Overtaking a cane lorry before a school zone
At 07:10 you are driving a small hatchback with two passengers on a two-lane coastal road with a speed limit of 80 km/h. For 4 km you have followed a lorry loaded with sugar cane at about 35 km/h. Ahead, the broken white centre line continues for roughly 200 m, then becomes a solid white line 80 m before a blind crest. A pedestrian crossing and a school-zone sign are 150 m ahead, where the limit drops to 40 km/h. A bus is stopped in the left lane 60 m ahead and children are standing near the edge. In the mirror, the road behind is clear. An oncoming motorcycle is visible but still distant and closing. Your view over the crest is blocked by tall cane. The lorry's left indicator is not working, and its brake lights flicker as it slows.
1. Should you begin an overtake now? Explain your decision.
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No. The broken line ends 80 m before a blind crest, so you cannot guarantee completing the overtake before the solid line and before your view is blocked. The school zone and pedestrian crossing 150 m ahead mean children may step out; the stopped bus 60 m ahead is a second hazard, and the oncoming motorcycle is closing. Overtaking would require you to pass the lorry, the bus and the crossing area in one move. Hold back, increase the gap to the lorry, and cover the brake. The 200 m of broken line is not a target; it is only the legal window, and it is shortened by the crest and the hazards ahead.
2. The lorry slows further and the driver signals right by hand. What do you do?
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If the lorry slows and the driver signals right, treat it as a warning that the lorry may turn right, avoid an obstacle, or move out for the bus. Do not pass on the left: in left-hand traffic that would put you between the lorry and the stopped bus, where children are standing. Drop back, cancel any overtaking intention, and wait until the lorry's action is clear. If the driver is using a hand signal because the left indicator is faulty, the signal may be hard to see in rain; give the lorry room. Only proceed when you can see the lorry's path and your own exit is clear.
3. Describe the sequence you should use when a safe overtaking opportunity later appears.
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When a safe straight section with clear view and no crossing or bus arrives, use the mirror-signal-manoeuvre routine: check mirrors and blind spot, signal right, select a lower gear for acceleration, move out only when the oncoming lane is clear, and pass briskly. Return to the left only when you can see the lorry in your interior mirror and there is a safe gap. Cancel the signal and resume the 80 km/h limit, slowing for the 40 km/h school zone. Never overtake on the approach to the crossing, on the crest, or across the solid line.