Do you have to give way to the tram driver?

Explanation

You must give way to the tram driver.

The blue tram is on your left, its right indicator is on and the rails curve to the right at this very junction; that is, the tram passes in front of you and cuts across your path. There is no priority sign either, so the conditions are equal, and in equal conditions a tram takes precedence over all non-rail vehicles, regardless of its direction of travel.

That phrase "regardless of direction" is where most candidates go wrong. They recall the right-hand rule and, because the tram is on the left, conclude that they take precedence. But the right-hand rule applies only among non-rail vehicles; the tram is outside that ordering and passes before everyone.

The technical reason for this advantage is the tram's physical limitation: it is locked onto rails, cannot steer round an obstacle, and because of its great mass and the low friction of steel on steel its stopping distance is far longer than a passenger car's. The law entrusts the decision to the one who really has the capacity to stop. The only exception is a tram leaving the depot; in that case it must itself give way. When a tram is beside you, make sure before moving that you have read its indicator and the curve of the rails correctly.

• Because the tram is on your left, you are tempted to rely on the right-hand rule; but that rule is among non-rail vehicles and does not override the tram's precedence.

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