Advertisement

'Who must give way?': Drivers divided over common road rule involving buses

A common road rule has infuriated motorists who claim bus drivers frequently ignore the law.

Queensland’s Department of Transport and Main Roads posted a graphic on Facebook on Monday asking if people knew the correct give way rule when it comes to a car overtaking a bus.

“The bus is indicating to change lanes,” the department wrote.

“The orange car is travelling beside the bus in the middle lane.

“Who must give way? The bus or the orange car?”

A graphic shows a bus indicating while a car drives next to it.
Do you know who has to give way in this situation? Source: Department of Transport and Main Roads

The department later explained the bus has to give way to the car – the same as any other merging road rule across Australia.

“When changing lanes, you have to give way to any vehicle in the lane you are moving into,” the department wrote.

“This rule also applies to buses, unless the bus is entering traffic from a bus stop or the side of the road.”

However, Facebook users were quick to slam bus drivers for not following the rule.

“This is not always the case here in Brisbane. I had a bus do this to me more than once,” one woman wrote.

Another man added the bus should give way but “probably won’t”.

“From my experiences with this, the ride drivers will just try and muscle their way in anyway,” another man wrote.

Failure to properly give way in Queensland can result in a fine of up to $2669.

The road rule involving buses seemingly infuriates NSW drivers too.

NSW Road Safety posted a video last year reminding people not to speed up and overtake buses on Facebook.

“Do you know when you must give way to a bus?” they wrote.

In the video, a blue car is seen speeding up to overtake a bus as it indicates to leave the stop.

Another example is shown with the blue car slowing down and allowing the bus to enter the right lane.

In NSW, failure to give way to a bus can result in a $337 fine.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and download the Yahoo News app from the App Store or Google Play.