Yards and Side Entrances

A yard gate or a filling station exit looks like a small intersection, but it isn’t one and it gives you no rights. In both directions, the road users you cross go first.

Who goes first when I come out?

They do. Point 38 says that when you drive out onto a road from an adjacent area, such as a yard or a filling station, you must:

• Give way to all vehicles travelling on the road.
• Not obstruct pedestrians.

Coming out through these gates, you give way to drivers and pedestrians, on both sides.

Common trap: “Drivers approaching from the right” is an intersection rule. It doesn’t apply here, because this isn’t an intersection.

So if you are already on the road, you have priority over a truck leaving a filling station. It stays that way even if the truck’s driver gives a hand signal.

Who goes first when I go in?

Point 38 also covers entering an adjacent area from the road. Give way to cyclists whose path you cross, and don’t obstruct pedestrians.

Turning left into a yard, you cross the oncoming side as well, so you must also give way to oncoming vehicles (point 44).

Sign 4.1.1 “Straight ahead only” doesn’t prohibit turning right into a yard. You must still signal.

Try it yourself

You are turning right into a yard. A cyclist is riding along on your right, and pedestrians are near the entrance.

Who do you give way to? The cyclist and the pedestrians. Both are on the path of your turn.

You are turning left into the courtyard. A yellow car is coming towards you, and two pedestrians stand by the entrance.

Who do you give way to? The driver and the pedestrians. Point 44 covers the car, and point 38 covers the pedestrians.

Key points

• Coming out of a yard: give way to vehicles on the road, and don’t obstruct pedestrians.
• Going in: give way to cyclists, and don’t obstruct pedestrians.
• Turning left into a yard: give way to oncoming vehicles too.
• A yard exit isn’t an intersection, so intersection rules don’t help.

Practice questions

Question 382. In this situation, when making a left turn the driver

1. Must give way
2. Will cross the intersection first

Show answer

Correct: 1. Must give way

You are coming out of an adjacent territory - a courtyard - onto the road, and turning left. Under point 38 of the Rules a driver entering a road from an adjacent territory must give way to the vehicles and pedestrians moving along it. Making the left turn you must therefore give way to the vehicle already on the road. “Will cross the intersection first” is wrong because a driver leaving an adjacent territory yields to the traffic on the road rather than having priority over it - such an exit is not an intersection and gives no rights at all.

Question 423. At this intersection

1. You will give way
2. You will go first

Show answer

Correct: 2. You will go first

The blue car is coming out of a territory adjoining the road - a courtyard - and under the Rules a driver emerging from an adjoining territory onto a road must give way to the vehicles and pedestrians travelling along it. You are travelling on that road, so the priority is yours and you will go first. “You will give way” is wrong: an exit from an adjoining territory is not an intersection, and it is the driver coming out who gives way, not the one already on the road.

Question 745. When entering the road in this situation we are obliged to give way to

1. Drivers approaching from the right side
2. All drivers
3. Drivers and pedestrians

Show answer

Correct: 3. Drivers and pedestrians

The picture shows a car coming out onto the road through open gates, from a courtyard - an adjacent territory. Under point 38 of the Traffic Rules a driver entering a road from an adjacent territory must give way to the vehicles AND pedestrians moving along it. Coming out of the courtyard the duty to give way therefore covers both drivers and pedestrians, and not merely those approaching from one side: “Drivers approaching from the right side” imports a rule that belongs to intersections, and this is not an intersection at all.

Question 752. When entering the courtyard on the left, to whom must you give way

1. Only to the driver approaching from the opposite direction
2. To the driver and to pedestrians
3. To no one

Show answer

Correct: 2. To the driver and to pedestrians

Under point 44 of the Traffic Rules, when turning left outside an intersection the driver must give way to oncoming vehicles, so the yellow car approaching from the opposite direction must be let through. Under point 38, when entering an adjacent area (a courtyard) from the road the driver gives way to cyclists, and in both cases no obstruction may be created for pedestrians, so the pedestrians at the courtyard entrance must also be let through. The correct answer is therefore “To the driver and to pedestrians”; the option “Only to the driver approaching from the opposite direction” ignores the requirement not to obstruct pedestrians, and “To no one” ignores both duties.

Question 780. To give way to the truck driver

1. We are obliged
2. We are obliged, if he has given a hand signal about it
3. We are not obliged

Show answer

Correct: 3. We are not obliged

Under point 38 of the Traffic Rules, when entering a road from an adjacent area the driver must give way to the vehicles travelling on it. In the picture the truck is leaving a petrol station, which is an adjacent area, while our car is travelling on the road itself. The duty to give way therefore lies with the driver of the truck leaving the petrol station, and we are not obliged to give way to him.

Question 795. When entering an adjacent area, the driver must give way to

1. Only pedestrians
2. Only cyclists
3. Cyclists, and must not create an obstacle for pedestrians

Show answer

Correct: 3. Cyclists, and must not create an obstacle for pedestrians

Under point 38 of the Road Traffic Rules, a driver entering an adjacent area from the road must give way to the cyclists whose path is being crossed, and at the same time must not create an obstacle for pedestrians. “Cyclists, and must not create an obstacle for pedestrians” is the option that carries both of those requirements, which is why it is correct. “Only pedestrians” and “Only cyclists” each keep one half of point 38 and drop the other.

Question 796. When exiting onto a road from an adjacent area, the driver must

1. Give way only to pedestrians
2. Give way to the vehicles travelling on it
3. Give way to the drivers of the vehicles travelling on it and not create an obstruction for pedestrians

Show answer

Correct: 3. Give way to the drivers of the vehicles travelling on it and not create an obstruction for pedestrians

Under point 38 of the Road Traffic Rules, a driver exiting onto a road from an adjacent area must give way to the vehicles already travelling on that road and at the same time must not create an obstruction for pedestrians. “Give way to the drivers of the vehicles travelling on it and not create an obstruction for pedestrians” is the only option holding both duties, which is why it is correct. “Give way only to pedestrians” and “Give way to the vehicles travelling on it” each drop one of the two.

Question 802. The right of way is held by

1. The passenger car’s driver
2. The truck’s driver

Show answer

Correct: 2. The truck’s driver

The passenger car is leaving a filling station, which is an adjacent territory, while the truck is travelling along the road. Under point 38 of the Traffic Rules, a driver entering a road from an adjacent territory must give way to the vehicles travelling on it and to pedestrians. The right of way therefore belongs to the driver of the truck travelling along the road.

Question 805. When entering the yard on the right, we are obliged to give way to

1. Only pedestrians
2. Only the cyclist
3. No one
4. The cyclist and the pedestrians

Show answer

Correct: 4. The cyclist and the pedestrians

Under point 38 of the Traffic Rules a driver leaving the road to enter an adjacent territory - a yard - must give way to cyclists, and in doing so must create no obstruction for pedestrians either. The green arrow on the dashboard shows the right turn into the yard, and both the cyclist riding along on the right and the pedestrians by the entrance are on the path of that manoeuvre, so both must be let through. “The cyclist and the pedestrians” is therefore correct: giving way to only one of them, or to neither, would breach those requirements of point 38.