Emerging from T-junctions

How much can you see as you approach?

The way you deal with a T-junction depends on how much you can see into the major road ahead.

• If the view is wide and unobstructed, you are approaching an open-vision junction. You have enough information to make an informed decision about whether it's safe to emerge.

• It the view is limited, you are approaching a closed-vision junction. You do not have enough information to think about emerging yet. You need to find out more.

 

 

 

The road markings sometimes (but not always) tell you what type of junction you are approaching.

Stop lines: At accident blackspots (where your vision is extremely limited) you often find a 'stop' line – one unbroken line running across the road in front of you. You must always come to a dead stop behind the stop line. Then take the time to work out if it's safe to emerge from the junction.

Give way lines: Elsewhere you find 'give way' lines – two broken lines running across the road in front of you. You do not have to stop here, but you do still have to look to see if it's safe to emerge.

At a 'give way' junction, the emphasis is on making progress if the way is clear. But that doesn't mean that all 'give way' junctions have open vision. Many have closed vision; you must emerge with caution or stop till you can see that the way is clear.

How can you tell where the junction is?

You'll know the road is coming to an end because you'll see:
1. Road signs: red-bordered warning triangles tell you that you're approaching a T-junction
2. Road markings: road markings running across the road ahead
3. Buildings: the end of a row of buildings could indicate a junction
4. Parked cars: the end of a row of parked cars could indicate a junction
5. Moving cars: cars driving across the road ahead

Mirrors • Signal • Position • Speed • Look (MSPSL routine)

When you've spotted the junction at which you want to turn, follow the MSPSL routine.
Mirrors

 

 

• Turning left: Look into your rear-view mirror and left side mirror (shows you what's happening behind you and on your left side).

• Turning right: Look into your rear-view mirror and right side mirror (shows you what's happening behind you and on your right side).

Signal

• In towns, make your signalling clear. If you signal your intention to turn left or right too early, people may think you're pulling over to stop. If you signal too late, other drivers won't have time to react. Be guided by your speed. If you're travelling at 30mph, six car lengths is about right; at 10–15mph, two car lengths is more appropriate.

Position

• Turning left: Take a safe driving line – about 1 metre from the kerb.

• Turning right: If you can, take a driving line just to the left of the central line. If obstacles such as parked cars force you further over to the right, it is okay to cross the central line, but stay as close to it as you safely can.

 

 

Speed

• Your speed should be neither too slow nor too fast. Adjust it by easing off the accelerator and gentle use of the foot brake.

• If you're approaching a stop junction, you must come to a dead halt before the line.

Look

• As you approach, gather as much information about the road ahead as you approach.

• If you can't see clearly, come to a halt when your right side mirror is in line with the single broken white lines on the right side of the road. From here you should have a good view of the road to left and right.

• If your view's still not good enough, edge forward using what's known as the peep-and-creep method. Strain your head forward to get the best view you can. At the same time, hold the clutch pedal at the bite point and raise or lower it in steps equivalent to the thickness of a £1 coin. When you raise the pedal slightly, your car edges forward; when you lower it, your car slows down.

• Keep looking to left and right. The minimum you should do is to look right, left, and right again.

• Look as often as it takes till you can see that the road is clear and that your movement will not cause any car to slow down, stop, or swerve. Take account of the position, speed, and likely future movements of every vehicle you see.

Emerging from the minor road

If the road is clear, you can emerge from the junction. Bear in mind that you will be moving out slowly, while traffic on the major road is travelling fast. You must be prepared to give way. At closed-vision junctions, the situation can change quickly.

Left turns: Start turning the wheel to the left when the front of your car reaches the first curving kerbstone.
Right turns: Aim to get into your normal safe driving line as early as you can. Steer according to the conditions, paying special attention to parked cars and other obstacles.

After the turn

You're now in a new road and travelling slowly. Before you start to pick up speed, check the road ahead and look again into your mirrors. Look out especially for other drivers trying to overtake you. And don't forget to cancel your signals if they haven't self-cancelled.

