Road Traffic Law and Rules of the Road (SVG/VRV)
Domain 1 covers the Swiss road traffic act (SVG, SR 741.01) and the traffic rules ordinance (VRV, SR 741.11). Category D questions test whether you apply general priority, signalling, speed and stopping rules correctly while driving a long, heavy vehicle full of passengers.
Core rules
- Switzerland drives on the right. At junctions without signs or signals, priority is right before left; before turning left you must let oncoming traffic and pedestrians on the road you are leaving pass.
- Leaving a property, car park, petrol station or field track gives no priority: you yield to every road user already on the road.
- VRV Art. 15: other drivers must make it possible for a scheduled-service bus to leave a marked stop. The bus driver must still indicate early and move off only when the manoeuvre is safe.
- Trams have priority over road traffic; never block tram tracks.
- Speed: 50 km/h in built-up areas (30 in a zone 30), 80 km/h outside, 120 km/h on motorways. A category D bus is limited by construction to 100 km/h, so 120 km/h is not available to you even where posted.
- Distance: outside built-up areas keep at least half the speedometer reading in metres (two-second rule); leave a wide lateral margin when passing cyclists and pedestrians.
- Pedestrian crossings: pedestrians who show intent to cross have priority; overtaking at a crossing is prohibited.
- Alcohol: 0.5 ‰ generally, but 0.1 ‰ for professional drivers of heavy vehicles and drivers in the three-year probation period. Handheld phones are prohibited; hands-free is allowed.
Worked example
A bus pulls away from a marked stop in town, left indicator on. A car approaches from behind at 45 km/h. The car must facilitate the bus leaving the stop, but the bus driver may not simply swing out: he must signal early, check mirrors and blind spot, and let the car pass if it is already too close to stop safely. If the bus forces the car to brake hard, the bus driver is at fault despite the courtesy rule.
Traps that cost marks
- Treating the bus-stop rule as an absolute right of way.
- Forgetting that 120 km/h does not apply to a speed-limited bus.
- Assuming right before left applies at junctions with a give-way sign.
- Ignoring the rear overhang when leaving a stop or turning into a narrow street.