Road Traffic Rules, Road Markings and Safe Driving
The basics a taxi driver is tested on
Hong Kong drives on the left. At a roundabout you give way to traffic already circulating, which approaches from your right. Signals run red, amber, green: amber means stop unless you are so close that stopping would itself be dangerous. Hand-held mobile phone use while driving is prohibited. Seat belts must be worn by the driver and by passengers in front and rear seats, and child passengers must be properly restrained.
Markings and their meaning
Yellow lines restrict parking: double yellow means no parking at any time, single yellow during the hours shown on the nearby plate. Zigzag markings at a zebra crossing or bus stop prohibit stopping, parking and overtaking the leading vehicle. Pedestrians on a zebra crossing have priority; you must not move off until the crossing is clear. Do not enter a box junction unless your exit is clear. Obey lane arrows; a solid double white line must not be crossed, a broken line may be crossed when safe.
Safe driving for hire cars
Keep a safe following distance, brake early with passengers aboard, and signal before every manoeuvre. Never stop on a bend, inside a tunnel, on an expressway shoulder without cause, or at a bus stop. On Hong Kong Island watch for trams and their boarding islands; everywhere, watch for pedestrians stepping out between parked vehicles.
Worked example
You approach a zebra crossing and a pedestrian is on the opposite half of the road, walking toward your lane. The correct answer is to stop and wait. Answers that say "proceed slowly if the pedestrian is still on the other side" are wrong: you move off only when the crossing is clear of pedestrians.