Country road at dusk with a slow tractor ahead
You are on a two-lane country road at dusk with a 90 km/h limit. A tractor is ahead doing about 25 km/h, and you have followed it for a kilometre. The road curves gently to the right ahead, and the view beyond the curve is limited by a hedge. There is a solid white line on your side for the next 100 m, then a broken line. A car is following you at a normal distance, and a motorcycle is approaching from the opposite direction at what looks like a steady speed. Your headlights are on dipped beam.
1. How do you judge whether and when an overtake is possible here?
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I would first check the markings: the solid line on my side means no overtaking for the next 100 m, so the earliest possible point is where the broken line begins. Even there, I need to see far enough ahead to complete the overtake and return safely. The curve and hedge limit my view, so I cannot see oncoming traffic beyond the bend. The approaching motorcycle is the decisive factor: at closing speeds of roughly 90 plus its speed, the gap shrinks fast, and I cannot be sure the road beyond the curve is clear. My judgement would be to hold back, keep a safe gap behind the tractor, and wait until I have a clear view, broken markings and no oncoming traffic. Overtaking on a curve with restricted sight lines is not worth the few seconds saved.
2. What following distance and position would you keep behind the tractor while waiting, and why?
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At 25 km/h my speed is low, so the usual two-second gap would be short in distance; I would keep well back, perhaps three seconds or more, to preserve a view past the tractor and to leave room if it stops or turns. I would position slightly toward the centre of my lane, without crossing the line, to see past the tractor's left side while staying visible in its mirrors. I would not tailgate, because the tractor may slow suddenly to turn into a field, and its driver's view behind may be poor. Keeping back also gives the car behind me room to see the situation and reduces the chance of a chain collision if I have to brake. I would watch for a gap in the hedge or a field entrance that might signal the tractor is about to turn.
3. The motorcycle passes and the broken line begins, but the curve still limits your view. What do you do?
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The motorcycle passing removes one hazard, but it does not make the road beyond the curve visible. I would continue to wait until I can see enough clear road to complete the overtake with a margin, which may mean waiting until after the bend. I would check the mirror and blind spot, signal right if I decide to go, change down for acceleration, and move out only when the view is clear. If I begin to move out and then see an oncoming vehicle, I would abandon the overtake immediately and drop back behind the tractor rather than commit. At dusk, with dipped headlights, distances are harder to judge, so I would allow extra margin. The correct decision may simply be to follow the tractor until the road straightens, accepting the delay.