The first to drive through the intersection:

Explanation

The red car.

The yellow diamond "priority road" is posted facing the blue car's path, and its twin stands in the opposite corner along the red car's path; that is, the priority road is the very axis on which red and blue are travelling. Facing the green car, by contrast, is the triangular "give way" sign, and the yellow lorry shows the back of that same sign in the corner on its side. So the order of passage has two stages: first both priority-road vehicles, then the minor-road vehicles.

What remains is to settle matters between red and blue, who face each other. Red is turning right and blue has signalled left. A driver turning left cuts across the full width of the opposing path, so he is bound to give way to the oncoming vehicle going straight or turning right. Result: the red car passes through the junction first and blue behind him. Safety reason: a left turn is the most dangerous junction manoeuvre, because the turning path crosses the oncoming flow at an angle that produces a front-to-side impact at combined speed. The law puts the burden of waiting on the one who cuts across that path, not on the one driving straight.

Method to memorise: read the signs first and separate the priority road from the minor road, then within each group set the order using the left-turn rule and the right-hand rule. Swapping these two stages is the commonest error with these pictures.

• The green car has the "give way" sign facing it; it is on the minor road and has no right to enter the junction until the priority road is clear. • Blue is also on the priority road and that is what makes it tempting, but because it is turning left it must first give way to the oncoming red car, and it is second. • The yellow lorry is on the minor road, and being a large vehicle brings no priority; it moves after both priority-road cars.

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