Road Traffic Rules and Regulations
This domain tests whether you can apply the rules of the road to everyday and edge-case situations, not just recite them. Understand the core obligations: keep left unless overtaking on multi-lane roads, obey speed limits and adjust speed to conditions, give way as signed or marked, and follow the correct procedure at junctions, roundabouts, pedestrian crossings and level crossings.
Know the hierarchy of control. A Garda or authorised officer directing traffic overrides signals, signs and markings; temporary signs and roadworks override permanent ones; markings generally reinforce signs. Questions often place a conflicting instruction in front of you - for example a green light with a garda waving you to stop, or a stop line with a yield sign - and expect you to pick the higher authority.
Watch for traps around priority. At an uncontrolled junction the general rule is yield to traffic already on or approaching from the right, but signs and markings always take precedence. At a roundabout, yield to traffic already on the roundabout (coming from your right in left-hand-drive Ireland). Pedestrians on a zebra crossing have priority once they have stepped onto it; at signalised crossings you must yield to anyone still crossing when your light turns green.
Overtaking rules, box junctions, bus lanes and cycle lanes, and the correct use of indicators and hazard lights are frequent question themes. Remember that a continuous white line, a solid centre line and hatched markings with a solid border must not be crossed.
Worked example: You approach a junction with a yield sign but no stop line, and a car is approaching from your left. The sign governs: you yield to traffic on the major road regardless of side. If instead the junction were uncontrolled with no signs, you would yield to the right.
Rule of thumb: signs beat markings, markings beat habit, and a human directing traffic beats everything.