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Rules of the road: the law, an example and questions

Lessons, rules and practice questions on rules of the road.
Practise: Rules of the roadMore sets

Rules of the road is one of the study areas behind the driver theory test in Ireland, where the car test asks 40 questions in 45 minutes and 35 correct answers pass. This lesson gives the rules, the law behind them and questions on this area. Source: Citizens Information, page edited 6 May 2026, checked on 15 September 2026.

By the Irish Mock Test teamFacts checked 15 September 2026How we check facts

Lessons in this area

In a built-up area the default limit is 50 km/h on every public road except a motorway, unless a special or road works limit is signed.

A later Act would drop that default to 30 km/h and has not been commenced, so 50 km/h is still the figure.

Source: Irish Statute Book, Road Traffic Act 2004, section 5, checked on 2026-09-15

The theory test asks how Irish traffic law works in ordinary situations: which limit applies where there is no sign, who yields at a junction, what a stop line means, what you must produce when a Garda stops you. Each rule below names the provision it rests on.

The rules

  1. Drive on the left, so that oncoming traffic passes on your right and traffic overtaking you also passes on your right.

    The junction rules are built on top of it: the side you approach from, and the side a pedestrian checks first.

    Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997, article 9

  2. In a built-up area the default limit is 50 km/h on every public road except a motorway, unless a special or road works limit is signed.

    A later Act would drop that default to 30 km/h and has not been commenced, so 50 km/h is still the figure.

    Road Traffic Act 2004, section 5

  3. Outside a built-up area the default is 60 km/h on a local road, 80 km/h on a regional road, 100 km/h on a national road and 120 km/h on a motorway.

    Local roads fell from 80 km/h to 60 km/h on 7 February 2025 while regional roads did not change, and a pending cut of some national roads to 80 km/h has not been commenced.

    Road Traffic Act 2004, sections 6, 7(1) and 8(1), section 6 as substituted by the Road Traffic Act 2024, section 7

  4. At a stop sign or a stop line, stop before the line. Where a sign and a line are both there, stop at the line.

    Stop means halt, whether or not anything is coming, and the sign that lets you give way without stopping is the yield sign.

    Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997, article 20

  5. When you turn right you must yield to oncoming traffic that is going straight ahead or turning left.

    It stays with you on a green light and even if you arrived first, so approach near the centre line and wait for a gap.

    Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997, articles 8(7) and 11

  6. Entering a roundabout you turn left and go round clockwise. At a signed mini-roundabout you must yield to traffic already on it.

    No general give way to the right rule for roundabouts sits in the Regulations, so elsewhere priority comes from the yield signs and lines at your entry.

    Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) (Amendment) (No. 2) Regulations 2012, regulation 5, with article 15 of the 1997 Regulations

  7. Do not enter a yellow box unless you can clear it without stopping, even on a green light. You may wait in the box to turn right.

    The right turn is the only exception the article carries, it sets no further condition, and the same rule covers level crossings and lifting bridges.

    Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997, articles 29 and 31(3), as substituted in 2012

Quick check

3 questions on the rules above before you read on.

1 of 3
  1. Question 1

    You enter a housing estate within a built-up area and no other speed limit is set. Which default applies?

    • A20 km/h
    • B30 km/h
    • C40 km/h
    • D50 km/hCorrect answer
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: D

    The default for a public road in a built-up area is 50 km/h under section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 2004. A different figure applies only where a special or roadworks limit replaces it.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004), s. 5, checked on 2026-09-15.

  2. Question 2Road sign

    At the entrance to a street you see this sign. What must a driver do?

    • ANot go past the signCorrect answer
    • BGo past for a quick delivery
    • CGo past if you reverse in
    • DGo past if you are on a motorcycle
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: A

    Regulation 24 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 provides that, at the entrance to a road, a driver of a vehicle must not go past the no entry sign. A short delivery, reversing in, or being on a motorcycle does not lift that duty unless a separate cyclist plate applies.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 24(1), (2), (4), checked on 2026-09-15.

  3. Question 3

    The bus priority facility sign over a motorway hard shoulder is not being displayed. What does that tell you?

