Road safety quiz proves too difficult for many drivers

A quiz asking drivers to choose which car has right of way is leaving Aussies stumped, with the majority unable to figure out the right answer.

Most Australians probably like to think they are pretty good drivers but a deceptively tricky road rules quiz is proving we might not know as much as we think.

NSW Road Safety uploaded to its Facebook page the road safety test which consisted of a diagram showing three cars, a cyclist and a pedestrian.

Each of the characters were stopped at a four-way intersection and social media users were asked in what order each person was allowed to cross the intersection.

It is a straight forward question but one that left hundreds of commenters stumped.

Have a look at the diagram and see if you can figure it out.

Who has right of way? Picture: NSW Road Safety/Facebook

In the diagram car A is waiting at a stop sign wanting to turn right. Car B is to the right of car A waiting to perform a U-turn.

Car C is on the other side of the intersection from car A, also on a stop sign and waiting to turn left.

There is also a cyclist, E, that doesn’t have a stop sign and wants to continue straight through the intersection.

The pedestrian, D, wants to cross the road in front of where all the vehicles and cyclist intend to go.

There is a lot of different factors to consider and a strong understanding of Australian road rules is essential to passing the quiz.

The post got more than 460 comments but a very small percentage actually got the right answer.

One person suggested that D would be the first to go because “pedestrians always have priority”, while another user thought the pedestrian should be the last to cross the intersection.

Four-way intersections that don’t have any traffic lights can become confusing for some drivers. Picture: Kris Reichl

Other people suggested that the last one to enter the section should be car C, while some thought C would be second to go after the cyclist.

One user tried to shed some light on the situation, writing: “To clear up some confusion here, NSW law states that’s when making a U-turn, you must give way to all other traffic.”

Others chose to make fun of the whole test with one writing they would just “close my eyes and hope for the best.”

“A, B and C: will crash into each other, E: will call police, D: will live stream on Facebook,” someone else wrote.

ANSWER

NSW Road Safety eventually put the argument to rest by revealing the correct order: E, D, C, A and B.

The cyclist, E, has right of way as they are going straight through the intersection without any kind of stop or give way sign applying to them. This means they don’t have to give way to any vehicle or pedestrian.

Pedestrian D will cross next as they are required to give way to oncoming vehicles going straight ahead.

Car C must give way to the pedestrian as drivers are required to give way to anyone crossing the road they are planning to turn on to, along with all other vehicles, in, entering or approaching the intersection such as cyclist E.

If there is no pedestrian crossing, pedestrians must give way to oncoming vehicles travelling straight ahead before they cross the road. Picture: Jono Searle/AAP

Car A will be the next to go after giving way to vehicles in, entering or approaching the intersection, except drivers turning right or making a U-turn.

The last one to enter the intersection will be car B as drivers wishing to make a U-turn are required to have a clear view of any approaching traffic and give way to all vehicles and pedestrians.

Centre for Road Safety Executive Director, Bernard Carlon, told news.com.au that drivers need to stay up to date with current road rules.

“Every road user should be aware of the road rules and be able to apply them to any scenario they come across on our roads,” Mr Carlon said.

“Transport for NSW regularly posts content, such as quizzes and videos, to engage the NSW community and remind them of the road rules.

“Social media is an engaging way for the community to test and update their knowledge of the NSW Road Rules, as well as ask us any questions they may have.”

Many social media users found it concerning that there were so many variations on the answer.

“It is scary that so many people are getting this wrong and don’t realise vehicles turning at an intersection need to give way to pedestrians,” one person wrote.

Another said: “Isn’t it a concern that there are so many different responses. Maybe it would be a good road safety measure to have these scenarios and the correct answers in ads on TV to educate everyone so we are all on the same page.”