Fog, a Wide Tractor and Standing Passengers
You are driving a 10-metre bus with 34 seated passengers and 6 standing on a single-carriageway regional road at 22:30. Fog has reduced visibility to about 30 metres and the road is wet. There is no hard shoulder, only a soft grass margin. The posted limit is 80 km/h and you are doing 60 km/h. Ahead, a tractor with a wide fertiliser spreader is partly on your side of the road, showing a dim rear light. A car is following you closely. Your next stop is 8 km away. You need to decide your speed, how to pass the tractor, what to do about the car behind, and how to manage the standing passengers. The bus has working fog lights and hazard lights.
1. What speed is appropriate, and how do you use the 30 m visibility to justify it?
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Standard. Drive at a speed from which you can stop within the distance you can see to be clear. With about 30 m visibility on a wet road, 60 km/h is too fast: reaction distance alone at 60 km/h is roughly 17 m, and wet braking adds far more than the remaining 13 m. Reduce to about 30 km/h or less, and slower still if the surface is greasy. Lights. Use dipped headlights and fog lights; main beam reflects off fog and reduces vision. Observation. Look for the tractor's dim light, keep a four-second gap where possible, and be ready to stop. If you cannot see a safe path, stop.
2. How do you deal with the tractor and the following car?
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Tractor. Slow early and gently. Do not overtake unless you can see enough clear road to complete the move; a wide spreader can hide oncoming traffic. The tractor is partly on your side, so be prepared to stop and wait. Car behind. Brake early and progressively so the follower sees you slowing; avoid a sudden stop. If it tailgates, increase your gap ahead rather than speed up, and let it pass only when it is safe. If stopping. Choose the widest, straightest section, use hazard lights, and keep clear of the tractor's path. Do not flash the tractor to hurry it.
3. What do you do about the six standing passengers?
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Standing passengers. Ask the six to sit if any seat is free. If not, ask them to hold a handrail firmly and stay behind the line. Reduce speed further and avoid sudden steering or braking; standing passengers are most at risk from a sharp stop. Communication. Tell them briefly that visibility is poor and you are taking it slowly. If conditions worsen. Stop at a safe place, keep hazard lights on, and do not continue until you can see a safe path. The driver remains responsible for passenger safety; the schedule is secondary.