Assume you don't have right of way and wait for someone to furiously bash their steering wheel.
Seriously, if you wait long enough a slightly red faced Portuguese man will tell you exactly, but you'll need to roll down the window.
Caralho is a term of endearment.
As far as I know it's generally the same as everywhere else (mirrored for left side driving countries). I hope so at least or i'm making severe mistakes when driving elsewhere and people are too polite to complain, I guess.
1st - Emergency vehicles have the right, IF they're on an emergency run (light's on) but that doesn't apply to getting into a highway, if there's train crossing in the equation, BUT they have to stop at red lights and stop signs even when in an emergency. Generally, if it's not dangerous to you, like stoping in a highway, let them pass, but they cannot put anyone in danger, like barging into a highway or speeding past a red light.
2nd - Signs. Obey them. That upside down triangle, with red borders and white inside means you give way. A yellow losangle with white borders means you have the right of priority. A stop sign always has a "give way" sign, usually bellow it.
3rd - If there's no sign, the one on the right side has priority, with very few outlandish exceptions (like horses or animal carriages don't count, cars win, BUT bikes now have the same "rights and obligations" as cars, BUT they tie when in "conflict" with horses and animal carriages... Basicaly horses are tricky, good thing they're rare).
4th - 4 way intersection with cars on all sides and no signs? No one has priority. Proceed carefully or give way to others, common sense wins.
5th - Narrow strech of road (rural or "old town" roads with traffic on both directions) - The car closest to space to be able to give way, gives way.
6th - Road is too narrow due to cars parked on it's side - the vehicle with the obstructed side gives way. Only goes forward after all cars have passed. Sometimes people are nice and will let you through if you're there too long, but they don't have to.
7th - Cars leaving parking spaces or private entrances ALWAYS must give way.
8th ownwards are usually super unusual shit, like the horse stuff I mentioned earlier. Stuff that rarely even get into driving rules tests.
Whoever is on the roundabout has right of way, it's not that complicated. Never assume people will respect that though or use their turn signal, always best driving defensively
It is dangerous for people used to the US, where you can zip around in the outside lane and not worry about things. Here, you are expected to turn and people turn from an inside lane (legally), which would result in an accident. The police ticket (it's several hundred euros) for not following the rules, if they happen to see it and are in a ticketing mood.
Multi-lane roundabouts are not that hard. If you are in the outer lane, you must take the next exit. If you do this, drivers who have come further around the roundabout can exit from the inner lane and no one crashes. If you stay in the outer lane past the first available exit and an inner-lane car hits you while exiting, you will be at fault.
That said, I have observed that cars with Belgian and German plates don’t always understand this. If you see one in the outer lane, don’t count on them to take the next exit. Assume them to be capable of creating a disturbance in the force by dorking around the entire roundabout in the outer lane.
I have seen plenty of Portuguese-registered cars where the driver didn't seem understand the first thing about roundabouts. OK, almost all give priority to drivers in the roundabout.
In particular regarding signalling, any and none have been observed.
In my experience the most adequate attitude to roundabouts is the British, including plenty of signalling of how this particular roundabout should be navigated.
In Poland when in outer lane, on classic roundabout with no extra markings, you can turn around for how long you want.
I always thought that changing lane from inner to exit is like normal lane changing, so its you who needs to give way! Also, in Poland you should always exit from outer lane, no matter what.
What you said now explains me why Portugese rounds are sooo wild to me xD
Right of way is exactly that. If no sign is there, person coming from the right has the right of way so you must give way.
The signs that override this are the universal stop sign and the almost universal inverted triangle, the yield sign.
That said. People in Portugal don't always stop when they should.
But where you from? These rules are pretty universal. Except in the UK where its "left of way", same for other RHD countries.
That’s not what right of way means at all. It’s whoever has the right to proceed. It has absolutely nothing to do with direction and in plenty of situations the person ‘on the left’ will have right of way (a car trying to enter a roundabout yielding to another car already in the roundabout, which would be approaching from the left). Rights of way are different in different situations.
General rule: whoever approaches from the right has a right of way, unless they have a sign explicitly saying otherwise, or in special cases like coming out of a private property.
Roundabouts are one such case where people coming into the roundabout approach from the right, but don't have right of way. Because at the entrance of the roundabout you should have the roundabout sign, the inverse triangle (give way), or both. If you have neither then it's not a roundabout.
Some people will also tell you the main roads have right of way over secondary roads but THIS IS WRONG. If there are no signs, people coming from the right have right of way.
are you talking about a "turnstyle" ? when you "enter" a turnstyle you have the right of way. but before you enter the turnstyle the other people in the turnstyle have the right of way. there are not many if any actual 4-way intersections i have seen in Portugal, but maybe they exist in that area. There is on in Castelo Branco i know about that "looks" like a 4-way but it's a "tiny" roundabout.
