13.13. Which rule should drivers follow when meeting oncoming traffic in places where passing is difficult?
UAЯким правилом повинні керуватися водії під час зустрічного роз'їзду в місцях, де він утруднений?
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This exam question from the Traffic Rules of Ukraine concerns safety during oncoming passing on narrow road sections, where it is difficult for two vehicles to pass each other without stopping or reducing speed. Such situations often arise due to parked cars, roadworks, road narrowing, or oversized vehicles, so knowing the correct order of passage directly affects the avoidance of conflicts and head-on collisions.
The theoretical exam includes checking the section of the Traffic Rules that regulates maneuvering and passing (paragraph 13.4 of the Traffic Rules). The logic of this paragraph is simple: priority is given to the driver moving in their lane without obstacles, and the driver whose lane has an obstacle or whose vehicle dimensions impede oncoming traffic is required to "yield" as defined by the Traffic Rules (if necessary, not to resume movement or to stop so as not to force the other to change speed or direction). It is also important to remember the exception for sections with "Steep Ascent/Steep Descent" signs: in the presence of an obstacle, the one moving downhill must yield.
Analysis of the answer options in this exam question shows that the correct approach is "the one whose lane has the obstacle yields"—this is directly established by paragraph 13.4 of the Traffic Rules of Ukraine. The statement that priority is given to the one who arrives first is not a general principle in the traffic rules for complicated oncoming passing and may provoke dangerous "races" to the narrow spot. The option that combines both rules is also incorrect, as the second rule is not provided by the Traffic Rules as a basic one for such situations (the order may be determined by priority signs or special conditions, but not by arrival time).
Clause 13.4
"If a meeting pass is difficult, the driver whose lane has an obstacle or whose vehicle dimensions hinder oncoming traffic must yield. On road sections marked with signs 1.6 'Steep Ascent' and 1.7 'Steep Descent', in the presence of an obstacle, the driver of the vehicle moving downhill must yield."
This clause directly establishes the rule of priority during a meeting pass in places where passing is difficult: the one whose lane has an obstacle yields (with a specific exception for ascent/descent in the presence of signs 1.6 and 1.7).
Clause 1.10 (the term "Yield (not to interfere)")
"Yield (not to interfere) — a requirement for a road user not to continue or resume movement, nor to perform any maneuvers, if this may force other road users who have priority to change their direction or speed."
This definition explains what exactly the obligation to "yield" means in clause 13.4 (in particular, if necessary — to stop or not to resume movement to ensure the passage of the oncoming vehicle).
Clause 33.1.6 — 33 "Road Signs", 1 "Warning Signs", sign 1.6 "Steep Ascent"
Sign 1.6 "Steep Ascent".
Applied together with clause 13.4 to determine the special rule for passing on ascent/descent sections in the presence of an obstacle.
Clause 33.1.7 — 33 "Road Signs", 1 "Warning Signs", sign 1.7 "Steep Descent"
Sign 1.7 "Steep Descent".
Applied together with clause 13.4: in the presence of an obstacle on a section marked with signs 1.6 and 1.7, the driver moving downhill must yield.
That is, the correct answer is "The driver whose lane has an obstacle must yield," considering that according to the definition of the Traffic Rules, it is clause 13.4 that establishes the obligation of the driver on the lane with an obstacle (or with such vehicle dimensions that hinder oncoming traffic) to give way during a difficult meeting pass.
When two vehicles approach each other on a narrow section of the road where passing is difficult (for example, due to parked cars, roadworks, narrowing, or another obstacle), drivers need to determine the order of passage in such a way as to avoid conflict and not create danger.
Clause 13.4 of the Traffic Rules establishes a simple principle: the driver who has an obstacle in their lane, or whose dimensions actually impede oncoming traffic, must yield. The logic is as follows: this driver finds themselves in a situation where, to continue driving, they have to partially move into the oncoming lane, and therefore are required to let the oncoming vehicle, which is moving in its own lane without obstacles, pass.
For example, you are driving in your lane, but there is a truck ahead that narrows your passage and you need to move closer to the center of the road. An oncoming car is moving without any obstacles in its lane. In this situation, you must stop or slow down and let it pass, because the obstacle is on your side.
You should not rely on the rule "whoever arrives first, goes first." The Traffic Rules determine the order not by the time of arrival, but by the presence of an obstacle in the lane (and on ascents/descents there may be separate conditions, but the basic rule for difficult passing is exactly this).
Therefore, the correct answer is: "The driver whose lane has an obstacle must yield," because according to clause 13.4 of the Traffic Rules, in the case of a difficult oncoming passage, priority is given to the one moving in their own lane without obstacles, and the driver with the obstacle is required to yield.