If the arms of the traffic constable are outstretched to the sides or lowered, the movement of non-rail vehicles is allowed:

Explanation

From the controller's left and right sides, going straight and turning right are permitted.

Arms extended to the sides and arms lowered have one meaning and must be memorised together. In both positions, a non-rail vehicle arriving from the controller's left or right side may go straight or turn right, and a rail vehicle may only go straight. By contrast, from the chest side and from behind the controller's back, movement is prohibited for all vehicles.

The logic of this signal is the same as a traffic light's: the controller makes a live phase with his own body. When the arms are extended or lowered, the sides axis is open and the chest–back axis is closed. A left turn and a U-turn are not permitted from any side, because these two manoeuvres cut across the opposing flow, and if they were free the two simultaneously open axes would collide. A right turn, however, cuts across no path, and that is why it has been left open.

Recognise two common exam traps. First, dropping the right turn and choosing the "only straight ahead" option — that option is always on the paper and is always incomplete. Second, reading the signal in relation to the street instead of the controller's body; at a junction you must see which face of his body the controller presents from your point of view: chest, back or side. And most important of all: a controller's gesture takes precedence over the traffic light, the signs and the markings; even if the light facing you is green and the controller has closed your direction, you have no right to move.

• The controller's chest and back sides are exactly the two sides this signal closes; from those two sides no movement at all, not even to the right, is permitted. • "Only straight ahead" is incomplete and has dropped the right turn; the "straight only" restriction concerns rail vehicles, not cars.

Sources and content coverage · Report a content error