Which vehicle driver should give way?

Explanation

The bus driver.

The bus in the picture is standing at the roadside and is now moving off with its indicator on; the white arrows on the carriageway show its path, and the blue sign beside the bus is the "U-turn place" sign. The passenger car on the left is already travelling along the carriageway. The rule is the basic one: a driver moving off from a standstill must give way to vehicles already in motion. The bus is just pulling away, so its driver must give way — and since he is also performing a U-turn manoeuvre, the duty is doubled.

The main trap of this question is that blue sign. Many read it as a bus-stop sign and recall the privilege granted to route buses moving off from a marked stop. But this sign means "place for U-turn", not a stop sign; here the bus is simply an ordinary vehicle moving off from a standstill.

The safety reason supports the same order: a tall, long bus pulling out from the roadside and turning sweeps its body across the full width of the carriageway, and for several moments its driver has no full view to the left. If he moves before the road is clear, the vehicle already in motion has nowhere to escape. Worth memorising: before invoking any privilege, read the sign correctly first.

• The passenger car is already moving along the carriageway and has begun no manoeuvre; a vehicle in the traffic flow does not give way to one that is only moving off. This option is chosen only on the false assumption that "a bus always has priority".

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