4.2 Right-of-Way & Intersections

Right-of-Way & Intersections

Intersections are where traffic paths cross, and they account for a large share of collisions on Ghanaian roads. Right-of-way is not something a driver takes — it is something the rules give, and your duty is usually to yield it. The DVLA theory test checks whether you know the default rules that apply when nothing else — no police officer, no traffic light, no sign — is telling you what to do.

Uncontrolled Junctions: Yield to Your Right

An uncontrolled junction has no traffic lights, no police direction, and no Stop or Give Way signs on any approach. In right-hand-traffic Ghana, the default rule is: yield to traffic approaching from your RIGHT. The driver on your right has the right-of-way; you slow, stop if necessary, and let them clear before proceeding.

Why the right? Because Ghana keeps right, a vehicle approaching from your right is the one whose path crosses yours first as you both enter the junction, and giving it priority removes all guesswork — two drivers arriving at the same moment always reach the same answer about who waits. This priority-to-the-right rule is the standard default at unsigned junctions in right-hand-traffic countries, and the DVLA theory test expects you to apply it automatically.

Scenario: The Four-Way Crossroads

You arrive at an uncontrolled crossroads at the same moment as a tro-tro approaching from your right and a motorcycle from your left. The tro-tro on your right goes first. You yield to it; the motorcycle on your left yields to you — but never assume it will. Make eye contact, proceed only when the junction is actually clear, and treat the rule as a duty to yield rather than a right to demand.

Scenario: The T-Junction

At a T-junction, the traffic on the through road (the top of the T) has priority. A driver emerging from the stem of the T — whether turning left or right — must yield to both directions of traffic on the main road. The through-road driver does not yield to the emerging vehicle, though a cautious driver stays alert for someone pulling out anyway.

Stop Signs vs Give Way Signs

Both signs make you give priority to traffic on the road you are joining, but they are not equal in what they demand:

The exam loves this distinction: at a Stop sign, a "rolling stop" is an offence even at 5 a.m. on a deserted road. Your wheels must cease turning behind the stop line, and only then do you creep forward if needed to see and yield to traffic that has priority.

Turning Left Across Oncoming Traffic

Because Ghana keeps right, a left turn is the turn that crosses the path of oncoming traffic. When you turn left at a junction, you must yield to:

• Every oncoming vehicle going straight through the junction.
• Oncoming vehicles turning right (their paths swing across the junction alongside yours, and you must not force them to brake).
• Any pedestrians crossing the road you are turning into.

Position correctly before the turn: signal left in good time, position close to the centre line without crossing it, and wait behind the conflict point with your wheels straight — if you are shunted from behind with wheels already turned, you are pushed into oncoming traffic. Where an oncoming driver is also turning left, follow the road markings and make sure both paths are genuinely clear before committing; when in doubt, wait.

By contrast, a right turn is the "easy" turn in Ghana: you stay on your own side of the road, cross no oncoming lane, and yield mainly to pedestrians on the crossing of the road you enter.

Pedestrian Priority

Pedestrians already on a zebra or signalised crossing have absolute priority — you must stop and let them finish crossing, and you must not overtake a vehicle that has stopped at a crossing. At junctions, pedestrians crossing the road you are turning into also have priority over your turning vehicle. Around schools, markets, churches, and bus stops, expect pedestrians — including children — to step out unpredictably, and slow accordingly.

Emergency Vehicles

When an ambulance, fire tender, or police vehicle approaches with sirens sounding or flashing lights, you must give way immediately:

• Signal and pull over to the right edge of the road (the near side in right-hand traffic).
• Stop and remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has fully passed.
• Never follow closely behind an emergency vehicle to take advantage of the gap it creates, and never block a junction or crossing while getting out of its way — clear the junction first, then pull over.

Emerging from Side Roads and Driveways

A driver joining a main road from a side road, driveway, petrol station, or compound entrance has the lowest priority of all. You must yield to all traffic on the main road, to pedestrians on the pavement you cross, and — from a driveway — to vehicles already on the road in both directions. Scenario: reversing out of a driveway onto a busy urban street. You must yield to every vehicle and pedestrian; better practice is to reverse into the driveway when you arrive so that you drive out forwards with full visibility later. If your view is blocked by parked vehicles or walls, edge forward slowly ("creep and peep") until you can see, and be prepared to stop again.