Only then, when you have a long clear view of the road ahead, the line is broken, and you can complete the pass without forcing anyone to slow, do you overtake — decisively, not hesitantly. And keep perspective: being held up for thirty seconds behind a caravan costs you almost nothing. Waiting is never the mistake that ends up on an incident report.
Signs and lines it’s easy to confuse this with
Learners mix this sign up with a few others, so it’s worth separating them clearly. It is not a "no entry" sign — no entry (a red circle with a white bar) means don’t drive into that road at all, while no overtaking lets you keep driving, just not past the car in front. It is not merely a warning either; warning signs suggest, this one commands.
The closest overlap is with continuous dividing lines. A solid single or double centre line bans overtaking on its own, with no sign needed — so "there was no sign" is never a defence for crossing a solid line to pass. Think of the sign and the line as two ways of giving the same order.
Finally, don’t confuse the start of the restriction with its end. "End overtaking lane" and the return of a broken line signal that normal overtaking rules resume — but even then, the general rule still stands: you may only overtake when it is genuinely safe and legal to do so, sign or no sign.
Where you’ll see it
Most often on two-lane, two-way rural and country roads: on the approach to and over crests, through curves and winding mountain sections, near narrow bridges, causeways and tunnels, and on short straights between hazards where a full overtake couldn’t be completed in time. You’ll also meet it approaching some intersections, pedestrian areas and built-up sections. It very frequently appears paired with a continuous (unbroken) centre line doing the same job.
Common mistakes learners make
- Treating it as advice you can ignore when the road looks empty — it’s an enforceable legal instruction that applies even on a clear, straight road at 2am.
- Overtaking a slow bicycle, tractor or caravan because "it’s only doing 30" — the prohibition applies no matter how slow the vehicle ahead is; you wait for a legal spot (and mind the minimum passing distance rule for cyclists when you do overtake elsewhere).
- Assuming the ban ends the instant you pass the sign — it applies through the whole hazard (the crest, the curve, the bridge), and drivers who cut back in too early on a crest are exactly who the sign exists to stop.
- Crossing a continuous centre line to overtake and thinking it’s fine because "there was no sign" — the unbroken line itself prohibits overtaking.
- On the driving test: beginning an overtake on the approach to a crest, curve or blind section where sight distance is short — a serious error that fails many assessments instantly.
- Tailgating the slow vehicle out of frustration while the sign applies — dangerous, pointless, and a separate offence in its own right.
Last verified 4 September 2026 against the Australian Road Rules and your state road authority.
Check the official source before you rely on this
Rules and pass requirements are set by each state and territory road authority and can change. Always confirm the current details with the official source for your state — Transport for NSW, VicRoads (Victoria), Queensland Transport, or the equivalent authority where you live. This page is a free study guide, not a substitute for the official handbook.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- Does the no overtaking sign still apply if the road ahead looks clear?
- Yes. It is a regulatory sign that carries the force of law, and the ban is fixed to that stretch of road, not to the traffic conditions, so it applies even on a clear, straight road at 2am. The road authority has already judged that the crest, curve or bridge ahead does not give safe sight distance, so the decision is taken out of your hands.
- Can I overtake a very slow vehicle like a tractor or caravan where the sign applies?
- No. The prohibition applies no matter how slow the vehicle in front is, whether it is a semi-trailer, a tractor crawling at 25 or a nervous learner. Hold a safe following distance - aim for at least a three-second gap - stay patient, and wait until you reach a point where overtaking is allowed again.
- How does the no overtaking sign relate to the lines painted on the road?
- A single or double continuous (unbroken) dividing line does the same job as the sign and needs no sign at all, so ’there was no sign’ is never a defence for crossing a solid line to pass. On winding roads you will often see both together - the sign warning the restriction is coming and the solid line enforcing it - and overtaking may only resume where the line becomes broken and it is safe.