1.Stop signs: where to stop, two-way and four-way stops
- A stop sign always calls for a full stop. After stopping, look over the intersection carefully: the kind of intersection and the traffic around you decide whether you can go or must wait.
- Stop just short of the stop line. Where there is a crosswalk and no line, stop short of the crosswalk instead; at an unmarked crosswalk, stop where you would if it were painted; and where there is no line, crosswalk or sidewalk at all, stop before entering the intersection.
- At a two-way stop only one of the two streets has stop signs; the other is a through street, and its traffic has the right-of-way. Wait for a safe gap before you go through or turn.
- If two vehicles are waiting at a two-way stop and one of them wants to turn left, the one turning left yields — unless it is already in the intersection and has begun the turn; then the other driver gives way.
- At a four-way stop, whoever arrives and stops first goes first. When two vehicles pull up together, the driver on the right has priority.
- If two vehicles at a four-way stop face each other and arrive at about the same time, the one turning left yields to the one going straight through.
- A flashing red light works like a stop sign: come to a complete stop, then move into the intersection when it is clear and safe.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗
2.Right-of-way: uncontrolled intersections, yield signs and left turns
- Right-of-way rules decide who must yield when more than one road user wants the same space. Do not count on others to follow them, and remember that having the right-of-way never removes your own duty to do everything you can to prevent a crash.
- A controlled intersection has signs or traffic lights telling you what to do. An uncontrolled intersection has neither and is usually found where there is little traffic — which makes it dangerous, because drivers may not be expecting cross traffic or pedestrians.
- Approaching an uncontrolled intersection, slow down and scan it from left to right. A vehicle that got there before you goes first; when two arrive together, the driver on the left gives way to the one on the right. An unmarked T-intersection follows exactly the same rules.
- Turning left across oncoming traffic, give way to vehicles that are in or close to the intersection. The reverse also holds: if you are heading straight through and another driver is already inside the intersection making a left turn, that driver finishes first and you wait.
- A yield sign means traffic on the through road has the right-of-way. You may enter without stopping if no pedestrians, cyclists or vehicles are on the through road; otherwise slow down, stop if necessary, and wait for a safe gap.
- Whenever it is unclear who should go first, or a collision looks even slightly possible, the safer choice is always to let the other person go.
- Judging a gap from a stop in ideal conditions, most vehicles need about 2 seconds per lane to go straight across, 5 seconds to turn right and reach 50 km/h, and 7 seconds to turn left and reach 50 km/h — then add 2 seconds for safety.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – See think do ↗
3.Entering from a driveway, and yielding to pedestrians
- Leaving a driveway, alley or parking lot, stop before you reach the sidewalk or any other place people may be walking. Then edge out carefully: traffic already on the road has priority, so wait for a gap that is safe.
- You must yield to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk when they are close to your half of the road, and at intersections even where there is no marked crosswalk — a pedestrian near your half of the road still has the right-of-way.
- Pedestrians also come first whenever you make a turn or come onto a road from a driveway or alley. Avoiding a pedestrian is always the driver's job, whoever had the right-of-way.
- Do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk — it is illegal and unsafe. Do not enter a crosswalk until you have checked that it is empty, even on a green light, and watch for pedestrians on the cross street whenever you turn.
- A visually impaired pedestrian may carry a white cane or walk with a guide dog. When they raise the cane, that is your signal to stop and give them the right-of-way — and never startle them by racing your engine or honking.
- Always be ready to stop for a pedestrian about to step out in front of you, but do not stop mid-block to invite people to cross: the driver behind may not expect you to stop, and drivers in other lanes may not see the pedestrians and could hit them.
- Watch for people in motorized scooters or wheelchairs travelling along the edge of the road, especially when you are about to turn right.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗
4.Emergency vehicles
- An emergency vehicle — a police car, ambulance or fire truck — running its lights and siren has priority over everyone. Traffic in both directions pulls over and stops.
- The single exception is on a divided highway when the emergency vehicle is coming along the far side of the median. Then you may keep going — but only if there is no way the vehicle could cross onto your side.
- Make room. Normally that means pulling to the right and stopping; if you are in a divided highway's left lane, or on a one-way street, pull left instead. Never come to a stop inside an intersection.
- Stopped at an intersection with the emergency vehicle behind you, you might need to turn the corner to clear its path. Signal as you move so the driver knows you have noticed and are getting out of the way.
- Never block a traffic circle or roundabout for an emergency vehicle: stop before you enter, or leave the circle and then stop to let it pass.
- When you follow a fire truck, stay back at least 150 metres, and never drive over a fire hose — it is illegal. Once one emergency vehicle has passed, keep watching and listening, because there may be others.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗
5.Traffic circles and roundabouts
- Traffic circles are typically a residential-street feature. Ease off as you come up to one and follow any Yield or Stop sign posted there; with no signs, the circle works like an uncontrolled intersection.
