Curious About Road Traffic Rules in Your Country?

[levadny]

Dear All.
My hobby is road traffic and road rules. For me is very interest rules in other countries. I want read official text of rules in your country.
Please add link for official text if you know. In English please if you can.
My English is not good. I search in Google but not got correct results.
Thanks.

I can added link on Russian rules or I can translate Russian Rules on English.

 

[Jonathan Scott]

For the UK the rules are given in the "Highway Code": https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-highway-code
There is one version for Great Britain (that is, England, Scotland and Wales), and another for Northern Ireland.

 

[levadny]

Jonathan Scott, thanks a lot! I read this.

 

[S.G. Janssens]

Hello Levadny, on https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/brochures/2012/02/28/verkeersborden-en-verkeersregels-in-nederland-engels (a website by the Dutch government) you can download a PDF (published in 2013) with an English translation of the official laws and regulations in The Netherlands.

 

[jtbell]

In the US, traffic laws (road rules) are determined by the 50 individual states. For example, here is South Carolina's Motor Vehicle Code:

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/title56.php

I think chapter 5, "Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways", is probably what you're mainly interested in.

Smaller governmental units (e.g. cities) sometimes establish their own traffic regulations to supplement these.

For other states, try a Google search for "<state name> traffic laws" or perhaps "<state name> motor vehicle code".. That's how I found the South Carolina laws.

 

[levadny]

Hello Levadny, on https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/brochures/2012/02/28/verkeersborden-en-verkeersregels-in-nederland-engels (a website by the Dutch government) you can download a PDF (published in 2013) with an English translation of the official laws and regulations in The Netherlands.

Thanks. Спасибо!

 

[levadny]

In the US, traffic laws (road rules) are determined by the 50 individual states. For example, here is South Carolina's Motor Vehicle Code:

http://www.scstatehouse.gov/code/title56.php

I think chapter 5, "Uniform Act Regulating Traffic on Highways", is probably what you're mainly interested in.

Smaller governmental units (e.g. cities) sometimes establish their own traffic regulations to supplement these.

For other states, try a Google search for "<state name> traffic laws" or perhaps "<state name> motor vehicle code".. That's how I found the South Carolina laws.

Thanks.
I know that in every state every rules. It is not difficult when traveling around the country? Or rules very similar?

 

[jtbell]

The rules are actually very similar, but the differences can occasionally cause problems when traveling. For example, in most states, after stopping for a red traffic signal, you may turn to the right onto the cross road if there is no traffic coming on that road, unless a sign at that intersection specifically prohibits it ("No turn on red"). However, in some states this is not true, and you have to wait for a green signal before turning right.

The state's Department of Motor Vehicles generally publishes a driver's handbook or manual (or something similar) which contains the traffic laws in human-readable (rather than lawyer-readable) format. For South Carolina, it appears to be http://scdmvonline.com/dmvnew/forms/introduction.pdf, but the DMV's server is down at the moment so I can't access it.

 

[levadny]

The rules are actually very similar, but the differences can occasionally cause problems when traveling. For example, in most states, after stopping for a red traffic signal, you may turn to the right onto the cross road if there is no traffic coming on that road, unless a sign at that intersection specifically prohibits it ("No turn on red"). However, in some states this is not true, and you have to wait for a green signal before turning right.

The state's Department of Motor Vehicles generally publishes a driver's handbook or manual (or something similar) which contains the traffic laws in human-readable (rather than lawyer-readable) format. For South Carolina, it appears to be http://scdmvonline.com/dmvnew/forms/introduction.pdf, but the DMV's server is down at the moment so I can't access it.

Wow. In Russia, too. I don't can turn on the left if red signal but if not around the green arrow (additional section) or light green signal.
In general, in Russia the rules one for the whole country but the penalty for their violation may be different in different regions.

 

[berkeman]

Here is the human-readable Driver's Handbook for the state of California in the USA:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...00.pdf&usg=AFQjCNEdT1pg1ieNI6T7zrvs_lOy_FHD5A

One other example of how driving laws can vary in the US state-to-state (or in this case by city) is that in most cities it is okay to make a U-turn unless the intersection has "No U-Turn" signs. In Denver, Colorado, it is the opposite -- There must be a sign saying that a U-Turn is okay. (At least that was the case back in the early 1980s when I lived there -- don't ask me how I found that out!)

 

[levadny]

Here is the human-readable Driver's Handbook for the state of California in the USA:

I like your yellow warning signs! It's beautiful!

