The Faded Stop Line at a Rain-Soaked Junction
You are driving a light truck on a two-lane road into a small town at about 50 km/h. Rain has been falling for an hour and the asphalt is slick. Ahead is a T-junction where a minor road joins from the right. You see a red octagonal sign, but its face is so weathered that the word on it is barely legible. At the same time you notice a broad white line painted across your lane, though the paint is worn and partly covered by standing water. A pedestrian with an umbrella is waiting on the right shoulder, close to the edge of the minor road, looking toward the junction. A car is approaching on the minor road but has not yet reached the line.
1. Identify the two traffic-control devices you can see and state what each requires you to do, given the poor visibility of the sign face.
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The red octagon is a stop sign. Even though the word is illegible, the octagonal shape and red colour are unique to stop signs in the Ethiopian system, so the shape alone tells you the requirement: come to a complete stop. The broad white line across your lane is the stop line marking where the stop must be made. Because the paint is worn and the sign face is obscured, you should treat both as valid and stop fully at the line. You should not roll through just because the sign is hard to read - the shape is the primary cue, and the line confirms it. Stopping behind the line also keeps you clear of the pedestrian waiting at the corner.
2. Explain how the wet road and the waiting pedestrian should change your approach speed and stopping position.
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Wet asphalt lengthens braking distance, so you should begin slowing earlier and more gently than on dry road, aiming to arrive at the stop line already at walking pace rather than braking hard at the last moment. The pedestrian is standing close to the junction on the right; if you stop beyond the line you could block their view or crowd them, so stop behind the line with clearance. After stopping, check that the pedestrian is not about to step out and that the approaching car on the minor road is actually stopping. Only proceed when the junction is clear and you have re-checked both directions.
3. The car on the minor road reaches the junction at the same moment you do. Who should go, and why?
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You are on the major road and the other car is joining from a minor road, so the car on the minor road must yield to traffic on the main road. However, yielding is not automatic - you must confirm the other driver has actually stopped or slowed. If the other car edges forward or its driver appears not to have seen you, you should wait rather than assert your right of way. Right-of-way rules allocate responsibility; they do not remove your duty to avoid a collision. In rain, with reduced visibility, giving the other driver a moment to react is the safer choice.