The Full Precedence Order

Everything in this lesson stacks into one order. When two instructions seem to conflict, the higher layer wins:

1. A police officer or traffic marshal's direct instruction — always wins, no matter what any sign, light, or rule says.
2. Traffic lights — where present and functioning, they govern the junction.
3. Road signs (Stop, Give Way) — apply where there are no lights, or where the lights aren't functioning.
4. General rules — including priority-to-the-right — apply only when none of the above are present.

The scenario worth internalising, because it comes up constantly: the lights are functioning normally, but an officer is present, waving traffic through against what the light shows. Follow the officer — always. This isn't a grey area: an officer can see and respond to a live situation — congestion, an accident ahead, an emergency vehicle — in a way a fixed light cannot. That's why the instruction sits at the top.

And one rule that outranks its exam frequency — reversing: avoid reversing from a side road directly into a main road wherever possible. If you must, you carry the burden of giving way to all traffic already on the main road, regardless of any priority rule that would otherwise apply. A reversing vehicle never has priority over one already moving forward.