The second to drive through the intersection:

Explanation

The blue car.

At this junction there is no traffic light, no "priority road" sign and no "give way" sign; that is, the roads are of equal status and the only decision tool is the right-hand rule: give way to a vehicle approaching from your right.

Apply that rule to all three vehicles. The green lorry's right is empty, so nobody precedes it and it moves first. The blue car has the lorry on its right and must give way to it; but blue itself is on the red car's right, so red must stay behind it. The chain is complete: green lorry, then blue, and red last. The second vehicle through the junction is the blue car. Safety reason: at a junction without signs, two drivers reach the conflict point almost simultaneously. If both stop, traffic locks up; if both move, a front-to-side collision occurs — precisely the crash with the least crumple space, striking the occupant directly. A single simple convention, the same for everyone, takes this decision out of the realm of momentary judgement.

How to work in the exam: instead of analysing the whole scene, ask just one question about each vehicle: "who is standing on its right?" The vehicle whose right is empty is always first, and the rest arrange themselves behind it. The common trap is assuming the largest vehicle, or the car closest to the centre of the junction, goes first.

• Red is last, not second; the blue car comes from its right and it must give way to it. • The green lorry is first because its right is empty; if you are looking for the "second" vehicle you must pass over it.

Sources and content coverage · Report a content error