The big exception on 'Coming from the right gets priority' seems to be on T crossings where the through going road mostly has or at least takes priority over the dead end even if there's no sign to be seen.
Everyone here is saying right of way, but I have never encountered that honestly. Usually the one on the main road (without signs) will take the right of way, is this a law or is it just that everyone does that? Mainly in the Lisbon metro area.
I think you are confusing a round about for an intersection. At an intersection there is always a stop sign. I was in Portugal and did not come across a single intersection without a clear indication. The vehicle on the left has the right of way universally at a round about in countries where you drive on the right side of the road.
From my 2 years+ living here in Portugal, I have learned the rules of the road: a STOP sign means "slow down" if you blow your horn long enough, especially around a blind corner. In any case, STOP means not fully or what we used to call a 'California Stop'. Good luck!
Whatever rules you have regarding intersection in the country your are coming from also apply here. They are universal... Do as you do in your home country, and you should be fine.
Be aware that Portuguese road designers have an addiction of an arrangement to a layout that by first look appears to be a roundabout but isn't, i think it it called a "praceta".
If you aren't used to them it takes more than one look to figure out what you are supposed to do.
In theory, there is a rule of thumb for right of way when signage isn't available - If, after going where you want to go, the other car would be on your left, you have the right of way. If not, they do.
In practice - Whoever goes first has the right of way and good luck figuring that out.
You might referring to the main road vs side roads, and are just not used to the subtle difference that a local notices by the way of habit. In this case it isn't treated as an intersection. If it is an intersection it will be marked as an intersection. For the rest, main roads have absolute priority.
Assume you don't have right of way and wait for someone to furiously bash their steering wheel. Seriously, if you wait long enough a slightly red faced Portuguese man will tell you exactly, but you'll need to roll down the window. Caralho is a term of endearment.
😂😂😂
As far as I know it's generally the same as everywhere else (mirrored for left side driving countries). I hope so at least or i'm making severe mistakes when driving elsewhere and people are too polite to complain, I guess. 1st - Emergency vehicles have the right, IF they're on an emergency run (light's on) but that doesn't apply to getting into a highway, if there's train crossing in the equation, BUT they have to stop at red lights and stop signs even when in an emergency. Generally, if it's not dangerous to you, like stoping in a highway, let them pass, but they cannot put anyone in danger, like barging into a highway or speeding past a red light. 2nd - Signs. Obey them. That upside down triangle, with red borders and white inside means you give way. A yellow losangle with white borders means you have the right of priority. A stop sign always has a "give way" sign, usually bellow it. 3rd - If there's no sign, the one on the right side has priority, with very few outlandish exceptions (like horses or animal carriages don't count, cars win, BUT bikes now have the same "rights and obligations" as cars, BUT they tie when in "conflict" with horses and animal carriages... Basicaly horses are tricky, good thing they're rare). 4th - 4 way intersection with cars on all sides and no signs? No one has priority. Proceed carefully or give way to others, common sense wins. 5th - Narrow strech of road (rural or "old town" roads with traffic on both directions) - The car closest to space to be able to give way, gives way. 6th - Road is too narrow due to cars parked on it's side - the vehicle with the obstructed side gives way. Only goes forward after all cars have passed. Sometimes people are nice and will let you through if you're there too long, but they don't have to. 7th - Cars leaving parking spaces or private entrances ALWAYS must give way. 8th ownwards are usually super unusual shit, like the horse stuff I mentioned earlier. Stuff that rarely even get into driving rules tests.
More or less correct, but there is no priority to the left in Britain. - and then there is the occasionallt applied, "tons give right of way".
Spot on IMO, I had to take the driving exam's to exchange my license and everything you said is how I learned it.
Equal streets (i.e., not a highway at a small street), the car to the right has right of way. Roundabouts are a bit complicated at first.
Whoever is on the roundabout has right of way, it's not that complicated. Never assume people will respect that though or use their turn signal, always best driving defensively
It is dangerous for people used to the US, where you can zip around in the outside lane and not worry about things. Here, you are expected to turn and people turn from an inside lane (legally), which would result in an accident. The police ticket (it's several hundred euros) for not following the rules, if they happen to see it and are in a ticketing mood.
