Driving: am I wrong or… everyone else? (with actual real world map)

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Quite a frequent route for me… I’m the red car, wanting to turn right from Cranston Road onto Woolstone Road. The green car wants to go straight ahead from Houston Road to Cranston Road.

We’ve both stopped at the stop sign to check it’s clear for us to move on. No cars are coming in either direction on Woolstone Road but I wait for the green car to move off as I think I should give priority to them as they are going straight ahead.

But nine out of 10 times, the green car continues waiting behind the stop line and seems to think that I have priority in making my right turn. Sometimes they flash their headlights to tell me to go.

It seems mad to me that a right turn would have priority but it happens so often that I’m wondering what I’ve missed.

I have looked at the Highway Code but I can’t find any guidance… can anyone explain what’s meant to happen?

I always fully stop, completely behind the line in case you’re wondering.

Thank you!

This thread is scary and makes it very clear why driving is awful nowadays. Right turners don’t have priority over straight aheaders! When turning right you have to wait for a gap in oncoming traffic!
Although green may allow red to go as a precaution, in case red is one of the people who doesn’t understand this!

Red has right of way. You become the traffic on Woolstone road that they have to give way to.

This

No. On a right turn you should always give way to oncoming traffic.

But I think in these situations there is an element of who got there first, and an element of making eye contact with the other driver and deciding who goes first if there is hesitancy.

Neither of these cars are going "straight ahead" they are both at give ways. A car going straight ahead is a car continuing straight along the same road and not crossing any give ways. Not just a car going in a straight line.
A car on Woolstone road turning right would have right of way over both cars no matter what direction they wanted to go.

no need for the wtf and emoji we’re not 12

they both have a stop sign red would be on the red rd approaching the green car from the right
so green would have to giveaway to red rd and any traffic on it which would be the red car coming from there right

But s180 of the Highway Code says you can’t turn right unless there is a gap in oncoming traffic. The green car is oncoming…

Driving instructor here. I can tell you unequivocally that Green has priority: both cars are on minor roads, and left or ahead have priority over right, as right has to cross more lines of traffic.

However, I would not rely at all on anyone knowing this: it’s one of those really obscure rules that not many people know.

Try someone’s knowledge with this. What colour are reversing lights? Lots of people say “red”.

All very well quoting the hc etc, but in reality this is one of those situations where you eyeball the other driver and see what they are doing, and if someone flashes that helps establish what they are planning to do.

If I am going ahead in the example, I am pausing to make sure red car is not about to plow into the side of me before proceeding.

Red has right of way.
Green car has to give way to traffic. You're arriving from the right of them, so they have to give way.

Red has right of way. You become the traffic on Woolstone road that they have to give way to.

This is correct. The green car would be pulling out in front of a car proceeding along Woolstone Road irrespective of when/where that car joined the road.

The actual moment of making eye contact whilst you both stop at the junction is a different matter though and comes down to individual interactions.

Some of the replies on here are genuinely scary. I can only hope that anyone who thinks that the red car has priority doesn't hold a driving licence. If they do, they shouldn't be driving.

Google says green.

If you imagine it as a mini roundabout (which it probably should be), then Green would have priority and would be less likely to have a bump.

I would say Green. But just here to say I know those roads well as I live in Crofton Park and that s the route I take to Sainsburys 😄

There is no priority at a crossroads. The drivers have to decide who’s going first.

Me too! Sadly I find it absolutely impossible not to say Bryan Cranston Road to myself on the way there AND BACK. Every time

😂😂😂

We have a junction like this a the bottom of our road, but with traffic lights. Green definitely has priority, but the amount of people that try to cut in front of you is mind boggling. However, after reading this thread it explains a lot. I thought it was obvious not to pull infront of someone else! The council has now changed the timing of the lights to give the green drivers 5 seconds head start to get them moving first.

Nah. Green car has priority as he doesn't have to pass in front of another drivers path.

We have a junction in our town where the convention is that right turners from a particular direction always have right of way over people going straight on and it really annoys me, as if you are a right turner you don't know whether the person wanting to go straight is from your town and so is waiting for you to go, or whether they are a visitor who has no idea that we have this special rule that was made up for who knows what reason! I feel I have to make an incorrect manoeuvre because that's what's mainly expected of me, but I feel wrong every time I do it.

When it's been discussed on the local Facebook page, people say it's because it's give way to the right (it is a crossroads but with more complicated priorities than above) without having any idea that this applies to roundabouts. I was always taught that straight on generally has priority but I sometimes wonder what other towns random rules I am breaking in a similar manner!

Green car just wants red car out of the way in case Green car goes and red car doesn't realise and smashes into them.

I may be batshit but I judge people's cars and who's driving them (if I can see them) and have an internal league table as to whether I think they will be competent drivers, or if I'm thinking of letting them out if they will be dawdlers (pet hate of mine) so maybe you are being let out for this reason?

I believe that the Green is sticking to the principle of giving way to the right and as you are turning right in front of them
They are giving way to you.

I did wonder that… except I’m not an Audi driver?

I was taught (a long time ago) that green car has right of way because red car needs to cross traffic. The logic of that makes sense to me.

this is correct