David Lock

Embarrassed to admit I couldn't answer this question posed by my "L" driver daughter. Scene - main single carriageway busyish road with two minor roads joining on opposite sides slightly offset so a slightly staggered junction. Each minor road has a car stopped waiting to turn right onto the main road. On this particular junction you have to turn quite quickly onto main road as there is a dip which doesn't give you a decent line of sight. So when there seems to be a gap in traffic on main road which car has right of way to go first? If they both go together, bang. I thought it was whoever got to the junction first but this can't always be clear cut? Thanks, David

OllyK

http://www.highwaycode.gov.uk/

David Lock

First thing I asked my gal was to look it up in the Code but she couldn't find anything. I'll check again. DL

ajm

That's how it works in the Channel Islands, and very civilised it is too! They also have "3,4,5,etc-way" stops like in America except it works on a first come first served basis.

With regard to your question, I think a staggered junction works the same as a cross roads. The only bit in the highway code I can see is:

speedking

You don't say which side the offset is? All the HC says is to give way to vehicles on the main road. Therefore whoever goes first is on the main road and has right of way.

Convention dictates that first to arrive is first to go.

Also influenced by passing traffic, as this affects who can get out of their turning most easily, you can be half way across if traffic is on the opposite side to your exit. Not advisable for L drivers to use this practice though

Always give way to buses though.

David Lock

And to ready mix concrete trucks Sorry offset is to right of each driver if you know what I mean. This was a genuine question and there have been a number of major prangs here. Caused really by the dip in the main road so drivers turning from side road/s want to nip out quickly to avoid a car coming over the brow at 60. By doing this you are possibly going to clout the other car just as he starts to turn if he has started procedure. It's bad enough for me to have told my daughter that if/when ( ) she passes her test I don't want her using that junction. David

OllyK

It's a bit more general than that:
1) Always give way to anything bigger than you
2) Give way to cars in worse condition than yours

Bubba po

If there's a gap, you can both go together, providing you don't have a difference of opinion on which side to pass. If the minor roads are diagonally to the right of each other, it would make sense to pass offside-to-offside, and if they are diagonally to the left then nearside-to-nearside would be better.


Can you visualise that? LOL.