What should a driver do if he / she intends to make a right turn at an intersection?

Explanation

Both methods are permitted.

Above the carriageway two blue "direction of travel in the lanes" signs are mounted. The left-hand sign, relating to the left lane, shows both a straight arrow and a right-turn arrow; the right-hand sign shows only a right turn. That is, a right turn is permitted from both lanes and the driver has both routes available: either he changes into the right lane in advance and turns from there, or he reaches the junction in his current lane and turns right.

The general rule is that before turning right you must move as close as possible to the right edge of the carriageway. But that default rule gives way to "direction of travel in the lanes" signs or arrow markings wherever they exist. At busy urban junctions these signs are used for precisely that purpose, so that two lanes can turn right simultaneously and the queue at the lights is shorter.

The safety reason is clear too: the greatest danger in a right turn is a gap left open to the right of the vehicle and a cyclist or motorcyclist being caught in it. When the sign permits both lanes to turn, vehicles turn along parallel, predictable paths and that dangerous gap is eliminated. The exam trap is that both of the first two options look correct on their own; because neither is wrong, the answer is "both".

• This is permitted, but it is not the only permitted route; because the sign above the left lane also permits a right turn, choosing this option removes half the correct answer. • This is permitted too, precisely because of that "straight or right" sign above the left lane; but on its own it is not the complete answer and needlessly makes changing into the right lane look wrong.

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