Rules of the Road and Traffic Law
What this domain tests
This domain tests who has right of way, how a heavy vehicle must be positioned, and which actions are offences rather than bad manners.
Core rules
- South Africa drives on the left: keep left except when overtaking or turning right.
- Overtake on the right, and only where there is no barrier line, blind rise, bend, intersection or pedestrian crossing.
- Following distance is at least two seconds in good conditions; add a second in rain and more when loaded or at night.
- Speed limits are 60 km/h in urban areas, 100 km/h on rural roads and 120 km/h on freeways unless a sign says otherwise.
- At a four-way stop the first vehicle to stop moves off first; if two stop together, the driver on the left gives way to the vehicle on the right.
- At a roundabout, give way to traffic already in the circle, approaching from your right.
- If robots are dead or flashing red, treat the intersection as a four-way stop and proceed only when it is safe.
- A traffic officer's signals override signs, markings and robots.
Worked example
You and a bakkie stop at a four-way stop at the same moment, the bakkie on your right. Reasoning: simultaneous arrival means the vehicle on the right has right of way, so the bakkie goes first. You move off only after checking the intersection is genuinely clear - right of way is not a guarantee that others will stop.
Traps
Rolling through a stop sign; believing a green light gives an absolute right to enter a blocked intersection; forgetting to signal and shoulder-check before a lane change; treating a barrier line as negotiable in slow traffic.