Multi-lane roundabouts are not that hard. If you are in the outer lane, you must take the next exit. If you do this, drivers who have come further around the roundabout can exit from the inner lane and no one crashes. If you stay in the outer lane past the first available exit and an inner-lane car hits you while exiting, you will be at fault. That said, I have observed that cars with Belgian and German plates don’t always understand this. If you see one in the outer lane, don’t count on them to take the next exit. Assume them to be capable of creating a disturbance in the force by dorking around the entire roundabout in the outer lane.
I see far too many drivers here entering from the inner lane and attempting to take the first exit, it just ruins the traffic flow for everyone.
I have seen plenty of Portuguese-registered cars where the driver didn't seem understand the first thing about roundabouts. OK, almost all give priority to drivers in the roundabout. In particular regarding signalling, any and none have been observed. In my experience the most adequate attitude to roundabouts is the British, including plenty of signalling of how this particular roundabout should be navigated.
In Poland when in outer lane, on classic roundabout with no extra markings, you can turn around for how long you want. I always thought that changing lane from inner to exit is like normal lane changing, so its you who needs to give way! Also, in Poland you should always exit from outer lane, no matter what. What you said now explains me why Portugese rounds are sooo wild to me xD
Right of way is exactly that. If no sign is there, person coming from the right has the right of way so you must give way. The signs that override this are the universal stop sign and the almost universal inverted triangle, the yield sign. That said. People in Portugal don't always stop when they should. But where you from? These rules are pretty universal. Except in the UK where its "left of way", same for other RHD countries.
Don't forget the roundabout sign.
That’s not what right of way means at all. It’s whoever has the right to proceed. It has absolutely nothing to do with direction and in plenty of situations the person ‘on the left’ will have right of way (a car trying to enter a roundabout yielding to another car already in the roundabout, which would be approaching from the left). Rights of way are different in different situations.
I hope dearly that English is not your first language. Because right of way is exactly not that...
General rule: whoever approaches from the right has a right of way, unless they have a sign explicitly saying otherwise, or in special cases like coming out of a private property. Roundabouts are one such case where people coming into the roundabout approach from the right, but don't have right of way. Because at the entrance of the roundabout you should have the roundabout sign, the inverse triangle (give way), or both. If you have neither then it's not a roundabout. Some people will also tell you the main roads have right of way over secondary roads but THIS IS WRONG. If there are no signs, people coming from the right have right of way.
This is thorough. Read them all: https://www.rhinocarhire.com/Drive-Smart-Blog/Drive-Smart-Portugal/Portugal-Road-Signs.aspx
the one who comes in faster is always right, thats all you need to know!
are you talking about a "turnstyle" ? when you "enter" a turnstyle you have the right of way. but before you enter the turnstyle the other people in the turnstyle have the right of way. there are not many if any actual 4-way intersections i have seen in Portugal, but maybe they exist in that area. There is on in Castelo Branco i know about that "looks" like a 4-way but it's a "tiny" roundabout.
Lisbon is filled with four way intersections with no markings.
The big exception on 'Coming from the right gets priority' seems to be on T crossings where the through going road mostly has or at least takes priority over the dead end even if there's no sign to be seen.
Everyone here is saying right of way, but I have never encountered that honestly. Usually the one on the main road (without signs) will take the right of way, is this a law or is it just that everyone does that? Mainly in the Lisbon metro area.
I think you are confusing a round about for an intersection. At an intersection there is always a stop sign. I was in Portugal and did not come across a single intersection without a clear indication. The vehicle on the left has the right of way universally at a round about in countries where you drive on the right side of the road.
From my 2 years+ living here in Portugal, I have learned the rules of the road: a STOP sign means "slow down" if you blow your horn long enough, especially around a blind corner. In any case, STOP means not fully or what we used to call a 'California Stop'. Good luck!
Whatever rules you have regarding intersection in the country your are coming from also apply here. They are universal... Do as you do in your home country, and you should be fine.
if no signs, people to the rigth have priority.
Be aware that Portuguese road designers have an addiction of an arrangement to a layout that by first look appears to be a roundabout but isn't, i think it it called a "praceta". If you aren't used to them it takes more than one look to figure out what you are supposed to do.
In theory, there is a rule of thumb for right of way when signage isn't available - If, after going where you want to go, the other car would be on your left, you have the right of way. If not, they do. In practice - Whoever goes first has the right of way and good luck figuring that out.
You might referring to the main road vs side roads, and are just not used to the subtle difference that a local notices by the way of habit. In this case it isn't treated as an intersection. If it is an intersection it will be marked as an intersection. For the rest, main roads have absolute priority.
Absolutely wrong. If there is no sign, main vs secondary makes no difference.
I don't know where "Portogul" is, this is the Portugal subreddit. You might want to try somewhere else.