When making a left turn

Explanation

You must give way to the tram.

In the picture the tram is on your left, on rails laid down the middle of the carriageway, and the overhead sign shows the direction of travel of each lane. The basic rule is: in equal conditions, a rail vehicle always takes precedence over rubber-tyred vehicles; both at a junction and outside one, and independently of whether the tram comes from the right or the left.

The reason for this precedence is the physics of braking, not administrative priority. A tram cannot change its path, does not come off the rails, and because of its great mass and the low friction of steel on steel, its stopping distance is several times a passenger car's. The only one in this equation who can manoeuvre is you, so the law places the burden of decision on you.

A practical point when turning left: your manoeuvre inevitably passes over the rails, and for those few seconds the car is exposed to being struck by the front of the tram. Before turning the wheel, check the rail path in both directions and never wait on the rails for the way to clear. The common exam trap is to extend the "obstacle on the right" rule to a tram as well; for a rail vehicle that rule does not work.

• "You pass through the junction first" is right when the tram is not in equal conditions or a signal has prohibited its movement; here neither holds, and precedence belongs to the rail vehicle.

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