In this intersection do you have to give way to the truck approaching from the unsurfaced road?

Explanation

You do not have to; a surfaced road counts as the priority road in relation to unsurfaced roads.

A priority road is not established by a sign alone. A road with a hard surface — asphalt, concrete or paving — counts as the priority road in relation to an unsurfaced road, even if no priority sign is fitted. In the picture there is asphalt beneath your wheels, and the lorry is approaching the junction from an unsurfaced, unpaved road; so you are on the priority road and the lorry is obliged to stop.

The right-hand rule is simply not relevant here, because that rule applies only between roads of equal status. Memorise this order: first establish whether the roads are of equal status; as long as an inequality exists, left and right play no part in the decision.

One supplementary point that also comes up in the exam: if you cannot tell the type of road surface — at night, or through mud, snow or earth spilled onto the asphalt — and there is no priority sign either, you must assume you are on the minor road and give way. This conservative assumption exists precisely to shut off the crashes caused by two drivers' differing readings of the importance of the roads. In practice too, having priority is no guarantee: a loaded lorry brakes more poorly on earth, so reduce your speed and make sure the driver really has stopped.

• The "obstacle on the right" rule is correct but only at a junction of equal-status roads; here your road is surfaced and the lorry's is unsurfaced, so the junction is unequal and the side of approach is irrelevant.

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