How to Deal with Junctions -- The Secret of Give Way Lines

Dealing with junctions often causes stress and uncertainty in novice drivers; it seems that there are so many rules to learn and so many possibilities to cope with.  Junctions come in such an abundance of different shapes and sizes that there’s little wonder that they can become overwhelming.

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As with most things however, the problems stem from a lack of understanding.  With a little bit of thought and a true awareness of the main principles of driving you can begin to deal with junctions confidently, and in a short space of time you can banish that horrible tension associated with the thought of dealing with them.

The secret to dealing with junctions is simply to imagine there was no such thing as give way lines.  It sounds bizarre I know, but consider this; you are approaching the end of a road about to turn left but there are vehicles coming from the right.  Regardless of who has priority, would you make the turn until you are sure you can do it safely?

Most collisions on our roads happen because one or more of the drivers involved make assumptions about the actions of other drivers, they continue on their way without much consideration for the actions of others because they assume the other driver will do what they are supposed to do.

So let’s imagine a world without road markings, without pre-defined priorities for us to follow.

Approach a junction at a speed that is appropriate for the amount that you can see, get comfortable with the concept of zones of vision, it’s very straightforward; the less you can see the slower you travel.

Use the doubt factor, the higher the degree of doubt you have about the actions of any other road user the more prepared you should be to hold back.  Be confident you can deal safely with any erratic or unexpected happenings, keep your speed comfortable and cover the footbrake if the level of doubt rises.

Use a certainty of safety as your guide for when to commit to making progress.  Don’t approach junctions as if they require a decision, approach with the mindset that you are not going to go until you are absolutely certain of the safety of your actions, that’s not a decision, that’s acing on a prompt.

Above all be in control of the situation, don’t put your safety in the hands of someone whom you’ve never met and have no idea of their driving skill or attitude.

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Follow these simple and very logical guidelines and dealing with junctions will begin to become a stress free part of your driving life.  Get comfortable with it in your own mind, once you understand the principle of ignoring give way lines you’ll see that driving is made much more complicated than it really needs to be.