The Cement Truck, the Continuous Line and the Taxi That Went Anyway
You are on the Suhum stretch of the Accra-Kumasi road at 15:20, behind a cargo truck loaded with cement bags that is climbing at about 25 km/h. The centre line on your side is continuous white. Two hundred metres ahead, a triangular 'Children' sign marks a basic school on the right, and beyond it the road rises to a crest. You have been behind the truck for six minutes and you are due at a meeting in Koforidua. A taxi behind you has already pulled out and is passing both you and the truck on your left. The truck's left indicator has been blinking for some time and it is drifting towards the left edge of the carriageway.
1. Should you follow the taxi into the gap? Give your reasoning.
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No. Another driver committing to an overtake proves nothing about what is coming the other way - it proves only that the taxi driver is willing to take the risk, and that if a vehicle appears over the crest the taxi may have to abort and swerve back into your lane, leaving you nowhere to go.
Weigh what you actually know. The centre line on your side is continuous, so the overtake is prohibited. The crest hides oncoming traffic, so you cannot see enough road to complete a long overtake of a 25 km/h vehicle. The 'Children' sign means pedestrians at unpredictable moments within 200 metres. And the truck's left indicator and drift to the left edge are ambiguous: the driver may be turning left, pulling over to let traffic pass, or simply avoiding a broken edge - none of which is a signal to you that the road ahead is clear.
Lateness is not a hazard you are allowed to trade against other people's safety.
2. What does the continuous white centre line mean here, and are there any circumstances in which it may be crossed?
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It means you must not cross or straddle it to overtake. Overtaking is permitted only where the line is broken and you can see the road is clear.
The limited exception is a stationary obstruction on your side - a broken-down vehicle, a fallen load, roadworks - where you can see far enough and nothing is coming. That covers something that cannot move; it does not cover a slow-moving truck, which is a vehicle you are choosing to pass, not an obstacle you are going around.
Remember also that a broken line is a legal minimum, not a guarantee. You still must not overtake on a crest, into a bend, at a junction or where a school sign warns of children, even where the line permits it. The line tells you what is lawful; your own view of the road tells you what is safe, and both have to agree.
3. What is the safe plan for finishing this stretch?
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First, drop back. A two-second gap behind a truck this slow leaves you no view and no options; fall back to four or five seconds and move towards the centre of your lane, without crossing the line, so you can see past the truck's left side and be seen by oncoming traffic.
Second, watch the truck rather than guessing. If it genuinely pulls off onto the shoulder and stops clear of the carriageway, you may pass - but only after you have looked over the crest and confirmed nothing is coming, and only at a speed that lets you stop.
Third, deal with the school. Reduce speed before the sign so you could stop for a child stepping out, cover the brake, and scan the roadside rather than the truck's tailgate. If a child appears, stop; do not swerve into the path of whatever is behind or beside you.