 

[berkeman]

I like your yellow warning signs! It's beautiful!

Yes, here yellow/black signs are warnings, and black/white signs are the law (you can get a ticket for violating them).

BTW, one type of warning sign is the recommended speed limit for corners. They are yellow/black, so they are just warning signs and you shouldn't be given a ticket for going faster than the posted warning speed in that corner. In California, the warning signs are about 15mph slower than a good pace that you can carry through most of those corners on a dry day with a good vehicle. However, I was on vacation in Hawaii one time, driving the family in a rented van, and saw a warning speed sign as I approached a turn on a windy road. Lucky for me I didn't add 15mph to the number on the sign! In Hawaii, they apparently post accurate speeds on their warning signs!

 

[DrGreg]

I like your yellow warning signs! It's beautiful!

For what it's worth, If you are interested in the subtle differences between road signs in different countries, Wikipedia has two articles

Comparison of MUTCD-influenced traffic signs -- for the American style

Comparison of European road signs -- for the European style

Both these articles contain a very large number of images and are therefore very slow to load.

 

[lisab]

I don't travel internationally much, but I have noticed that often published rules are quite different from what actually happens. I was in Costa Rica a few weeks ago, and before I went I read up on their driving rules. Once I got there, I realized that what is legal and what is actually done are quite different! I would guess lots of places are like this.

So, OP, do you have any plans to travel to places you have researched to find out if they actually follow the written laws?

 

[berkeman]

Once I got there, I realized that what is legal and what is actually done are quite different!

Can you give a couple of examples? Other than just the speed limits, of course...

 

[OmCheeto]

I don't travel internationally much, but I have noticed that often published rules are quite different from what actually happens. I was in Costa Rica a few weeks ago, and before I went I read up on their driving rules. Once I got there, I realized that what is legal and what is actually done are quite different! I would guess lots of places are like this.
...

My guess is, that all places are like this:

Self-Driving Cars Are More Accident-Prone, Study Finds
...self-driving cars’ inability to bend or break traffic laws, as human drivers regularly do, could make their driving habits surprising to others on the road, leading to crashes.

Perhaps someone should make a movie: "Rebels, with cars"

 

[lisab]

Can you give a couple of examples? Other than just the speed limits, of course...

Yeah, breaking speed limits...who does that ?

Passing (I believe the Brits call this "overtaking"?). Cars pass other cars wherever, whenever they please. Yes there are double-lines that *try* to communicate that passing is a bad idea here (not to mention illegal), but they are universally disregarded.

And the pedestrians are also quite, erm, free-spirited. People walk or ride bikes/scooters pretty much all over the roads. And horses. Black horses. At night. On the highway. No lights, no reflectors. (No worries...we juuuuuust missed 'em !)

 

[StevieTNZ]

NZ's road code can be found here: https://www.nzta.govt.nz/resources/roadcode/

 

[Rx7man]

@berkeman My motorcross race buddy always said "double and ten" as the guideline for the 'warning' signs about corners on a good street bike.. he was an excellent rider.

I read a book about traffic.. surprisingly, it's titled "Traffic: why we drive the way we do and what it says about us", by Tom Vanderbilt.. it was a good read, and I learned a lot...

One interesting study was the fact that some 'obstructions' improve the flow of traffic.. A test was done with ants in a petri dish with a small opening, about wide enough for 2 or 3 ants. The first test was done by dropping something the ants didn't like into the dish, so they'd try to escape, and they'd bottleneck at the opening... The second test they put a pylon in front of the opening, and again put the ant repellent in the dish.. the ants were able to evacuate much quicker with the pylon there because it smoothed the flow before the obstruction!

 

[berkeman]

@berkeman My motorcross race buddy always said "double and ten" as the guideline for the 'warning' signs about corners on a good street bike.. he was an excellent rider.

Yeah, just don't try that in Hawaii!

 

[WWGD]

The rules are actually very similar, but the differences can occasionally cause problems when traveling. For example, in most states, after stopping for a red traffic signal, you may turn to the right onto the cross road if there is no traffic coming on that road, unless a sign at that intersection specifically prohibits it ("No turn on red"). However, in some states this is not true, and you have to wait for a green signal before turning right.
<Snip>.

In New York City there is no right turn on red. And most streets are one-way streets. I have never seen anyone stopped for violating traffic rules, though I have seen a lot of parking tickets being issued.

 

[levadny]

Dear All, thanks a lot! I read all information and use this in my education.