Overtaking the copra truck before the causeway crest
You are on the main road between Teaoraereke and Bikenibeu at 16:20, driving a small hatchback. Ahead is a flatbed truck loaded with sacks of copra, travelling at about 25 km/h. The posted limit is 40 km/h. The road here has one lane in each direction, a continuous white centre line for the next 150 metres, and a blind crest 80 metres ahead where the causeway narrows. There is a cyclist on your left edge, a woman with a child on the crossbar, and she is weaving slightly around potholes. In your mirror a motorcycle is closing at speed. As you close up behind the truck, you see its right indicator flicker once, then stop. The truck drifts slightly toward the centre line. You have 400 metres before your turn-off.
1. Should you begin an overtake now? Explain the cues you would use.
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No. Four independent cues rule it out. The continuous centre line forbids crossing; the blind crest 80 m ahead means you cannot see oncoming traffic; the causeway narrows there, so there is no room to abort; and the cyclist with a child is on the left edge, where you would need to move if the truck braked or swerved. The truck's flickering right indicator and drift toward the centre line add uncertainty: it may be turning right, avoiding a pothole, or signalling by mistake. At 40 km/h against a 25 km/h truck, the closing speed is only 15 km/h, so an overtake takes a long time and a lot of clear road; you would be alongside for many seconds. The closing motorcycle behind is another reason not to create a sudden lane change. Stay 3–4 seconds back, increase your view by hanging back, and wait for a straight section with a broken line, no cyclist to pass and no oncoming vehicle.
2. What does the truck's flickering right indicator and drift mean, and how should it change your position?
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Treat it as 'I don't know yet'. A single flicker could be a loose connection, a pothole avoidance, or an intended right turn into a track or driveway. If the truck turns right, passing on its right is exactly the wrong side; in left-hand traffic you overtake on the right, but a right-turning vehicle may cut across that space. The drift toward the centre line also warns that the driver may be setting up for a turn or may not see you in the mirror. Hang further back, not in the blind spot beside the cab, and watch the front wheels rather than the indicator. Be ready for the truck to slow or stop. Do not flash or force a decision. If the truck does turn right, let it complete the turn and then pass only when the road ahead is clear.
3. If you decide to wait, how do you manage the motorcycle behind?
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Keep your speed predictable and do not brake sharply just because you have decided not to overtake. The motorcycle is closing; a sudden stop or a swerve could put it into the back of you or into the oncoming lane. Maintain your following gap, use your brake lights early if you need to slow, and if the motorcycle is clearly faster, ease left and let it go past when it is safe, without waving it into a blind overtake. Do not move right to block it. If it does overtake into the crest, drop back further so you have room to stop if it meets an oncoming vehicle. Your job is to keep the situation boring and leave the motorcyclist an escape route.