Priority signs and the hierarchy
| What it means | What you do | Where it goes wrong | |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1 — priority road | A sign regulating priority: on this road YOU have priority over the crossing roads, until sign B2 marks the end. | Drive on without yielding to side roads — but art. 18 (turning) and art. 15(2) (tram) continue to apply in full. | Confusing priority with a free run. The priority road settles only who goes first; it says nothing about pedestrians on a crossing, about driveways or about the tram. |
| B3–B5 — priority junction | These three signs ANNOUNCE that ahead there is a junction where priority is regulated; B4 and B5 also show whether the side road joins from the left or the right. | Read who has priority — the thick line in the symbol is the priority road — and act on it once the junction arrives. | Thinking the sign itself GRANTS priority. It only informs; who must yield follows from the symbol and from the shark's teeth on the spot. |
| B6 — give way | Give way to drivers on the crossing road. On the surface it usually comes with shark's teeth, carrying the same meaning (art. 80). | Stop if necessary, but STOPPING IS NOT COMPULSORY: if the crossing road is clear you may drive on without coming to a standstill. | Mixing up B6 and B7. That is the only real difference between the two, and it is exactly what the question aims at. |
| B7 — stop, give way | The same duty to yield as B6, plus an UNCONDITIONAL duty to stop. The sign is octagonal so it stays recognisable from behind and in the dark. | Come to a complete standstill — before the stop line if there is one (art. 79) — and only then judge whether you can go. | Treating “almost stopping” as stopping because the view is clear. The duty does not depend on the view; it is unconditional, and that is exactly what gets checked. |
| The hierarchy | Instruction from an authorised person (art. 82) above the traffic light; the light (art. 64) above priority signs; the sign (art. 63) above the traffic rule. | Search from the top down for the first source present and follow that — ignoring the rest on the way. | Starting from the bottom: first checking who comes from the right and only then looking up. With a traffic controller at work the priority-to-the-right rule simply does not arise. |
| When there is no sign | Then the main rule applies: priority to drivers from the RIGHT, with two exceptions — a paved road over an unpaved one, and the tram over everyone. | First check whether it really is a JUNCTION: coming out of a driveway is art. 54, not a priority question. | Applying the priority-to-the-right rule at a driveway or a home zone. There art. 54 applies: whoever makes the special manoeuvre gives way to all other traffic, including from the left. |
The law itself
- RVV1990 art. 15 lid 1
«Op kruispunten verlenen bestuurders voorrang aan voor hen van rechts komende bestuurders.»
- RVV1990 art. 15 lid 2
«Op deze regel gelden de volgende uitzonderingen: a. bestuurders op een onverharde weg verlenen voorrang aan bestuurders op een verharde weg; b. bestuurders verlenen voorrang aan bestuurders van een tram.»
- RVV1990 art. 63
«Verkeerstekens gaan boven verkeersregels, voor zover deze regels onverenigbaar zijn met deze tekens.»
- RVV1990 art. 64
«Verkeerslichten gaan boven verkeerstekens die de voorrang regelen.»
- RVV1990 art. 80
«Haaientanden hebben de volgende betekenis: de bestuurders moeten voorrang verlenen aan bestuurders op de kruisende weg.»
- RVV1990 art. 79
«Bestuurders moeten voor een voor hen bestemde stopstreep stoppen, indien stoppen op grond van dit besluit is verplicht.»
- RVV1990 art. 82 lid 1
«Weggebruikers zijn verplicht de aanwijzingen op te volgen die mondeling of door middel van gebaren worden gegeven door: a. de daartoe bevoegde en als zodanig kenbare ambtenaren,»
- RVV1990 art. 62
«Weggebruikers zijn verplicht gevolg te geven aan de verkeerstekens die een gebod of verbod inhouden.»
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