Traffic controller and their instructions
What are traffic controllers?
Traffic wardens and traffic controllers play a crucial role in regulating traffic and ensuring the safety of road users.
Consider the people who are committed to regulating traffic: traffic wardens and traffic controllers. They are there, often in all weather conditions, to ensure that vehicles and pedestrians can move safely through busy streets. With hand signals, signs or other means, they direct traffic in the right direction.
Ranking in traffic:
Traffic rules are the basic agreements in traffic and are super important to know. Think of rules like “drivers from the left go last at an equal intersection” or “drivers from the right have priority”. But a traffic controllers, and traffic signs are above these rules!
Traffic signs and road signs take precedence over traffic rules:
Imagine you are driving on a priority road and you are approaching a driver from the right. Normally, according to the basic rules, that driver from the right would have the right of way, right? But not in this case! If you are driving on a priority road, the drivers from the left and right are confronted with shark teeth or a stop sign. This means that they have to give you the right of way because you are driving on the priority road. So remember: traffic signs and road signs take precedence over the basic rules.
Traffic lights take precedence over traffic signs and road signs:
Imagine you are driving on a priority road and you are approaching a red traffic light. What should you do? Well, here comes an important rule: you must always follow the traffic light above the priority road sign. This means that, even though you normally have priority on the intersecting road, you must stop for that red light. Traffic lights take precedence over traffic signs and traffic signs.
Traffic controller above all:
But now let’s look at another situation. Imagine that you are in the same situation with that red traffic light, but there is a traffic warden who gives you instructions to drive through the red light. What do you do then? Well, in this case you have to follow the instructions of this authorized person. This means that the instructions of the traffic warden prevail over both the traffic lights and the traffic signs.
So remember: traffic lights prevail over traffic signs, but instructions from a traffic warden prevail over everything!
In summary, the ranking in traffic:
- Traffic controller instructions
- Traffic lights
- Traffic signs and priority signs
- Traffic rules
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All instructions from a traffic controller:
Let’s take a closer look at the rules for instructions from authorized persons. These instructions can be given by various authorized persons, such as police officers, military police, customs officers and traffic controllers.
It is important to know how to respond when confronted with these instructions.
Instructions to traffic can be given in various ways, including with a red light, with the text “STOP” on a display board, verbal instructions or by means of hand and arm gestures.
Let’s pay a little more attention to the last point: instructions given with hand and arm gestures. This is an important part of the CBR theory exam, so read carefully!
General stop sign:
This is a clear sign that all traffic must stop from all directions. It is like a time-out for everyone on the road.
Stop sign for traffic from the front:
If you see this sign, it means that only traffic coming from the front of the traffic controller must stop. Traffic from the left, right and behind may continue.
Stop sign for traffic from behind:
This sign indicates that only traffic coming from behind the traffic controller must stop. Traffic from the left, right and in front of you may continue.
Stop sign for traffic from the front and rear:
Here, traffic coming from both the front and the back of the traffic controller must stop. The rest may simply continue driving.
Stop sign for traffic from the right:
This sign means that only traffic coming from the right of the traffic controller must stop. Other traffic may proceed.
Sign to reduce speed:
This is not a stop sign, but it indicates that you should reduce your speed. It is a signal to slow down.
Important CBR exam tip:
Always look carefully where you are driving from to the traffic controller. If you see the traffic controller blocking you with an arm gesture, you must stop and you may only continue driving when the arm in front of you is removed. The arm gesture is as if you are waiting for a red light.