Driving technique
Meeting oncoming traffic: who actually gives way?
There is a Highway Code rule for this, and almost nobody can find it - because it is filed under Overtaking. An approved driving instructor on what rule 163 says, and why it is still judgement.
Quick answer
- Parked cars on your side: rule 163 says you should give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road.
- On single-track roads, rule 155 says give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can, and reverse to a passing place if needed.
- Where traffic calming narrows the road, rule 153 says give way to oncoming road users if signs direct you to.
- All three are worded as advice rather than law - though where a sign sets the priority, that sign is one that gives orders. Either way priority is given rather than taken: move when you can see it is safe, not because the rule is on your side.
Meeting oncoming traffic: when to hold back and when to go
Ask around and most drivers will tell you this one is just courtesy - that the Code says nothing about a residential street with cars down one side, and the rest is convention. That is wrong, and it is wrong in a way that is easy to forgive: the rule exists, but it is filed under Overtaking. Rule 163 is a list of things to do when you overtake, and buried in it is the line that settles this.
Who gives way when cars are parked on your side?
You do. Rule 163 puts it plainly: give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road. The obstruction is on your side, so the gap is not yours to take - the oncoming driver has the clear run, and you wait.
What the Highway Code says about meeting traffic
- Parked cars and obstructions (rule 163): give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road. It sits inside the overtaking rules, which is why so few drivers know it is there.
- Single-track roads (rule 155): give way to road users coming uphill whenever you can, and if necessary reverse until you reach a passing place.
- Traffic calming (rule 153): give way to oncoming road users if directed to do so by signs. Where a sign gives priority, that sign decides it.
None of the three is a MUST, so none carries the force of law on its own - rule 163 sits under a 'You should' list, and 155 and 153 are worded as plain instructions with no Law line beneath them. Where rule 153's give-way is set by a sign, though, that sign is one of the Code's signs giving orders rather than an information sign. And advisory wording is not the same as no consequence: the Code's own introduction says that while failing to follow these rules will not in itself get you prosecuted, the Code may be used in evidence in court proceedings to establish liability. That distinction matters more here than it sounds. It means having the rule on your side is not the same as having the road: a driver who has never read rule 163 will still come through the gap, and being technically correct will not stop them.
Meeting traffic in practice: give priority, do not take it
So the rule tells you who should wait. What it cannot tell you is whether the other driver knows that, which is where judgement takes over - and it is judgement, not recall, that an examiner is assessing.
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Decide early
Read the gap while you still have room to slow smoothly. Deciding late is what turns this into a stop-start standoff.
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Hold back where you can see
Stop far enough back that you can see past the obstruction and the oncoming driver can see you. Nose-to-nose in the gap leaves nobody any options.
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Take priority when it is offered, not when it is yours
A flash or a wave is an offer, not an instruction. Move only when you have looked and you are satisfied it is safe.
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Never assume the other driver knows rule 163
Plenty do not - it is filed under overtaking and most people have never read it. Being technically right is no use in a damaged car.
Frequently asked questions
Who gives way when cars are parked on one side of the road?
The driver whose side the parked cars are on. Highway Code rule 163 says you should give way to oncoming vehicles before passing parked vehicles or other obstructions on your side of the road. It is worded as advice rather than law, so treat priority as something given rather than taken.
Is there a Highway Code rule for meeting oncoming traffic?
Yes - rule 163, though it is easy to miss because it sits inside the overtaking rules rather than under anything called meeting traffic. Rule 155 covers single-track roads and rule 153 covers traffic-calming narrowings.
What does the Highway Code say about single-track roads?
Rule 155 advises giving way to road users coming uphill whenever you can, and reversing to a passing place if necessary. It is worded as advice rather than a legal requirement.
Is it a fault to hesitate when meeting traffic?
It can be, and it can be marked two different ways. Pushing through when it was not your turn is a Judgement fault - the DVSA lists "reacting late when meeting an approaching vehicle". Hanging back when the way was clearly yours is marked under Progress instead, as "waiting unnecessarily for another road user to pass who has clearly given way to you".
Do you have to reverse if you meet a car on a narrow road?
On a single-track road, rule 155 says to reverse to a passing place if that is what it takes to let the other vehicle through. On an ordinary road narrowed by parked cars, reversing is rarely needed - stopping early, where you can still see past the obstruction, usually solves it.
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