[Music] crossroads are a common part of driving as they can provide an intersection for motorists cyclists and pedestrians and can be found in many different situations we will see small crossroads in choirs residential areas and large multi lane crossroads at busy intersections and since they can have many different layouts they could cause confusion for inexperienced drivers in this video we will explain the different types of crossroads and then show how to approach and cross them safely if you have any questions about this video please comment below and we will do our best to reply [Music] we need to locate cross road Junction as early as possible so we can give ourselves enough time to deal with it to do this we should always look as far ahead up the road as possible so if we see a warning or give way sign in the distance we know what to expect we might also spot traffic crossing our path or road markings which indicate a junction could be ahead when driving on quiet residential streets we should keep in mind that there is often no warning of a crossroads junction we might just find a give way line crossing our path there are many different types of crossroads ranging from quiet are might crossroads in rural areas to larger crossroads with multiple lanes in each direction and traffic lights to control the traffic flow the most common type of crossroad is the standard marked crossroads without traffic lights so we'll look at this type first before looking at the other variations at a standard marked crossroad there are usually giveaway lines marking the end of the minor roads to inform vehicles that they must give priority to traffic on the major road when we are on the major road and driving straight ahead through the crossroad we have the priority but should watch out for emerging traffic in case they don't spot us approaching in urban areas there are often parked cars or other obstructions that reduce visibility at junctions which will of course prevent traffic in the side roads seeing us so when we are approaching a crossroad but the minor roads are not visible we will often drive well below the speed limit in case of hidden danger when we need to turn left or right into the minor road at a crossroad we should treat the Junction the same as a normal left or right turn we always use the MS PSL routine as shown in our other videos as it gives us enough time to complete all the tasks necessary before we reach the crossroad we have the priority over all traffic in minor roads but must give way to any oncoming vehicles on the major road when turning right when approaching a crossroad from the minor road we will usually see road markings but not always a warning sign as in this residential area this time we are turning right so we use the M s P SL routine once more once we see it is safe we turn right and enter the main road towards another crossroad this time we intend to drive straight ahead and notice there is a give way sign as well as the road markings there is no need to indicate but we can signal to others with our Road position so we angled the car towards the road opposite we can see the white car is doing the same so after looking left and right for traffic on the major road we drive on when we need to turn left onto the main road we should follow the same technique and we would normally use at ste Junction this time there are no vehicles waiting on the other side of the crossroad but when there is we will need to decide who goes first when using busy crossroads we will sometimes meet oncoming traffic coming out of the other minor road there is no official recommendation in the highway code for who has priority in this situation so we will need to be careful we would suggest that if the oncoming vehicle reached the junction before us then we would allow them to go before us on the other hand if we reach the junction first the me would hope the other driver would allow us to go first however if only one car is prevented in pulling away by traffic on the main road then the other car may take the opportunity to go while they can also other drivers can sometimes get impatient and push their way out so we try to get eye contact with the driver opposite as it helps understand each other's intentions look at the positioning of other vehicles to help understand where they are going even if they have forgotten to indicate most drivers turn their steering towards their new road so look at the other cars from wheels to spot this in this case we can see the cyclist is clearly turning left so we won't get in each other's way once there is no more traffic on the main road we continue across the crossroad when we wish to allow another driver to go first we generally stop our car just short of the give way line and allow the other driver enough time to emerge safely then we would position our car in the normal position at the give way line and take our turn to go we should not wave or flash our headlamps as it can cause other people to rush if the other driver misunderstands our wave or flash as a sign that it is safe to pull away they might not check the major road for approaching traffic and put themselves in danger [Music] crossroads will sometimes have traffic lights to control the flow of vehicles and pedestrians these are often used in busy locations where the use of traffic lights and road markings provide a safer and more efficient system to manage the traffic flow although these crossroads provide the highest level of control for all they do come with their own hazards and dangers so we must pay attention as we approach this type of crossroad this time we intend to drive straight ahead so we must look out for any signs or road markings to ensure we use the correct lane we spot the white sign on the left and the arrows on the road so we move over to the center lane if we should ever find ourselves in the wrong lane for our destination and there isn't enough time to change to the correct lane then the safest option is to follow the lane we are in then turn around once it is safe to do so when the traffic light turns green we pull away but still check for careless pedestrians cyclists or vehicles in case they are not obeying their traffic lights next we need to turn right at the crossroad and we spot there is a separate lane for this purpose we move over to this Lane and stop behind the van when approaching green traffic lights we should be ready for the lights to change to Amber and stop smoothly if it is safe to do so unless it's an emergency don't be tempted to stop suddenly for an Amber traffic light as it could surprise following traffic and cause danger at this Junction the traffic lights control the traffic flow in each lane separately and after a short wait the green arrows allowed the traffic to our left to drive straight ahead whilst the red light makes our lane wait eventually the green arrow pointing to the right appears and we are free to go [Music] even if we have to wait for our turn the traffic lights make it much easier to cross this Junction crossing this busy Junction without their help would be much more difficult [Music] so remember to look out for signs to warn us of a crossroad ahead turn left or right as at a normal Junction be careful when there is traffic opposite and stay in the correct lane at large crossroads [Music] if you found this video interesting then please click our logo to subscribe to our channel as it really helps other people find our videos if you would like to help support this channel then please click the patreon link to find out about our crowdfunding campaign thanks for watching
