In the presence of this road sign:

Explanation

Overtaking is prohibited for all types of vehicle, except overtaking slow-moving vehicles, animal-drawn carts, motorcycles without a sidecar, mopeds and bicycles.

This sign creates a general prohibition with a closed list of exceptions, and the test for an exception is the type of vehicle you are overtaking. The logic of the list is clear: all five are either very slow or very narrow. The speed difference with a bicycle, moped or cart is large and their width is small, so the overtaking manoeuvre is over in a few seconds and sometimes does not even require full occupation of the opposing lane. Prohibiting these overtakes would only create long, frustrating queues behind slow vehicles without reducing the real danger; whereas overtaking a car or lorry travelling at a speed close to yours is exactly the manoeuvre the sign is there to prevent.

The exception does not exempt you from the other rules: a solid line, restricted visibility, junctions and pedestrian crossings all remain in force. On Armenia's rural and mountain roads, where tractors and carts are not rare, this exception is the most practical part of the rule, but it is only carried out with adequate sight of the opposing lane.

• An exemption based on lorry weight belongs to the "no overtaking for lorries" sign; on this sign the test is the type of vehicle being overtaken, not the weight of the overtaking vehicle. • No such numerical condition exists in the list of exceptions; a "slow-moving vehicle" is a defined class with an identification marking, not any vehicle momentarily travelling below 30 km/h.

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