drive past and along

[mrxkms]

What is the meaning of drove past and along in this text ?

We were driving along, when , suddenly a car drove past us out of control.

I know what drive means but I have never read it with past.

So is drive past an idiom or a compound word meaning something else which is different from the meaning of drive alone?

And thank you very much for your help

[calinative]

"Driving along" means the act of driving (along a road, along a highway, etc.).
"Drive past" means to drive past something. In the sentence, the other car passed the first car. In order to do so, the other car had to be going faster (if going in the same direction) or coming from another direction (perhaps the opposite direction). Past signifies passing or having passed.