Flashed Headlights at a T-Junction
You are driving a private car in Mandalay at about 17:15 and approach a T-junction from a minor road. A painted stop line crosses your lane, but the stop sign has been knocked down and is missing. The through road carries two-way traffic. A city bus on the through road approaches from your right, slows and flashes its headlights twice. A motorcycle behind the bus pulls out to overtake and is momentarily hidden by the bus. Light rain has made the road shiny. Just beyond the junction, a pedestrian steps onto a zebra crossing. Your view to the right is partly blocked by a parked truck. You want to turn right into the through road. A car behind you sounds its horn briefly.
1. Does the bus's flashed headlights give you the right of way?
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No. A headlight flash is not a legal grant of priority; it is ambiguous. The bus driver may be inviting you out, warning you of the overtaking motorcycle, or signalling to someone else. The safe interpretation is that the flash is information, not permission. Wait until the bus has clearly slowed or stopped and you have checked for the hidden motorcycle. If the bus stops but the motorcycle keeps coming, the flash has not made the junction safe. Make eye contact with the bus driver if possible, but still verify the road yourself before moving.
2. Who must give way at the junction and at the zebra crossing?
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You are on the minor road and the painted stop line requires you to give way to traffic on the through road. The bus, and the motorcycle overtaking it, are on the through road. The pedestrian is already on the zebra crossing just beyond the junction, so the pedestrian has priority there and you must not enter the crossing or stop on it. The bus stopping does not automatically mean the whole through road is clear: the motorcycle may still be moving. Your duty is to enter only when you can do so without forcing the bus, the motorcycle or the pedestrian to change speed or direction.
3. What should you do if the bus stops and the driver waves you out, but the motorcycle keeps coming?
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Do not accept the wave as clearance. The motorcycle is the more immediate hazard and may be hidden by the bus, so hold your position behind the stop line. Creep forward only enough to improve your view, then look right, left and right again. Let the motorcycle pass, then check that the pedestrian has cleared the crossing and that no other vehicle is following the bus. If the bus driver is blocking your view, wait for a clearer gap rather than guessing. A brief delay is cheaper than a collision, and the driver behind you has no authority to push you into an unsafe gap.