A couple of NZ road code questions

Forums › Off topic › A couple of NZ road code questions

1 | 2

edge

423 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Lifetime subscriber

#369304 18-Aug-2010 14:03

scotteffone:

4 way intersections do exist. There are rules for them and they apply at any time there are 4 directions with the same level of control. eg 4 unmarked roads, 4 giveway signs, 4 stop signs. Another example is when traffic lights fail.

Straight through traffic takes priority over turning.
Straight through traffic coming at you from the right takes priority.
When turning left give way to traffic coming from your right.
When turning right, giveway to turning traffic coming from your right.

Basic rule of thumb is don't get hit on your drivers door.

That makes sense and is the law but if four cars all want to go straight you run into issues. I don't recall reading in the road code that priority goes to the first car that stopped even though that seems logical. I could have missed it though!

If all four cars arrive at once and want to go straight ahead, you have the situation where, technically, they never move because they are all giving way to the car on thir right!! It also happens at roundabouts sometimes where someone has to make the first move!! I guess that is where courtesy and/or common sense has to prevail - always a dangerous situation when it involves Kiwi drivers!

alasta

6706 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Subscriber

#369316 18-Aug-2010 14:16

I think four way stop signs in Christchurch are a legacy of the old Waimari District Council who, many years ago, thought that they were a great idea. Common sense has since proven otherwise.

Anyway, my understanding is consistent with others in this thread who have suggested that give way to the right applies, but at an intersection with mixed stop/give way signs the traffic at a give way sign would have priority over traffic at a stop sign.

Another poorly understood aspect of intersection rules is that at an uncontrolled intersection a vehicle turning right into a street must give way to a vehicle turning right out of that same street, but this does not necessary apply if there are give way/stop/traffic light controls in place.

AvZ

2 posts

Wannabe Geek

#369320 18-Aug-2010 14:22

I have an official NZ road code book and it reads:

"You can cross over the solid yellow no-passing line (if it is safe to do so) when making a turn or to enter a drive way or side road"

and

At a stop sign:

"use give way rules if you and another vehicle are coming towards each other and you are both at the stop signs"

The stop sign actually means: Stop and give way (the give way rules apply)

I have been a year now in the country and this is how I understand it, so hopes it helps!

ToPGuNZ

389 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#369329 18-Aug-2010 14:29

Can I add one please?

Indicting while entering and leaving a roundabout.

People are indicating right while entering a roundabout then going straight ahead. As I understand it you do not indicate while entering (if going straight ahead) but you do need to indicate exiting (left indicator). Which is correct?

scotteffone

215 posts

Master Geek

#369332 18-Aug-2010 14:37

ToPGuNZ: Can I add one please?

Indicting while entering and leaving a roundabout.

People are indicating right while entering a roundabout then going straight ahead. As I understand it you do not indicate while entering (if going straight ahead) but you do need to indicate exiting (left indicator). Which is correct?

If going straight through at a round about you do not indicate when entering. You only signal left as you exit. A lot of people screw this one up.

BlakJak

1275 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#369341 18-Aug-2010 14:49

yeah, re roundabouts, plus 1

Entering the roundabout you should only indicate left when you're approaching the exit you intend to use.

You should indicate right if you intend to proceed more than 180 degrees before exiting.

Else no indication when entering the roundabout.

Score that as a major pet peeve of mine, there was a bunch of media coverage a few years ago that seems to have knee-jerked folks into getting it wrong for the sake of getting it right...

I'd rather you didnt indicate at all than got it wrong! #%!#$!#$

No signature to see here, move along...

Jaxson

8043 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#369364 18-Aug-2010 15:17

alasta: Another poorly understood aspect of intersection rules is that at an uncontrolled intersection a vehicle turning right into a street must give way to a vehicle turning right out of that same street

This is NZ's biggest road rule problem and one that the government was looking at reversing a while back, but that's fallen away and I haven't heard any more about this lately.

