‘I got that wrong’: Drivers confused over common road rule
A number of drivers have been left puzzled and uneasy after discovering the answer to a road rule quiz question.
The RACQ posed a question to people on Facebook and shared a graphic with three cars, which are all in the left lane but want to merge into the right lane.
A green car is at the front and has already started moving through the intersection.
Behind the green car is a blue one, followed by a red one.
Drivers were asked which vehicle could legally change lanes and were given five options:
A) Red only
B) Red and green
C) Blue only
D) Blue and red
E) None of the above.
One man wrote none of them could change lanes because they were within 30 metres of an intersection.
However, while this isn’t recommended, it’s not exactly illegal in Queensland.
“If I were in the green car I would not change lanes there,” one woman wrote.
In fact, many people who responded wrote they were always taught not to change lanes in an intersection.
The RACQ wrote it recommends drivers “change lanes away from an intersection” even though the green car is fine to do so.
Others used this theory to suggest only the red car could change lanes as it’s behind the other two cars and further away from the intersection.
Which car is allowed to change lanes?
The only car which can’t change lanes is the blue car, which means the correct answer is B.
“The blue vehicle cannot cross a continuous line separating the lanes,” RACQ wrote.
The reasoning is, if you look at the graphic, the blue car is approaching a solid white line meaning it can no longer change lanes. The maximum penalty for this infringement in Queensland is $2660.
The red car behind it is fine to merge as it is still driving next to unbroken lines.
Despite the RACQ’s answer, many drivers felt uneasy about changing lanes through an intersection.
“I don’t care about the correct answer,” one woman wrote.
“I would only change lanes if I was the red car. I would never change lanes in an intersection.”
Another woman wrote it is “risky and unnecessary”.
One man simply wrote, “I got that wrong”.
“This was a great quiz considering how many got it wrong,” another woman wrote.
“I have had this discussion with people as they didn't know you could change lanes in an intersection.”
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