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Road Rules Foundation
Road Signs & Markings
Speed & Stopping Distances
Load Safety
Adverse Conditions
Never Assume the Vehicle Ahead Won't Stop
A permanent defensive-driving principle, not advice about any one type of vehicle: before overtaking anything, actively check for signs it might slow, stop, or turn without much warning. Assuming the vehicle ahead will keep moving predictably hands your safety margin to someone else's behaviour instead of keeping it in your own hands.
What to look for before you commit:
- Brake lights, or a sudden change of pace
- Driver or occupant body language suggesting an unplanned stop
- A drift toward the edge of the lane without a clear signal
- An indicator that changes your correct response — a right-turn signal means pass on the left, as the previous sub-topic covered
This skill doesn't expire. It applies to a PSV today, and it'll apply to whatever replaces today's PSV system a decade from now — the specific vehicle changes; the need to read it before you overtake doesn't.
Good to know
Current context: right now this principle applies with particular force to matatus, because their operating model depends on stopping wherever a passenger flags them down — not just at fixed stops — making them the most common source of unplanned stops you'll meet. If PSV stop discipline becomes more standardised, this example fades; the scanning habit above stays exactly as necessary for whatever is ahead of you.
Key takeaways
- Read the vehicle before you commit: brake lights, body language, lane drift, indicators — every one is cheaper to notice than to discover mid-overtake
- The habit is permanent; the matatu is just today's most frequent test of it
Quick check
Which of these should make you delay an overtake, even though the road ahead is clear?