Basically this relates most commonly to T intersections, where it's typically thought that the main straight bit of road holds preference over the car turning onto the main straight from the stumpy T bit. (Sht I'm sure that was overly hard to describe!)

In fact the opposite is true. As both cars are turning right, you have to give way to the car on the right. This means "stumpy T" man gets the right of way, not "I'm already moving on this straight bit of road so I must be more important" man.

Anyway, most of us assume the other car doesn't get this, so it's a case of driver beware/defensive driving etc to avoid the accident. Realistically the same holds true for roundabouts, uncontrolled intersections, traffic lights not working, 4 way controlled intersections etc etc. Even if you know the rules, it's a case of martial law, someone’s got to take the initiative, free for all type situation a lot of the time.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

smac

333 posts

Ultimate Geek

#369369 18-Aug-2010 15:26

Couple points here - any roading authority that still has a four way stop, or a four way anything for that matter needs a kick. They are an outdated idea that do not work when traffic flow is high (cause nobody can move). The two signs on the main route should be changed to Give Way...problem solved.

The other thing - this fallacy people keep propagating about getting hit in the driver's door. It causes WAY more confusion that it solves. Give it up. When somebody asks for the road rules, tell them the rules, or if you don't know them well enough to explain, point them at the road code.

Consider this: you're driving straight through an intersection, I approach from across the intersection, turn right, and nail you in your driver's door.....I'm in the right.....right?

ToPGuNZ

389 posts

Ultimate Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#369370 18-Aug-2010 15:28

BlakJak: yeah, re roundabouts, plus 1

Score that as a major pet peeve of mine, there was a bunch of media coverage a few years ago that seems to have knee-jerked folks into getting it wrong for the sake of getting it right...

I remember the media coverage and it actually showed that you indicate right entering the roundabout if you want to go straght ahead . I thought at the time that that could not be correct and the weeks after the advertsing heaps of people started to do it. It has died down but I have noticed it a few times over the last week.

josephhinvest

1543 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

#369380 18-Aug-2010 15:36

Jaxson: Turning across double yellow lines: Yes that's fine, they are there to indicate no passing. That said, common sense prevails, in that they are usually in areas where it's not safe for one reason or another to pass, limited visibility etc, so take the necessary care. ...

Indeed you are correct regarding common sense...

However, interestingly, a double-yellow line does not mean "No Passing", it means "No crossing the centre line".
You are permitted to overtake when there is a yellow line on your side of centre line, if you do not cross the yellow line. (This applies to single or double yellow centre lines, called "No-Passing Lines")

From the rode code online...

"You must not pass another vehicle if it means you have to cross over a no-passing line on your side of the centre line."

and
"You can pass at a no-passing line if:
• you stay on your side of the solid yellow line, and
• you can see 100 metres of clear road in front of you for the whole time while you are passing, and
• the lane is wide enough for two vehicles."

Cheers,
Joseph

meesham

973 posts

Ultimate Geek

#369387 18-Aug-2010 15:48

alasta:
Another poorly understood aspect of intersection rules is that at an uncontrolled intersection a vehicle turning right into a street must give way to a vehicle turning right out of that same street, but this does not necessary apply if there are give way/stop/traffic light controls in place.

Yer I studied the rules quite closely when I first moved here as it's a pretty different to everywhere else - it's amazing the number of drivers that sit and stair at me like I'm the idiot when I give way to them when they're turning right onto the through road at a T-intersection (and I'm turning right onto the side road).

For the roundabouts my understanding was indicating right is optional, but you always have to indicate left when exiting the roundabout (which from my experience only about a quarter of people do).

Overall I don't find driving in NZ too stressful, most people are courteous and let you in (which has become a pretty foreign concept in Perth where I learnt to drive). You get some idiots, but you get them everywhere. I know some people here are pretty protective about NZ's give way to the right when turning law (even though it actually originates from Victoria, Australia!), but it'll make the laws a bit more straight forward and in line with the rest of the world that drives on the left hand side.

1 | 2