Uncontrolled Crossroads With a Waving Truck and a Left-Turning Motorcycle
Midmorning in Gbarnga. You are driving a small sedan north on a narrow two-lane road. You reach an uncontrolled four-way intersection. A flatbed truck loaded with rice sacks is stopped on your right, partly blocking its lane. A motorcycle carrying two passengers is approaching from the opposite direction and has its left turn signal on. Your lane ahead is partly blocked by a deep pothole, so you must move toward the center. A woman holding a small child stands at the corner, waiting to cross. The truck driver waves at you to go first, but the motorcycle is already moving slowly into the intersection. Another car is behind you, the road surface is dry, and your view of the far left corner is partly blocked by the truck.
1. Who should proceed first, and how do the truck's wave, the motorcycle's left turn, and the woman with the child affect your decision?
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At an uncontrolled intersection, the general rule is to yield to the vehicle on your right if you arrive at about the same time. That would point to the truck, but the truck is stopped and partly blocking its lane, and a wave is a courtesy, not a legal right-of-way transfer. The motorcycle is opposite you and signaling left; a left-turning vehicle should yield to oncoming traffic going straight or right, so it should wait for you if you are proceeding straight. The woman with the child is the wild card: if she steps into the roadway, she gets priority regardless of vehicle rules. The safe sequence is: slow almost to a stop, confirm the truck is staying put, confirm the motorcycle is actually yielding, check the woman, then proceed straight or right only when the path is clear. Do not go just because the truck waves.
2. The truck driver waves again, more impatiently, but the motorcycle keeps rolling. What do you do?
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Treat the second wave as pressure, not permission. The motorcycle is already moving into your path, and a collision would happen at low speed but still injure the two passengers. Yield to the motorcycle even if its driver is wrong about right-of-way; the right-of-way rule does not give you a safe bubble. Make eye contact if possible, stop before the conflict point, and let the motorcycle clear. If the truck driver is impatient, that is his problem, not a reason to move. After the motorcycle passes, recheck the woman and the far corner, then proceed. If traffic behind you honks, ignore it; a short delay is cheaper than a crash.
3. What lane position should you take to avoid the pothole while keeping the woman and child safe?
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Move toward the center only after checking your mirror and blind spot, and do it gradually. Do not swing wide into the oncoming lane while the motorcycle is still there. Aim to pass the pothole with the least sideways movement, keeping enough room on your left for the motorcycle and enough room on your right that you do not crowd the corner where the woman stands. If the gap is too tight, stop and wait rather than squeeze. Watch the child's feet, not just the mother's face; children often step out first. Keep your speed low enough to stop within the distance you can see, because the truck blocks your view of the far left corner.