Why Should Turning Vehicles Yield to Straight-going Vehicles?
2 Answers
Because straight-going vehicles generally travel at higher speeds with heavier traffic flow, while turning vehicles move slower with relatively lighter traffic, yielding to straight-going vehicles helps reduce traffic accidents. Therefore, traffic regulations mandate that turning vehicles must yield. Below are relevant explanations: 1. On many urban roads, there are main roads and branch roads (connectors). Vehicles on branch roads must yield to those on main roads, regardless of whether the branch road vehicle is going straight or encountering an intersection - they must always yield to main road vehicles. Otherwise, in case of an accident, the branch road vehicle bears full responsibility; 2. For example, when vehicle A on the main road intends to turn right into the service road, vehicle B traveling straight on the service road must yield. If failure to yield results in a collision, vehicle B on the service road will be held responsible.
I've been driving for almost twenty years and often remind beginners that yielding to through traffic when turning is something you really can't take lightly. You see, through vehicles move fast and have long braking distances—if you just cut across, a side collision could mean a major accident. I’ve encountered it several times at intersections where turning cars forced their way in, causing through vehicles to slam the brakes and nearly rear-end others, jamming up the entire junction. The key point of this rule is to minimize accident risks: through traffic has predictable paths, and waiting a few seconds as a turning vehicle can smooth traffic flow significantly. Road safety is fundamental, and making it a habit benefits everyone.
