Night Rain, a Broken Streetlight and an Unmarked Junction
It is 22:15 and raining. You approach a junction in a residential area where the traffic lights are dark - no power, no flashing amber. The streetlight on your side is also out. Road markings are worn: you can make out a faint stop line on your approach but no legible word. A car approaches from your right with its headlights on, slowing but not stopping. A motorcycle without a working rear light is close behind you. Visibility is poor and the wet surface reflects the headlights of the other car.
1. What is the correct right-of-way decision, and how do the dark signals and worn markings affect it?
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A dark signal head is not a signal - it gives no instruction. The junction therefore falls back to the general priority rule: at an unmarked or uncontrolled intersection, give way to traffic approaching from the right. The car on your right has priority; you must yield.
However, the faint stop line matters. A stop line indicates a controlled approach where you must stop before entering, and if it is legible enough to identify, treat it as a stop line: come to a full stop, then proceed only when clear. Do not assume the line grants you priority - the right-hand rule still governs who goes first.
The motorcycle behind you is a separate hazard: it cannot see your brake lights well in the rain and has no rear light of its own. Signal and brake early and gently so it has time to react, rather than stopping abruptly at the line.
2. Describe the approach and entry you would actually make, including speed and observation, and explain what you would do if the car on the right also stops and waves you through.
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Approach: reduce speed well before the junction - in rain at night, treat the wet stopping distance as roughly double the dry figure, so at 40 km/h you need a much longer clear zone than the dry 20-odd metres. Turn on dipped headlights (not main beam, which the rain and the other car's windscreen will scatter). Use the wipers and demister so the windscreen is clear. Check the mirror for the motorcycle, brake early, and stop at the line.
Observation: look right, left, right again; check for pedestrians on the corners and for the motorcycle trying to overtake on your left. Enter slowly in a low gear so you can stop within the distance you can see.
If the other driver waves you through: a wave is a courtesy, not a legal transfer of priority. Proceed only after you have confirmed yourself that the way is clear - the other driver may be waving you into the path of a third vehicle or a pedestrian they cannot see. Move off deliberately and be ready to stop.