Do you have to give way to the oncoming driver when turning right?

Explanation

No; when turning right you do not give way to the oncoming driver.

The traffic light is green, so the triangular "give way" sign and the plate beneath it showing the shape of the priority road are without effect at this moment; as long as the light is working, the light's command takes precedence over the priority signs. That in itself is a separate exam point.

A right turn is the shortest turn and does not take you out of the right-hand half of the carriageway; that is, your path does not meet the oncoming flow at all, and the question of giving way to it does not arise. On the contrary, the dark car opposite has signalled left and intends to turn left; it is the one that must wait for you to pass, because a left turn cuts across the oncoming path.

The safety reason for this division: the law places the burden of decision on the driver who cuts across another's path, not on the one who stays in his own direction; otherwise both drivers would wait for each other or both would set off at once.

But a warning: "not having to give way to the oncoming flow" does not mean the path is clear. When turning right you must still give way to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the carriageway of the destination street. And that is the exam trap: seeing the give-way sign and answering "yes" in haste.

• "Yes" comes from two mistaken ideas: that the oncoming vehicle always takes precedence, and that the give-way sign covers the oncoming flow too; besides which, with an active green light that sign is not applied at all.

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