Most of driving is just sitting in the right place and not being in anyone's way. Lane discipline sounds boring, but it's what keeps the road flowing — and it's what examiners quietly love to see.
Overtaking is the bit that needs the most patience. The question is never "can I get past?" — it's "can I get past, and back in, with room to spare, before anything changes?" If you're not sure, the answer is wait. A clear, boring overtake beats a clever, risky one every time.
Then there's the yellow box junction — the criss-cross paint at busy junctions. The rule is one sentence: only enter it when your exit is already clear. It exists to stop the junction gridlocking, and blocking it is one of the easiest faults to avoid.
The bits that matter
- Keep to the left unless you're turning right or overtaking.
- Only overtake when you can see it's clear and safe to return.
- Never enter a yellow box junction unless your way out is already open.
Memory anchor
Into the box only when the way out's unlocked
Think of the yellow box as a room with one door. You don't walk in until you can see the exit door is open. If the traffic ahead is stopped, you wait behind the box — even when your light is green.
Out on the road
The queue across a busy junction
Traffic ahead is crawling and the yellow box is right in front of you. Your light's green, but the cars beyond the box aren't moving. You hold back before the lines. The light changes, the side road gets its turn, and you haven't trapped anyone in the middle. That's the whole point of the paint.
The mistake everyone makes
Overtaking on hope
The riskiest overtakes happen when a driver commits before they can actually see the road's clear — past a bend, near a junction, over a hill. If finishing the overtake depends on nothing surprising you, it isn't a safe overtake. Hang back for a stretch you can see all the way along, and the gap will come.