You are turning right at a box junction marked with yellow criss-cross lines. Your exit lane beyond the junction is clear, but a continuous stream of oncoming traffic is preventing you from completing the turn. What does Rule 174 permit you to do?
- Nothing — you must remain behind the criss-cross lines until the oncoming traffic clears completely, even though this blocks the traffic behind you
- Sound your horn so that oncoming vehicles give way and you can complete the turn immediately
- Treat the criss-cross lines as advisory only, since they carry no legal force unless a police officer is present
- Enter the box and wait in it, because the specific exception for turning right allows this when you are only held up by oncoming traffic or other vehicles also waiting to turn right
Why D? And why not the others?
Correct answer: D. Enter the box and wait in it, because the specific exception for turning right allows this when you are only held up by oncoming traffic or other vehicles also waiting to turn right
The general rule for a box junction is that you must not enter it until your exit is clear, but Rule 174 carves out a specific exception for drivers turning right: they may enter and wait within the box when the only thing stopping them completing the turn is oncoming traffic, or other vehicles also waiting to turn right. Since the driver's exit lane here is genuinely clear and oncoming traffic is the sole obstacle, this exception applies. Insisting the driver must stay behind the lines is wrong because it ignores this recognised exception and would needlessly hold up traffic behind with no legal basis. Sounding the horn to force oncoming vehicles to give way is wrong because oncoming traffic retains priority and is not obliged to yield simply because a driver is being delayed. Treating the markings as merely advisory is also wrong, since Rule 174 states drivers must not enter the box until their exit is clear, making the markings a legal requirement rather than optional guidance needing police enforcement to take effect.
Source: The Highway Code, Rule 174 (box junctions, GOV.UK)