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Debate over priority-to-the-right traffic rule
It’s one of the things that most perplexes foreigners when they settle in Belgium. But the “priority from the right” rule, which gives priority to cars coming from the right unless there are signs or road markings indicating otherwise, could soon be a thing of the past, according to the Belgian Institute for Road Safety (IBSR).
The most recent figures show that municipalities are increasingly voting to scrap the rule and create a new traffic regulation where cars on side roads have to give way. But IBSR warns that the new rules have to be clear if accidents are to be avoided. “Scrapping the rule can be justified in certain local situations,” said BIVV spokesman Koen Peeters. “But only if the new situation is clearly indicated to drivers.”
Motorists’ organisation VAB, however, would like to see the rule scrapped altogether across the country. “It’s past its sell-by date,” a spokesperson said. “What’s more, it’s not clear when it applies. Signs work better.”
IBSR argues that the rule works well in certain circumstances, such as in built-up areas. Peeters insists that the priority rule doesn’t lead to more accidents, citing figures that show that just 10% of accidents involving death or injury are the result of a failure to observe the priority rule.
Comments
I agree that this law is past it's sell-by date. Also, the more exceptions there are the more dangerous they become. Let's get rid of the law completely! Surely it's not just accidents that cause injury or death that matter. There must be numerous fender-benders, that are expensive and very inconvenient for those involved. What percentage of TOTAL road accidents involve these dangerous junctions?
I totally agree. Could work with carriages or horses but i don't think it's realistic nowadays. I don't really understand why someone moving on a three lane street with tram and speed limit of 70 km has to live in fear of someone randomly popping out from his right. Also priority signs of side roads are small and so hard to spot from the main road.
I could go on all night. It's dangerous, it does not work safely, it's confrontational, it's fail dangerous, it's illogical to stop an entire main road for one car in a side road. It is MADNESS for a farm track to have (and he demands!!) priority on to a main road in the middle of nowhere and where you can't even see a sign or miss the one that is there.....
And it's not just side roads. Priority to the right applies on roundabouts too! Dual carriageway coming up to the roundabout, bloody great lines in the right lane RIGHT lane who want to turn LEFT because nobody dare use the left lane!
Seriously, Belgium- grow up.
Get shot of this old, ineffective concept. I supposeit was Ok in the days of when cars were not a plenty, not very fast and in the sticks it was horses and tractors appearing from the right all of a sudden. Get rid of it, start the process nationwide NOW especially in the cities and towns ! No doubt it will cost bit with taking down sign posts, repainting the road, etc and politicians will complain, etc that it will cost too much. There is the money for this, I am sure ;-)
And again we have this suggestion that it's only foreigners that have problems with priority to the right and that if WE just learned the rules, all would be fine. Rubbish, get out in the sticks and sit and watch the antics going on at some of these junctions.
Mind you, I have heard the argument that it would all be good if only the rule was followed many times. The rule is often not followed because it makes no sense! It's often not followed because people don't know it applies or the side road was even there!
Am I seriously supposed to slow and prepare to stop for a farm track between Neerijse and Leefdaal, an empty road through the fields? For YEARS I used that road an in those years I recall ONE car coming from that road. If you slow and prepare to stop there, the cars behind will overtake.
The day somebody ploughs out of that side road, taking his priority to pull out as a RIGHT TO PULL OUT and an accident occurs, the pro-priority brigade will tell you that you should have slowed and prepared to stop.
Nobody does that, everybody ignores it and sensible people coming out of it stop and look. And there is one of the problems, you have to have local knowledge to know which side roads "really" have priority and which ones don't.
And then of course we have the recent clarification of the rules because the unwritten rule that developed was if the car on the right stopped, he lost his priority. Just perfect for encouraging aggressive taking of priority to the right with obvious results.
So now we are back to both vehicles stopping and staring at each other, for those who are not applying the old "rule" that is.
Even when both drivers know who has the right of way (anybody in a strange Belgian city on a dark wet night tells me he always knows who has priority is a liar) it still often comes down to a game of chicken, the driver on the main road not wanting to slam on the brakes for a driver on the right he did not expect, the one on the right hell-bent on taking his precious priority.
The article suggests that learning the rules and driving like the locals means you will not have issues with priority to the right. They are wrong. The system is deeply flawed and dangerous. Cars wanting to join main roads need to stop and give way, it's that simple.
I think this law is ridiculous. I come from Toronto, and there is a stop sign or light at every intersection. Ch. d'Ixelle was not a priority street, so if you were on this street, you had to look to your right at every intersection. Not long ago it was changed to a priority street, which is much more intelligent. There should be either a stop sign, yield or light at every intersection. The change in law about round abouts is better, as now if you are on a rb, you have priority.
This is definitely one of the stupidest traffic laws I've ever encountered. Does it apply also in the Netherlands? France? In fact, what other countries utilize this asinine rule?
""The change in law about roundabouts is better, as now if you are on a rb, you have priority.""
Not always true. SOME roundabouts are priority to the traffic on the roundabout and indeed most, but others are still around where you have priority to join them. You'll find these just in to Wallonia. To complicate matters further, there are some where you have a hybrid of both methods where on the same roundabout, some roads have priority and others you need to stop for those joining!? On the same roundabout with faded white lines and in the pitch dark!
You will find this where the ring leaves for Vilvoorde if you are travelling north. Add to this, it's not always clear if it's actually a roundabout. I have seen several placed over the years that have sparked huge LOCAL debate over whether it is actually a roundabout or not, and if one actually has to go around it rather than cut the corner. There is no standard signing for a roundabout!
Doubt me? Have a word with the police in overijse who stopped me for ignoring a pile of trees in a residential area when I just went to the left of them. "It's a roundabout" they said. I asked where the sign was. They said it was not needed. Think about that nonsense and then check out the pile of clinkers at the watermill end of Overijse center and tell me you will go around it?
And in other places, there is a sign indicating a roundabout?! Where is the consistency?!
And you do not have the right of way on a roundabout with multiple lanes if you are on the left.
The guy merrily driving all the way around in the right lane has priority making those multiple lanes redundant unless you want to get in a fight with our Belgian friends who simple go 270 degrees around in the right lane in order to turn left and who will be FURIOUS that you beat the queue in the right lane by using the left lane to turn left, and who will cut you off using their priority!
Belgian roads are farcical, so is priority to the right. That nonsense extends far, far beyond a simple well signposted priority to the right junction. It plagues and infest Belgian roads to the core.
Check out overijse right now, all newly done. Is that pile of clinkers at the watermill end a roundabout or not!! If you treat it as one, expect to be overtaken on the left by somebody who ignores it, and who can blame them? Is it a roundabout or is it not? There should be no room for debate or doubt, but Belgian roads leave ample room for both and that results in.....The worst road safety record in north western Europe and by far.
The whole bloody mess is symptomatic of an absolute mish-mash mess of road planning and where you can only know what to expect if you have been there before. Random priority to the right is just another symptom and the country should hang it's head in collective shame.
As questionable as the priority-to-the-right rule is, it's by no means a Belgian thing. Most European countries have it, and so does most of the US. The difference is that those countries are quicker to apply different right-of-way rules where appropriate, especially where traffic is heavy.
Belgium could do with more intelligent traffic regulations for sure. But they're not going to regulate every single intersection and encircle every cornfield with traffic signs, so you still need a rule for when there are no signs. The international standard for that case is the priority to the right.