Driving - the four way

[sevans29]

Morning,

is there a Highway Code for Finland available online?

I'm trying to ascertain the correct rules relating to the four way. In short is it give way to the right, but whoever gets there first has priority?


thanks
Steve

[betelgeuse]

There does not seem to be an official translation for tieliikennelaki (road traffic act) available online at finlex. The Finnish text is here:

http://www.finlex.fi/fi/laki/ajantasa/1981/19810267

I did find this booklet:

http://www.lvm.fi/c/document_library/ge ... E-1102.pdf

Can you find the answer(s) for your question(s) there?

[riku2]

he correct rules relating to the four way. In short is it give way to the right, but whoever gets there first has priority?

Do you mean a crossroads where there are no give way signs and everyone is on equal "give way to the right" status? In finland they rarely consider such an issue as two cars arriving at the junction at the same time- there are not enough cars driving around to bother writing the law in such detail.

In the same way that signalling at roundabouts only has to be to signal right just just before your exit, no signalling left if you are taking the third (or later) exit and then signalling right just before you leave. I specifically asked the transport authority about the signalling and that was the explanation they gave of how to signal at a roundabout. This explains the general chaos and low throughput of roundabouts here compared to the UK.

[Upphew]

In the same way that signalling at roundabouts only has to be to signal right just just before your exit, no signalling left if you are taking the third (or later) exit and then signalling right just before you leave. I specifically asked the transport authority about the signalling and that was the explanation they gave of how to signal at a roundabout. This explains the general chaos and low throughput of roundabouts here compared to the UK.

Roundabouts are only curved roads with T-intersections, where the top parts connect to form a circle and bottom parts being the exits.

[riku2]

Roundabouts are only curved roads with T-intersections, where the top parts connect to form a circle and bottom parts being the exits.

ah, that explains why when i'm going around a roundabout people drive on from the right in front of me and i have to slow down to avoid crashing into them. they are behaving exactly like they would at a T junction, pulling onto the road in front of others and causing other drivers to brake.

[larryk78]

I'm trying to ascertain the correct rules relating to the four way. In short is it give way to the right, but whoever gets there first has priority?

My wife just passed her driving theory test this week so I am confident in the following answer

The basic rule for a "four-way" of equal priority roads (i.e. no give-way signs and no traffic lights) is that "you must yield to traffic on the right" even if that traffic is "light-traffic", e.g. a bicycle.

Time of arrival at the junction does not change the right-of-way. So "but officer, I arrived at the junction marginally before the vehicle coming from the right" is not going to cut it if there is an accident - they would have the right of way and you would be jumping out in front of them.

If by some miracle four cars arrive at a four-way at exactly the same time, noone has priority (all yielding to the next on the right) so someone is going to have to carefully go first. That's what it says in the English version of the theory test training manual, anyway.

[Honest]

Well if all four arrive at the same time, then the person with the best risk taking/calculating skills goes the first others just follow him with slow adjustments. People who over-estimate their risk calculating skills mostly cause accidents.

ah, that explains why when i'm going around a roundabout people drive on from the right in front of me and i have to slow down to avoid crashing into them.

Mostly there are tiangles (give-way signs) before roundabouts. So what you are saying shouldn't happen anyway.

[riku2]

Mostly there are tiangles (give-way signs) before roundabouts. So what you are saying shouldn't happen anyway.

Yeah, in the same way that drivers "should" signal when changing lanes on the motorway (and I don't call a 1/4 of a flash signalling) and when joining a motorway they "should" adjust their speed and fit in with existing traffic .. and they 'should' drive on the right and not drive on the left around bends in the countryside .. and they "should not" hold the phone having a phone call while driving. i think finnish drivers are the laziest and most careless that i've seen anywhere in europe.

[Honest]

i think finnish drivers are the laziest and most careless that i've seen anywhere in europe.

Visit Southern Europe

[riku2]

i think finnish drivers are the laziest and most careless that i've seen anywhere in europe.

Visit Southern Europe

I said lazy and careless. Those in southern europe are crazy and reckless but drive badly deliberately, in finland they are just used to empty roads and drive as if half asleep.

[kharnynb]

Finnish drivers tend to be very inexperienced at dense traffic, but in general they seem to be decent drivers compared to some.....

Southern europe, Turkey, A lot of russia/ukraine. or even worse, china.....all are much much worse.

Finns tend to be decent with the rules, one exception is roundabouts, since they've just been introduced very recently in many parts of the country.

[Upphew]

Finns tend to be decent with the rules, one exception is roundabouts, since they've just been introduced very recently in many parts of the country.

And zebra crossings... dunno how recent they are?

[Flossy1978]

Actually when I was learning to drive by a man from a company who does stuff for the government concerning learning to drive, he made me learn to use roundabouts here by first putting the left signal on until I was ready to exit and then I had to put the right blinker on.

At four way crossing where there are no give way or top signs, do as the person wrote.... If four cars turn up at the same time, someone just has to be brave and carefully make the first move.

I live in a place where there are soooooooooooo many roads on the right without 'give way' signs. I swear, combine all of the rest of Finland and you'd still not reach the number of these types of right side roads without the 'give way' sign as in this tiny place I live.

[Popeye]

Finns tend to be decent with the rules, one exception is roundabouts, since they've just been introduced very recently in many parts of the country.

And zebra crossings... dunno how recent they are?

YES! Amazing how many cars do not stop for a zebra crossing! And when i'm in a car and i do stop for a zebra, most pedestrians are extremely surprised and grateful (waving thank you and all). Finnish pedestrians seem to have completely given up their right of way on zebra crossings.

[Flossy1978]

I thought it's not a legal thing you have to do, stop at crossings here?

I thought you ONLY had to stop if the pedestrian was already on the crossing.

But anyway, I cross for people waiting. No harm in doing it. Doesn't make my day any better.

It's the most polite thing about Finns.... Their geniune wave when you let them go first across the road