Which of the following signs obliges you to give way to oncoming vehicles?

Explanation

Sign 2 — the "priority to oncoming traffic" sign.

Sign 2 is that circle with a red border bearing a large black arrow pointing down and a small red arrow pointing up. It is the only sign in this set that obliges you to give way to oncoming vehicles: on a section of road whose width is insufficient for simultaneous passage, you must stop before entering so the opposing flow can pass.

The most dangerous option in this question is sign 5, because it carries exactly the same two arrows but with the colours inverted and in a blue square frame: a large white arrow pointing up (you) and a small red arrow pointing down (the opposing flow). Its meaning is exactly the reverse — you have priority. That is, if you keep only "two opposing arrows" in mind, you will answer wrongly half the time in the exam. The key to telling them apart is the colour and shape of the frame: a round sign with a red border creates a duty, a blue square sign grants a privilege.

A second way of telling is the colour of your own arrow: in sign 2 the arrow for your direction is red, meaning "you stop"; in sign 5 the arrow for your direction is white and large, meaning "you go". Memorise this one point and you will answer several questions in this family without hesitation. And on a real road, reduce speed before entering a narrow stretch even when the sign gives you priority; the oncoming driver may not have seen his own sign.

• Sign 1 is the "two-way traffic" warning triangle; it merely announces that from this point on there is an opposing flow and creates no duty to give way. Its two arrows are what get it confused with the correct sign. • Sign 3 is the "STOP" sign; it obliges you to stop completely and give way to the crossing road, not to the vehicles coming towards you. • Sign 4 is blue and relates to "direction of travel in the lanes"; it merely shows which way each lane goes and has nothing to do with priority. • Sign 5 has exactly the opposite meaning: a blue field and a large white arrow for your direction means you have priority over the opposing flow. This is the most tempting option in the question.

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