A person shall be guilty of reckless driving who overtakes or passes any other vehicle proceeding in the same direction at any railroad grade crossing or at any intersection of highways unless such vehicles are being operated on a highway having two or more designated lanes of roadway for each direction of travel or unless such intersection is designated and marked as a passing zone or on a designated one-way street or highway, or while pedestrians are passing or about to pass in front of either of such vehicles, unless permitted so to do by a traffic light or law-enforcement officer.
THIS SECTION IS DIRECTED AGAINST CARS RUNNING ABREAST AT INTERSECTION. –The situation against which, among other things, the prescription of this section is directed, is that of two cars running abreast at an intersection. Holland v. Edelblute, 179 Va. 685, 20 S.E.2d 508 (1942).
This section was designed to prevent action which causes two vehicles to run abreast at an intersection. Boyd v. Diggs, 215 Va. 560, 211 S.E.2d 97 (1975).
"OVERTAKE" IN THIS SECTION MEANS to catch up with while in pursuit or motion. Boyd v. Diggs, 215 Va. 560, 211 S.E.2d 97 (1975).
EXCEPTION AS TO MULTI-LANE HIGHWAYS HELD INAPPLICABLE. –The exception pertaining to highway with two or more lanes in each direction was not applicable to exonerate defendant from negligence where, on a city street, defendant blindly and at excessive speed passed a truck which was stopped in the outside lane and which obstructed defendant’s view of the intersection. Mills v. Wells, 204 Va. 173, 129 S.E.2d 705 (1963).