Unsigned crossroads with a bus pulling out
At 19:40 on a dry Tuesday you drive a car north through a residential street in a Swiss town and want to go straight on through an unsigned four-way intersection. There are no priority signs, no markings and no traffic lights. Three other road users matter. A bus is standing at a marked stop 30 m before the intersection on your side of the road; its left indicator is already on, so it is about to pull back into your lane. A car approaching from the east arm reaches the crossing at roughly the same moment as you and indicates left, so it will turn into your arm and cross your intended path. A van is 10 m behind you, closing slightly. Visibility is good and the road is dry. You are not in a hurry, but you know that hesitating in the middle of the road is itself a hazard and that the van driver is watching you for a cue.
1. In what order should you, the bus and the car from the east pass through the intersection, and on what rule does each step rest?
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Order: car from the east → bus → you.
- No signs, no markings: the default rule applies, priority from the right. Each driver must give way to vehicles approaching from the right at the junction.
- The car from the east is on your right. Its left indicator does not remove that priority; it only means the driver must not cut the corner and must keep to its own side of the road. You therefore wait.
- The bus is not an exception at the junction. The rule that a bus leaving a marked stop with its indicator on must be given priority protects it against vehicles coming from behind, meaning you. It does not create priority over a vehicle arriving from the right at an intersection. So the bus must give way to the car from the east, even though the bus is bigger and already rolling.
- Then you, following the bus through. Do not try to slip past the bus while it pulls out.
Second-order check: the van behind decides nothing. Signal early and brake smoothly so the driver can read your intention instead of guessing.
2. Four seconds pass and the car from the east still has not moved; the driver is holding a phone. May you go now? What do you actually do?
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No. Priority does not expire and it does not transfer because the other driver hesitates, is distracted or makes a mistake.
- You still have to give way. Driving out in front of a vehicle that has priority is a priority violation even while that vehicle is stationary, and if it starts moving you are the one who caused the collision.
- You must not teach a lesson by edging forward, leaning on the horn or flashing main beam. That raises the risk and can be held against you as well.
Practical handling: stop far enough back that the other driver can see you clearly, keep the wheels straight and your foot on the brake, and watch the driver's hands and front wheels rather than the indicator. If the other driver clearly waves you through and you can see that no other traffic is coming, you may accept, but only after a second look, because a wave from a distracted driver is not a reliable signal. If nothing happens for a long time, move only when the situation is unambiguous, and be ready to stop again.
3. You have already crossed the stop line and are 2 m into the intersection when the car from the east arrives. Do you stop in the middle of the junction to let it pass?
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No. You complete the crossing, slowly and defensively.
- The right-hand rule is applied to the moment a driver arrives. A vehicle already committed inside the intersection is an obstacle that the other driver has to take into account.
- Stopping in the middle of a junction is itself dangerous and normally an offence: you block the crossing, you may end up in the path of a vehicle turning, and the van behind you will not expect it.
- So keep a steady, predictable line and speed, watch the other car's wheels and the driver's face, and be ready to stop if it becomes clear that the driver has not seen you. Being in the right does not cancel your duty to avoid a collision; priority is not something you can enforce.
The lesson is preventive: if you are not certain you can clear the junction before the other vehicle arrives, wait behind the line rather than entering.