With half of all Canberra collisions occurring at intersections police are this month cracking down on people not using them properly.
In the first four months of this year, 383 Traffic Infringement Notices were issued to people breaking road rules around intersections and police are urging road users to take more care.
According to Traffic Operations Officer in Charge, Acting Station Sergeant Marcus Boorman, many collisions around intersections are preventable. He said it is important for road users to pay attention, know the road rules, follow the rules and not take chances.
“Everyone using the road is responsible for knowing the road rules. That includes drivers, motorcyclists, cyclists and even pedestrians,” Acting Station Sergeant Boorman said.
“It’s just as important for a pedestrian to know when and where they can walk as it is for a driver to know when to give way or when to stop,” he said.
“If you’ve ever found yourself at an intersection asking yourself, ‘do I need to give way here or do they, do I stop or do they’, then you need to refresh yourself on the road rules.
“It may be stating the obvious, but intersections are where all types of road users – from drivers to pedestrians – cross paths in very close proximity.”
Acting Station Sergeant Boorman said that this makes it all the more important for road users to know the rules, pay attention and take extra care when approaching and moving through intersections.
“ACT Policing will be out this month targeting road rules around intersections and no, we won’t just be targeting drivers,” he said.
Anyone wanting to brush up on the road rules will find the ACT Road Rules Handbook on the Access Canberra website.
How well do you know the road rules for intersections? Shown below are five of the trickiest intersections. Take a look at them and answer the short quiz. The answers are at the end of the quiz.
1. Which car has the right of way? Is it:
a) the red car
b) the blue car
2. Which car must give way? Is it:
a) the blue car
b) the red car
3. Who has the right of way? Is it:
a) the red car
b) the pedestrian
4. Which car must give way? Is it:
a) the blue car
b) the red car
5. Which vehicle has right of way? Is it:
a) the blue truck
b) the blue car
Answers: 1. b 2. b 3. b 4. b 5. both of them!