A Sydney driver’s question about who goes first at an intersection has been met with surprise online, with most people saying the answer should be obvious.
Posting to Reddit on Thursday, the Australian presented a scenario involving two cars on opposite sides of an intersection: one turning left into their lane and the other having to cross a lane of traffic to go in the same direction .
There was a problem, however, with the Redditor saying that the car wanting to cross the lane had arrived first: “Did car B have the right of way when it came first, or did car A have the priority because it does not cross the intersection? ?’
Commenters on the post almost unanimously said that car A, which did not have to cross the lane, had the right of way even though it had arrived at the intersection after car B.
“Car A has the right of way. Car B must cross oncoming traffic to gain access to the lane. But if car B has already started moving, then car A must give way to B,” one person said.
A driver took to Reddit to ask who has the right of way in the above scenario.
“I almost certainly remember someone saying that the person turning left in these situations has the right of way,” said another.
“Car A, but Sydney being Sydney, flip a coin and hope for the best,” said a third.
Another agreed: “Car B must give way. However, the safest policy is to assume that every other driver is trying to kill you and expect them to break the rules. And always have a dashcam.
The original poster then added an update saying that even they had assumed that it was car A that left first, but their experience on the road had led them to doubt it themselves.
“I’m usually the A car and thought I had the right of way, but the number of B cars that cut in front (and may or may not have waited longer) is making me rethink everything,” they said.
The full response from NSW Transport
Signs and stop lines at intersections
When you stop at a “Stop” sign or “Stop” line, you must yield to vehicles that are traveling, entering or approaching the intersection, except:
– an oncoming vehicle that is also at a “Stop” sign or line and is turning right
– an oncoming vehicle that is at a “Give way” sign or line and is turning right
– a vehicle turning left using a ramp
– a vehicle making a U-turn.
When turning left or right at a “Stop” sign or line, you must also yield to pedestrians crossing the road into which you are turning.
Two cars are at a “Stop” sign on either side of an intersection. The car turning right (Car A) must give way to the car going straight (Car B)
Give way to signs and lines at intersections
When you are at a “Give Right of Way” sign or a “Give Right of Way” line, you must yield the right of way to vehicles traveling in, entering or approaching the intersection, except:
– an oncoming vehicle that is also at a “Give Way” sign or line and is turning right
– an oncoming vehicle that is at a “Stop” sign or line and is turning right
– a vehicle turning left using a ramp
– a vehicle making a U-turn.
When turning left or right at a “Give Way” sign or line, you must also yield the right of way to pedestrians crossing the road into which you are turning.
Two cars are in front of the “Give way” signs on either side of an intersection. The car turning right (Car B) must give way to the car turning left (Car A)
