Do you get confused at a Crossroads ?
Why do people struggle at crossroads ?
As part of my job I spend a lot of time observing what people do on the road, and have come to the conclusion there is a lot of misunderstanding or lack of knowledge in peoples driving, and this inspired me to blog about certain driving rules to help educate people
Do you know the rules of a crossroads ?
Its an interesting question and when people are faced with dealing with cross roads with traffic lights, there are few errors and the correct procedure is adopted, however remove the traffic lights and approach a crossroads and there is some confusion.
Who has Priority and When can i Go ?
When approaching a crossroads, priority always lies with the traffic on the main road. Traffic on the opposite side of the crossroads is where confusion begins
If you are turning left or continuing ahead you have priority over the oncoming vehicle once the main road is clear. If you are turning right at a crossroads then you must give way and allow them to go first.in a situation where you wish to turn right and the oncoming traffic wish to turn to their right then there is no priority as you are both heading towards each other. In this situation, the vehicle which arrived at the crossroads first should take preference, and this reduces the risk of potential collisions. Never wave a vehicle to go, as this may cause a driver to not check the main road correctly, and lead to an incident.
What do I do at a Yellow Box JunctionA yellow box junction is put in place to help keep the flow of traffic moving freely, without any traffic jams. You must keep the box junction clear at all times, and you are not allowed to stop in the junction. A lot of junctions now have cameras with ANPR (automatic number plate recognition), which will lead to a fixed penalty if you stop inside this junction.
The only time you can stop in the yellow box junction, is when turning right, however before you proceed into the yellow box you must ensure the road you are turning into is clear or flowing, or you could get stuck in the junction when the traffic lights change, which could lead to traffic jams and bad feeling amongst other road users.
click on the link by Gov.uk to see the images which go along with this blog.
https://www.gov.uk/using-the-road-159-to-203/road-junctions-170-to-183
Disclaimer; this blog is to assist people in compliance with use of the Highway Code to help understand use of crossroads, if unsure we recommend reading the Highway Code or driving the essential skills.
