Rules of the Road
Rules of the Road
The Rules of the Road domain tests whether you can apply Ireland's right-of-way, speed-limit, junction, roundabout and motorway rules to everyday situations. Questions are situational: you are given a road layout, a sign or a traffic-light phase and asked what you should do next.
Key rules:
- Drive on the left. Keep left unless overtaking; on a dual carriageway, use the left lane and return to it after passing.
- Default speed limits are 50 km/h in built-up areas, 80 km/h on regional and local roads, 100 km/h on national roads and 120 km/h on motorways, unless signs say otherwise.
- At a Yield line or sign, give way to traffic already on the major road. A Yield sign does not give you priority.
- At a roundabout, yield to traffic already circulating. For the second exit (straight ahead), do not signal on approach; signal left after you pass the exit before the one you want.
- A continuous white centre line means no overtaking. Broken white lines may be crossed when safe.
- Traffic lights: red means stop behind the stop line; amber means stop unless it is unsafe to do so; green means proceed only if the way is clear.
Worked example
You approach a four-arm roundabout intending to take the second exit. A car is already circulating from your right. You should slow down, check mirrors, yield to the circulating car, enter when there is a safe gap, stay in the left lane and signal left after passing the first exit. The reasoning is that entering traffic yields; signalling early would wrongly suggest you are taking the first exit.
Traps that cost marks
- Signalling right for straight ahead at a roundabout - this is only correct for exits beyond 12 o'clock.
- Treating a Yield sign as a Stop sign, or rolling through a Stop line without a full stop.
- Forgetting that a green light is not an absolute right of way; you must still check the junction is clear.