Fiendish road rule quiz about merging onto a motorway stumps drivers

Drivers have been left scratching their heads after being asked who they are supposed to give way to when merging into traffic.

The Queensland Department of Transport and Main Roads shared the road rules quiz which shows an orange car waiting to cross a broken line and merge onto a busy motorway.

‘The driver of the orange car wants to merge onto the motorway. They know they have to give way to traffic already in the lane they’re moving into – but does that same rule apply if the motorway’s congested?’ the department wrote on Facebook.

Many suggested the orange car had to give way to all the oncoming cars in the other lane before they could merge regardless of how congested it may be.

Drivers have been asked who has the right of way as the orange car tries to merge onto a busy motorway

‘I always thought every second car,’ one said.

Others said the courtesy rule applied which meant those already on the motorway could let the orange car in if traffic had slowed down and there was enough space.

The department confirmed that the orange car ‘must give way to the traffic travelling in the lane being entered’.

‘However, courtesy is a very important part of sharing the roads. When driving on a motorway, you should watch for other vehicles entering from an on-ramp and adjust your speed and/or lane to allow them to enter safely,’ a spokesperson said.

Some motorists pointed out that cars merging often drove too fast and put other drivers at risk. 

‘In Queensland the orange car would have just blasted straight out and knocked the motorbike rider off,’ one person wrote.

‘Common courtesy like common sense went out the window a long time ago,’ another said.

Cars merging are required to give way but other motorists can be courteous and let them in if there is enough space in front (pictured M5 eastern distributor in Sydney)