People not taking their Right of Way

Muzzy

G'Afternoon folks,

Just wondering because I got a test comming up soon and I'm gettin different answers.

What is the story if I'm doing my test, I'm at a Round about and I do not have right of way, the person to my right does. Question is, what would i do if that person does not realise that they have right of way, or won't move?

Can I then move off at the risk of getting a fault for not giving right of way, or do I wait for them to realise that they have right of way and maybe pick up a fault for progression for not moving and holding up cars behind me?

Cheers!

Alanstrainor

I'm not too sure i understand the situation, someone stops on a roundabout to let you go?

dudara

Or does he mean a situation where you have two lanes feeding into a single entrance onto a roundabout?

TheElf

I think he means - If you come up to a round about and the person at the entrance to your right is just sitting there, waiting for you to move becaue they don't realise they have right of way, do you move on anyway even though they have right of way but arn't taking it, or do you sit there and wait for them to realise they can move on.

I'm not too sure about this one, but IMO I would say move on, the rules of the road state give way to people already on the roundabout coming from the right. So if they are just sitting there, take your space and move on.

Would I be right? I've never actually come across this situation in text, happened a few times on the road alright. I've just moved on, no point in causing an obstruction because of someone elses mistake.

Tzetze

From the rules of the road

Treat the roundabout as a junction and give right-of-way to traffic already on it.

Muzzy wrote: »

What is the story if I'm doing my test, I'm at a Round about and I do not have right of way, the person to my right does.

The only time you don't have right of way is when you are in danger of being hit, i.e. a car is approaching from the right, and is already on the roundabout.
Cars to your right that are also waiting to get onto the roundabout do not have right of way.

Enter the roundabout when it is safe to do so. This includes reading the indicators of traffic already on the roundabout and knowing where they are going (they may be turning off at the exit to your right).

The image at the bottom of this page shows a busy roundabout in motion with all cars following the correct rules.

Alanstrainor

TheElf wrote: »

I think he means - If you come up to a round about and the person at the entrance to your right is just sitting there, waiting for you to move becaue they don't realise they have right of way, do you move on anyway even though they have right of way but arn't taking it, or do you sit there and wait for them to realise they can move on.

I'm not too sure about this one, but IMO I would say move on, the rules of the road state give way to people already on the roundabout coming from the right. So if they are just sitting there, take your space and move on.

Would I be right? I've never actually come across this situation in text, happened a few times on the road alright. I've just moved on, no point in causing an obstruction because of someone elses mistake.

Oh i see, if that's the case then yes move on, give way to those on your right means, those already on the roundabout. So yes provided it's safe to do so, you are expected to enter the roundabout

Wishbone Ash

Alanstrainor wrote: »

give way to those on your right means, those already on the roundabout. So yes provided it's safe to do so, you are expected to enter the roundabout

Indeed - there is no requirement to give way to traffic on the lane on your right also waiting to enter the roundabout. You are only required to give way to traffic already on the roundabout.

wil

Ask your instructor to concentrate on roundabouts for a while.
It seems you have got the rules of roundabouts slightly mixed up if TheElf's interpretation of your question is correct.

When people say give way to traffic from your right approaching roundabouts, they DONT mean traffic in the lane to your right, they mean actually on the roundabout and therefore coming from your right.

Occasionally you do get people stopping on roundabouts to let people on.
Sometimes they do this out of stupidity rather than courtesy because it could be very dangerous and seriously messes up the normal flow of the roundabout.

(On a quasiroundabout near me, people often stop on it because they misinterpret no entry lines on the road. It is clearly identified but people still get it wrong.)

Common sense should prevail though and where the traffic is backed up on your exit route off the roundabout, there is no need to block traffic coming on that is obviously taking a different exit.

fifomania

I'd say ask your Instructor what you should do here.
This happens me quite a lot at roundabouts and when I see a car to my right not realising they have right of way I move on. Get on and off the roundabout but make sure it's safe to proceed!

Muzzy

Nice one folks, cheers!

Sorry I meant to get back to ye sooner but I've been practising.

The question was in relation to a person at another exit/entrance at the other side of the round about, to my right; they would not be on the round about yet. They would be the first car in the que to get onto the round about. TheElf got it right!

My instructor said to wait on give them a couple seconds and head off but I mightn (he didn't gimme a definite answer) get a fault for not giving right of way.

I did a pre-test with another instructor, just to get used to having a stranger in the car with me, and he said, what ye were saying, "ya snooze, ya loose" move off or you'll be done for progression. Just give them a count to 3, if they don't move, take the break.

