The Blind Bend and the Overtaking Car
You are riding your AM moped at 45 km/h on a rural two-lane road outside a built-up area. The road curves to the right ahead, and tall hedges on both sides block the view through the bend. A car behind you has been following closely for 2 km and is now moving out to overtake, even though the solid centre line continues through the bend. An oncoming tractor is just becoming visible around the curve. Your lane is narrow and the hedge limits your escape space on the right. You must decide quickly how to position and control your moped.
1. Explain the hazards here and what the solid line and the bend mean for the overtaking car and for you.
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The solid centre line and the blind bend together mean overtaking is prohibited and dangerous: the driver cannot see oncoming traffic, and the tractor's appearance confirms the risk. The close-following car is a hazard in itself, and its overtake puts you in a squeeze between it and the hedge. Your job is not to police the car but to protect yourself: hold a steady line, avoid sudden moves, and create as much space as the narrow lane allows without entering the hedge. You should ease off the throttle slightly to give the overtaking car room to complete the manoeuvre and to buy time, while keeping enough speed for stability. Do not swerve into the oncoming lane. The judgement is defensive: assume the other driver has misjudged, and position so you can survive their error.
2. The overtaking car is now alongside and the tractor is close. Describe your actions and priorities.
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Priorities are, in order: stay upright, avoid the hedge and the overtaking car, and avoid the tractor. Ease off and, if needed, brake gently and progressively rather than sharply, because a hard stop in a narrow lane could put you down. Keep to the right edge but leave a margin from the hedge, since clipping it would throw you off. Do not accelerate to race the car; let it pass and fall back behind it if that restores a safe gap. Once the car has passed and the tractor has gone, re-establish a safe following distance and consider that the close-following driver may repeat the behaviour. If the situation is truly unavoidable, reducing speed before any impact is the priority, because impact severity depends heavily on speed.