Flashing Amber, a Raised Palm and a Wet Zebra Crossing
You are driving a hatchback at 11:40 pm on a two-lane city road. It is drizzling and the surface is wet. Ahead is a four-arm junction. The traffic signal has stopped cycling and shows a flashing amber light. A double solid yellow line runs down the centre of the road, a stop line is painted before the junction, and a zebra crossing lies just beyond it. A pedestrian holding a child's hand stands at the left kerb with one foot on the carriageway, waiting to cross. At the near corner, a police officer in a raincoat faces your direction and raises his hand, palm towards you. A car behind you honks twice. The road beyond the junction is clear for about 100 metres, then narrows beside a market. Your destination is 300 metres ahead on the left.
1. Which instruction must you obey at the junction, and exactly where should the car stop? Explain how you rank the police officer's hand signal, the flashing amber light, the stop line and the zebra crossing.
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The officer's hand signal outranks the signal head, the signs and the markings. A raised palm facing you means stop. A flashing amber light does not cancel that; on its own it means 'proceed with caution', not 'you have priority'. Stop before the stop line, not on it and not on the zebra crossing, so the pedestrian and the child have a clear path. Keep the car square in its lane and do not edge forward because the driver behind is honking. The double solid yellow line reinforces that you must not cross into the opposite lane here. Once the officer lowers his hand, treat the junction as marked but uncontrolled: give way to the pedestrian waiting at the kerb and to traffic already in the junction, then proceed only when the exit is clear. The ranking matters because obeying the light instead of the officer would put you into the pedestrian's path.
2. After the officer leaves, the signal continues flashing amber. What must you do about the pedestrian, and may you cross the double solid yellow line to overtake the slow car ahead?
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Flashing amber requires caution, not a free pass. Slow down, check both approaches and be ready to stop. The pedestrian has already placed one foot on the carriageway at a marked zebra crossing, so give way; do not wave the child forward and do not squeeze past. You may not cross a double solid yellow line to overtake, and overtaking at a junction is independently unsafe and normally prohibited. The slow car ahead may itself stop for the pedestrian, so hold back and keep a gap rather than pulling out. Wait until the line becomes broken and visibility is clear, and then overtake only if you can complete the move without forcing anyone to brake. The yellow line is there because this is a junction with a market beyond, where surprises are likely.
3. The driver behind flashes headlights and pulls out to overtake you on the right across the double yellow line. What are the risks, and what should you do?
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Do not accelerate, do not move right to block, and do not treat the other driver's offence as something you must enforce. Maintain your lane, ease off slightly if that creates a safer gap, and be prepared for the overtaking car to cut back sharply or meet oncoming traffic. The double yellow line makes the move illegal, but your immediate job is collision avoidance. Watch the pedestrian and the junction exit while the other car is alongside, because your own path may be blocked if that driver stops suddenly. If the overtaking car forces an oncoming vehicle towards you, slow and create space rather than swerving towards the kerb. After the car has passed, resume a safe speed and keep the junction clear. Note the registration if you wish to report the driving, but do not pursue or confront the driver.