- Yield to any traffic already in the traffic circle. If another vehicle arrives at the same time as you, yield to the vehicle on your right. You turn right to enter, go around the circle to the right, and turn right again to leave.
- Roundabouts are larger than traffic circles and may have more than one lane. Know where you want to go before you enter and get into the correct lane: the left lane to turn left, the right lane to turn right, and either lane to go straight.
- Slow down on the approach, yield to pedestrians crossing or about to cross in the crosswalk before the roundabout, then yield to any traffic already in the roundabout.
- Go around the roundabout counter-clockwise and stay in your lane — do not change lanes inside it. If you entered in the left lane, stay in that lane and either go straight or turn left from it.
- Do not ride alongside trucks or buses in a roundabout: they may need more than their lane, and many roundabouts have a truck apron around the central island to help them get through.
- Signal right before you exit, and be prepared to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk where you leave the roundabout.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗
6.Turning: which lane to turn from and into
- Lane tracking means getting your vehicle into the correct lane before a turn and ending up in the correct lane when you complete it.
- For a right turn, get into the right lane beforehand and finish in the right lane of the street you enter. Some intersections have markings that let you turn right from a centre lane, and some provide a dedicated yield lane where right-turning drivers wait for a break in traffic.
- For a left turn from a two-way road onto another two-way road, start from the centre lane and swing in one smooth curve into the centre lane of the street you are joining.
- The pattern changes with the road type: one-way onto two-way, you start in the left lane and end in the centre lane; two-way onto one-way, you start in the centre lane and end in the left lane; one-way onto one-way, you start in the left lane and end in the left lane.
- A turning lane gives you somewhere to wait for a safe gap without blocking the traffic going straight. Read the signs and pavement markings on the way to every intersection so you end up in the right lane, and stay out of a lane marked with left-turn arrows unless you really are turning left.
- Where two lanes turn left, a vehicle in the far-left lane turns into the far-left lane of the new road, and a vehicle in the next lane turns into the lane beside it.
- In a designated lane you must follow its arrows, and you may not move into or out of it while you are in the intersection. Never change lanes in an intersection — it confuses other drivers and can cause a crash.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Signs signals and road markings ↗
7.Signalling, hand signals and your lights
- Signals tell other traffic what you intend to do. Signal when you are preparing to turn left or right, change lanes, park, or move toward or away from the side of the road.
- You are legally required to signal when you change lanes — but signalling does not give you the right-of-way. The vehicles already in the lane you are moving into have it, so wait for a gap large enough that nobody has to slow down to avoid you.
- The turn signal lever switches the left- and right-turn signals on and off. Be timely — signal well ahead — but not so early that people think you are turning into an earlier driveway or lane, and make sure the signal has cancelled after the turn so it does not send the wrong message.
- When an automatic turn signal is hard to see, such as when you pull out from a line of parked vehicles, add a hand signal. The guide shows hand signals for a left turn, a right turn and a stop.
- Cyclists use hand signals too, and may use either of the two right-turn signals the guide shows — including extending the right arm straight out. Learn to recognise them.
- Your lights communicate as well: tapping the brake lightly activates the brake lights to warn drivers behind that you intend to slow down or stop, and backup lights show that a vehicle is in reverse and about to back up.
Signs in this section
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – You and your vehicle ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – See think do ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – Sharing the road ↗
8.U-turns, turning around and backing up
- U-turns are risky and often illegal. You may not make one where it would interfere with other traffic, on a curve, or on or near the crest of a hill where other traffic cannot see you within 150 metres.
- U-turns are also illegal where a sign prohibits them, at any intersection with a traffic light, in a business district except at an intersection without a traffic light, and wherever a municipal by-law bans them. Consider driving around the block or on to a side road instead.
- You may turn left in the middle of a block — into a driveway, for example — even across a solid double yellow line, as long as you do it carefully and safely, do not impede other traffic and no sign prohibits it.
- A two-point turn: stop near the side of the road, back into a driveway, then drive out into the street in the opposite direction. A three-point turn: make a sharp left turn in the middle of the block, stop just before the curb, back up to your right, then drive off the other way. Both need a clear, safe road with no other traffic nearby.
- Before you back up, do a 360-degree vision check using your mirrors and shoulder checks, then turn your body to look out the rear window while you reverse. If you have been stopped for some time, walk around the back of the vehicle first to make sure the path is clear.
- Reversing into an intersection or across a crosswalk is against the law. Driveways are where a reversing driver most easily misses children, pets, pedestrians, cyclists and people in wheelchairs, so whenever possible reverse into driveways and parking spots and leave them driving forward.
- A cul-de-sac is closed at one end and is designed so you can turn around without backing up. Slow down, keep to the right and watch for children playing and vehicles coming out of driveways.
Official source: Learn to Drive Smart – Rules of the road ↗ · Learn to Drive Smart – See think do ↗