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 | Bijlage 1: «Voorrangskruispunt» — the next junction is one where YOU have priority; the traffic on the side road sees B6, B7 or shark's teeth there. 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. | Mistaking the triangle for B6 and reading «wait»: at B3–B5 YOU have priority, even when the side road joins from the right. Priority is no licence either — the sign warns; approach at a speed that lets you react (art. 19). |
| 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 1RVV1990 art. 15 lid 2RVV1990 art. 63RVV1990 art. 64RVV1990 art. 80RVV1990 art. 79RVV1990 art. 82 lid 1RVV1990 art. 62RVV1990 art. 68 lid 1RVV1990 Bijlage 1, bord B3RVV1990 art. 84
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