Frozen T-Junction with a Yield Sign and a Flashing Bus
You are driving alone in a compact car on a minor street in Ulaanbaatar, approaching a T-junction with a major avenue. Your side has a 'Give Way' (yield) sign and a dashed stop line; the avenue has no signs or signals. It is 07:40, -20°C, and the junction is polished ice under packed snow. You want to turn left. A city bus is coming from your left about 80 m away, and a line of cars is coming from your right. A pedestrian with a small child is waiting at the crosswalk on the avenue, on the far side of your intended path. Your windscreen has a patch of frost at the lower corner, and you have not cleared it. You are already late for work. The bus driver flashes the headlights and slows.
1. Who has priority at this junction, and what should you do before entering it?
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The yield sign controls your entry. It does not mean 'slow down and go'; it means you must give way to traffic on the avenue in both directions and to pedestrians using the crosswalk. The bus from your left and the cars from your right both have priority over your left turn. The pedestrian with the child also has priority once you enter the crosswalk area. The practical order is: avenue traffic first, then the pedestrian, then your turn.
Before entering, stop at the line and clear the frost patch from the windscreen. Driving with a frosted or fogged windscreen is unsafe and contrary to vehicle-condition rules. Do not nose into the junction to claim space; on polished ice you may slide and block the bus. Wait where you can see and be seen.
2. How should the ice change your choice of gap?
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Ice changes both stopping distance and acceleration. At -20°C on polished ice, braking distance can be four to six times the dry-road figure, and your car may struggle to accelerate cleanly. A gap that looks like five seconds in summer is not enough.
You need a gap that lets you complete the turn and reach avenue speed without any avenue driver lifting off or braking. If the bus is 80 m away at about 40 km/h, it reaches you in roughly seven seconds; pulling across that gap on ice is not safe. Wait for a larger gap, even if you are late. Being late is an inconvenience; a side impact with a bus is not.
3. The bus driver flashes the headlights and slows. Can you proceed?
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A headlight flash can mean 'I see you', 'I am warning you' or 'go ahead'. It is not a legal transfer of priority, and it does not override the yield sign. Confirm that the bus is actually slowing and that no car is coming from your right. Recheck the crosswalk: the child may step out even if the adult hesitates. Proceed only when the bus has stopped or is far enough away, the right side is clear, and the pedestrian is not entering your path.
If there is any doubt, stay put. A wave or flash from one driver does not protect you from a second vehicle or a pedestrian.