Junctions, yield and stop signs

By the end of this topic you can

• You can recognise a Stop sign, a Yield sign and the lines that go with them.
• You can work out who has priority at marked and unmarked junctions.
• You can approach a junction using mirrors, signal, position and speed in the right order.
• You can judge a safe gap before emerging, looking both ways and checking again.
• You can emerge without cutting the corner or forcing other traffic to slow down.

What you need to know and understand

• At a Stop sign or continuous stop line you must come to a complete stop, even if the road is empty.
• At a Yield sign (Géill Slí) or broken yield line you slow down and stop only if you need to let traffic pass.
• Traffic going straight ahead on the major road generally has priority over traffic coming out of a minor road.
• Where roads of equal importance meet with no signs, give way to traffic coming from your right.
• When you come out of a driveway or private entrance, you give way to traffic and pedestrians on the public road.
• Right of way is never absolute: the Rules of the Road says you must still go on with caution.
• Failing to stop at a Stop sign, or failing to yield at a Yield sign, carries 3 penalty points on payment of the fixed charge.

Stop or yield: reading the end of the road

The sign and the line at the end of a minor road tell you exactly what the law expects. Learn the difference early, because testers watch closely for rolling through a stop line.

• Stop sign: red octagon with STOP. Paired with a continuous white stop line. Wheels must stop completely behind the line.
• Yield sign: red-bordered inverted triangle, usually with Yield or Géill Slí. Paired with a broken white yield line. Slow down, look, and go only if it is safe.
• No sign or line: treat the junction with great care. If the roads look equal, give way to the right.

Who goes first?

Most junction decisions come down to a short list of situations. Practise naming the priority out loud as you approach each junction with your supervising driver.

• Major road meets minor road: traffic on the major road.
• Unmarked crossroads of equal roads: traffic on your right.
• T junction: traffic already on the road you are joining.
• You are turning right: oncoming traffic going straight on, and an oncoming car turning left into the same road.
• Pedestrians who have already started to cross the road you are turning into.

Emerging from a minor road, step by step

The aim is to see properly before you commit, then join without forcing anyone to brake or swerve.

1. Check your mirrors early and signal your direction in good time.
2. Take up the correct position: close to the left for a left turn, just left of the centre of your road for a right turn.
3. Slow down on the approach. Stop at a Stop line; at a Yield line, be ready to stop.
4. Creep forward if your view is blocked by hedges or parked cars, looking right, left and right again.
5. Look out for cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians, who are easy to miss.
6. Go only when there is a safe gap, and join the left side of the new road without cutting the corner.

Common mistakes

• Rolling over a stop line without stopping. Count to yourself until the car is fully still, even on an empty road.
• Stopping at a Yield line when the road is clear. If you can see it is safe, keep moving smoothly.
• Pulling out after only one look. Look both ways more than once: a motorbike or cyclist can appear in seconds.
• Cutting the corner when turning right out of a junction. Aim for the left side of the new road.
• Assuming a driver signalling left will actually turn. Wait until they start to turn before you go.

Test yourself: Junctions, yield and stop signs

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• Junctions in Ireland