Crossroads

General

When two roads cross, the junction is called a crossroads. In most cases, one of them is a major road and the other is a minor road. But not always: sometimes both roads have equal status.

Many skills you have already learned – turning left and right from major to minor roads, and emerging from minor to major roads (peep and creep etc) – are relevant to crossroads.

Spotting crossroads

You could easily miss a crossroads. Whichever direction you approach from, your road appears to carry straight on. So you have to look out for road signs and for markings running across or to the side of the road ahead, as well as for other tell-tale signs such as a break in the line of buildings or parked cars.

The markings tell you if you are on the major or minor road and who has priority.

Road markings
Look out for the stop and give way road markings;

• running across the road ahead of you = you're on the minor road = stop or give way

• running to the left and right of you = you're on the major road = you have priority

Road signs
A black cross within a red triangle – one line of the cross is bolder than the other;

• horizontal bold line = you're on the minor road = stop or give way

• vertical bold line = you're on the major road = you have priority

Controlled and uncontrolled crossroads

The two types of crossroads are known as controlled and uncontrolled.

At a controlled crossroads, one road has priority over the other. The controls take the form of road markings (give way and stop lines), traffic lights, and yellow boxes. The traffic lights and road markings show who has priority. [Note that the only time you can wait in a yellow box control is when you want to turn right into a clear road, but you are prevented from driving on by a stream of oncoming traffic. If your exit road is not clear, you cannot enter the box.]

At an uncontrolled crossroads, no one has priority. Imagine what a crossroads is like when the traffic lights fail. That's one example of an uncontrolled crossroads. Some crossroads are permanently uncontrolled. There are no traffic lights and no road markings. You should be ultra careful at an uncontrolled crossing.

 

Who has priority?

• If you are travelling straight ahead on the major road, you have priority over traffic on the minor road.

• If you are on the minor road and wanting to travel ahead, left, or right, you must give way to traffic on the major road.

• If you are travelling straight ahead or turning left, you have priority over traffic coming in the opposite direction that wants to turn right.

• If you want to turn right, you must give way to traffic coming in the opposite direction that's going straight ahead or turning left.

• If you want to turn right, you have equal priority with traffic coming in the opposite direction that wants to turn right. Deciding how and when to make that turn can be tricky. Here are a few ideas:

• You can turn right in front of each other, known as nearside-to-nearside. Your vision is less good because the other vehicle is between you and oncoming traffic. Move forward with care using the peep and creep method
• You can turn right behind each other, known as offside-to-offside. Your vision is much better because you can see the road ahead and the road you're turning into
  
  

• Both types of turn are valid. You have to judge the road to decide which is best. At small junctions, you may have to pass in front of the other vehicle because there's no room to pass behind. If the other driver has already positioned their car to pass in front of you, you have to do the same. Some crossroads have markings in the road that tell you to pass in front of or behind the other vehicle. Look out for them.

Positioning

When you turn left or right at a crossroads, follow the normal rules for road position.

When you travel straight ahead, you take the shortest route. This is usually to the left of the carriageway. But on offset or staggered crossroads (crossroads where the roads are not exactly aligned), you may be better off moving over to the right.

Observation

Approaching from the minor road

You need to adapt the rules you learned about emerging from a minor road at a T junction. Instead of just checking to right and left in the sequence right-left-right, you should cover the road ahead. This gives you a new sequence of checks: right-ahead-left-ahead-right. This simple sequence is the minimum you should do. As always, treat the junction with caution, and only emerge when it is safe to do so.

Approaching from the major road

Although you have priority, you must still look out for drivers coming from side roads. As you approach the crossroads, check your mirrors, ease your foot off the accelerator, and glance into the side roads to left and right. Do not miss out this procedure. If you follow it every time, you should be able to react safely to anything unexpected.