The first to drive through the intersection:

Explanation

The green car.

All four vehicles in the picture have announced their intentions with indicators. The small green car on the left has its right indicator on and wants to turn right. The yellow car opposite it has signalled left. The red sports car on the opposing road has also signalled left, and the blue van beside it, with no indicator, is going straight.

The key to this picture is one fixed rule: a left turn always gives way to oncoming vehicles. That is, the yellow car, although on the same road and in the opposite direction to the green, must wait until the green has finished. From the other side, a right turn is the least conflicting manoeuvre at a junction: the green car does not leave the right-hand edge of the carriageway, cuts across no vehicle's path and leaves the junction at the first exit. That is why it is the one that passes first and the others remain behind it.

The safety reason for this order matters more than memorising it. A left turn is the most dangerous manoeuvre at a junction, because the vehicle simultaneously cuts across the oncoming flow and the crossing path, and the driver's visibility at the moment of turning is at its lowest. The law contains that danger with one simple rule: whoever turns left goes later.

Exam note: before anything else, count the indicators. In this kind of question the answer is almost always the vehicle that is either going straight or turning right.

• The red car has signalled left; a left turn is the most conflicting manoeuvre at a junction and is not the one that starts the order. • The blue van is going straight, which makes it look attractive, but its straight path conflicts with the other vehicles' manoeuvres, and going straight alone does not create priority. • The yellow car is the most tempting option because it stands directly opposite the green; but it has signalled left and must give way to the oncoming vehicle.

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