Are you required to permit a lorry to merge into traffic in this situation?
Show the correct answer
Correct answer
NO
Explanation
In the video you are driving along a straight road in winter; on the left, from an area next to the road, a lorry with a semi-trailer is getting ready to enter the roadway. You do not have to let it join traffic. The answer is: no.
The Road Traffic Act states that entering a road from a property, a roadside facility or a road that is not a public road is joining traffic (włączanie się do ruchu), and a driver joining traffic must exercise particular caution and give way to another vehicle or road user. It is the lorry driver who must give way to you and wait until you have passed; you are not required to slow down or stop to let them in. The exception concerns above all a bus pulling away from a stop in a built-up area - you must let it join traffic if it signals its intention with the indicator. However, right of way does not free you from being careful: a long combination needs a dozen or so seconds to enter the road, and on snow it may slide as it sets off, so you watch it, take your foot off the accelerator and are ready to brake in case the driver misjudges your distance. Politely letting them in is allowed, but it is not an obligation.
Legal basis: Art. 17 para. 1 point 1 and para. 2 and Art. 18 para. 1 of the Road Traffic Act (Prawo o ruchu drogowym)