Abstract: As the existing overtaking models often ignore the impact of vehicle running characteristics on the overta-king behavior，this paper puts forward a new mathematical model to calculate the time required for overtaking and the distance for the vehicle from its overtaking beginning to the end． In the investigation，the existing models are analyzed，the overtaking vehicles are classified according to their types，a two-lane overtaking scene is designed，and the speed limits of different road grades are taken into full consideration． Moreover，the required overtaking time and the overtaking distance of micro cars，mid-size cars and full-size cars on two-lane highway are calculated for various vehicle types with different overtaking speeds and driving speeds，and the results are compared with those obtained by the existing overtaking model． It is found that the required overtaking time and the overtaking dis-tance are both related to the vehicle type，the overtaking speed，the driving speed of the overtaking vehicle and the driving speed of the opposite vehicles; and that the proposed model helps to obtain overtaking time and distance va-rying with vehicle types because it well considers vehicle running characteristics，so that it accords better with the actual overtaking process．

Key words: highway transportation, overtaking model, vehicle type, two-lane overtaking, vehicle running charac-teristic