Alanstrainor

I would go as far to say there's no need for the few seconds wait. Your instructors advise, ya snooze ya lose, is bang on, only concern yourself with those on the roundabout, not those waiting to join. If you wait those few extra seconds, the car to your right may join the roundabout causing further unnecessary delay.

Danbo!

This exact scenario happened to me during my driving test. It was quite a small 'T-junction' roundabout. I was going straight through and there was a woman (this woman was about 400 years old) coming towards me turning right (her right). She treated it like a T junction and stopped and was waving me on. myself and the tester just started laughing, and i waited for a second or two until she got the message and continued. This was with an SGS tester who are usually more relaxed, hence the laughing, so im not sure what other testers would do. Just thought id share that experience.

Wishbone Ash

Muzzy wrote: »

My instructor said to wait on give them a couple seconds and head off but I mightn (he didn't gimme a definite answer) get a fault for not giving right of way.

I did a pre-test with another instructor, just to get used to having a stranger in the car with me, and he said, what ye were saying, "ya snooze, ya loose" move off or you'll be done for progression. Just give them a count to 3, if they don't move, take the break.

I wouldn't wait as it defeats the whole purpose of having a roundabout (i.e. to keep traffic moving).

Seoid

Muzzy wrote: »

My instructor said to wait on give them a couple seconds and head off but I mightn (he didn't gimme a definite answer) get a fault for not giving right of way.

I did a pre-test with another instructor, just to get used to having a stranger in the car with me, and he said, what ye were saying, "ya snooze, ya loose" move off or you'll be done for progression. Just give them a count to 3, if they don't move, take the break.

It seems to me that there are some times when it's down to the tester whether you get a fault for doing something or one for not doing it!

So, seriously, what ARE you supposed to do in a test when somebody has right of way but is clearly waiting for you to go (on a roundabout or otherwise)?

This happened to me at a yellow box junction during my last test... If you're blocking the road (was turning right) and somebody is stopped to let you pass should you go? I didn't at first, hoping she'd just go but after a while I got fed up and went as was blocking traffic behind me and she obviously wasn't going to go until I did. I got marked down for that but I still don't know if that's because I went when she had right of way or because I waited to do so when she'd clearly relinquished it! (instructors tell me not to give handsignals/waves to other drivers doing the test so I had no way of communicating with her.)

TheElf

Seoid wrote: »

It seems to me that there are some times when it's down to the tester whether you get a fault for doing something or one for not doing it!

So, seriously, what ARE you supposed to do in a test when somebody has right of way but is clearly waiting for you to go (on a roundabout or otherwise)?

This happened to me at a yellow box junction during my last test... If you're blocking the road (was turning right) and somebody is stopped to let you pass should you go? I didn't at first, hoping she'd just go but after a while I got fed up and went as was blocking traffic behind me and she obviously wasn't going to go until I did. I got marked down for that but I still don't know if that's because I went when she had right of way or because I waited to do so when she'd clearly relinquished it! (instructors tell me not to give handsignals/waves to other drivers doing the test so I had no way of communicating with her.)

Always remember though that you can still talk to the tester, Just say to him, I know he/she has right of way in this situation, but he/she's giving it to me so I better take it to not hold up the traffic behind me.

You can bend the rules of the road slightly in situations like these, as long as you stay within legal!

It's true that a lot of testers use there own discretion to an unfair level, and mark you from looking at things in an unfair one sided (their) view. But if you make your intentions known to them, and they know you are aware of the rules of the road, but are just adapting to the traffic situation, it will go in your favour.

Alanstrainor

You got marked down for progression most likely, remaining in the yellow box when you could have completed your turn. You're right, it shouldn't happen, but the fact is that it does, some people are just out to cause confusion by stopping to let others go when they really shouldn't. If i was in that situation, and a driver coming towards me stopped and waved me on, i would check my mirrors, move slowly around incase of a cyclist or others coming down the inside, and proceed as normal. This is part of the test, reactions to *hazards* and progression.
Your instructor is correct, you are not allowed to beckon others.

Seoid

Thanks for the feedback. I don't know if it makes a difference but I wasn't in the yellow box yet - was turning right onto a smaller street that had a yellow box in front of it.
I do feel though that because you can get more than one mark/fault for a mistake and they can mark you down a lot of marks for something that's up to their discretion...

Wishbone Ash

As has been stated, you were probably done for lack of progress.

Just to add to what Alan has said - it's perfectly acceptable to give a simple gesture to 'thank' others such as raising a few fingers above the wheel but under no circumstances should you 'flash' the headlights or hazzard lights.

Seoid wrote: »

I wasn't in the yellow box yet - was turning right onto a smaller street that had a yellow box in front of it

That could be a different scenario then. The other driver may have had no option but to stop because of the box as they couldn't progress and gestured you to go.