    • AThe facility is in operation at all hours, whether or not the sign is displayed
    • BThe wide yellow line on its own keeps the facility in operation
    • CThe line means no parking, so the shoulder is reserved in any case
    • DThe facility is not in operation, because the sign shows when it isCorrect answer
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: D

    Under Regulation 10A of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025, as inserted, the bus priority facility sign is operated to display when the facility is in operation, and it is that sign, with the wide continuous yellow line, that indicates the facility. The line does not keep the facility in operation on its own, the sign is not displayed at all hours, and the line is not a no-parking marking.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 10A(1), inserted by S.I. No. 205 of 2026, reg. 3(c), checked on 2026-09-15.

What must you be able to produce when a Garda stops you?

Your driving licence or learner permit, and your certificate of insurance. If the licence is not with you, produce it at a Garda station that you name within ten days. Sections 40 and 69 of the Road Traffic Act 1961 set that rule and the matching one for insurance.

Which rules of the road changed most recently?

The local road default fell to 60 km/h on 7 February 2025. S.I. No. 473 of 2025 then rewrote the articles on overtaking, cycle tracks, traffic lights, bus lanes and pedestrians, and added shared zones and school streets, so older material on those is out of date.

On the road

A right turn across a yellow box in a town

  1. You are on a town street with no speed limit sign, so the built-up default of 50 km/h applies.

  2. The junction ahead is painted with a yellow box, the light is green, and you want to turn right.

  3. The general rule bars you from entering the box, but the right-turn exception lets you wait inside it, so you move in.

  4. Article 8(7) still applies, so you hold there and yield to oncoming traffic going straight ahead or turning left.

  5. When a gap opens you complete the turn and clear the box, finishing the turn even if the lights change first.

Where learners go wrong

  • Answering 30 km/h for a built-up area. That change has not been commenced, so the default is still 50 km/h.

  • Assuming every rural road fell to 60 km/h. Only local roads did, and a regional road is still 80 km/h.

  • Expecting a give way to the right rule at every roundabout. The yield duty on entry belongs to the signed mini-roundabout.

  • Treating a default limit as a target. It is the most you may do in good conditions.

  • Looking for a red and amber phase. The signs Regulations give the lamp colours and no sequence.

Sources

Source: irishstatutebook.ie, Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 182 of 1997), checked on 2026-09-15

Source: irishstatutebook.ie, Road Traffic Act 2004, sections 5 to 8 (default speed limits), checked on 2026-09-15

Source: irishstatutebook.ie, Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 473 of 2025), checked on 2026-09-15

Source: irishstatutebook.ie, Road Traffic Act 1961, section 40 (production of a licence), as amended, checked on 2026-09-15

Source: irishstatutebook.ie, Road Traffic Act 1961, section 56 (obligatory insurance), checked on 2026-09-15

Source: irishstatutebook.ie, Irish Statute Book, Houses of the Oireachtas, reused under the Oireachtas (Open Data) PSI Licence (CC BY 4.0), checked on 2026-09-15

Test yourself

Short test on this lesson

Choose an answer, then open the explanation to see the rule behind it.

1 of 17
  1. Question 1Road sign

    You have driven past the road you wanted on a town street and see this sign. May you turn round past it?

    • AYes, when the road is clear
    • BYes, at a gap in a central reserve
    • CNo, you must not make a U-turn past the signCorrect answer
    • DThe sign only forbids reversing
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: C

    Regulation 14 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025, Schedule 2, Part 1, makes the no U-turn sign a prohibitory sign: you must not make a U-turn past it. A clear road or a gap in a central reserve does not lift that. The sign forbids the U-turn, not reversing as such.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 14(2)(c); Schedule 2, Part 1, checked on 2026-09-15.

  2. Question 2Road sign

    At the entrance to a one-way system you see this sign, and the right-hand gap looks shorter. Which side must you pass?

    • AOn either side because the system is one-way
    • BThe sign applies to cyclists only at this entrance
    • CTo the left of the signCorrect answer
    • DThe sign marks the road edge, so the shorter gap is allowed
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: C

    Under Regulation 4 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025, the keep left sign requires traffic to pass to the left of the sign. A shorter gap on the other side does not change that. The sign is not limited to cyclists and it does not mark the edge of the road.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 4(1)(a); Schedule 1, Part 1, checked on 2026-09-15.

  3. Question 3

    A hatched merging and diverging area separates a slip lane from the main carriageway. May you drive into it?

    • ANo, traffic must not enter the hatched areaCorrect answer
    • BYes, if you can leave it without stopping
    • CYes, while waiting to turn right
    • DYes, when overtaking slower traffic
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: A

    The merging-and-diverging marking rule in regulation 73 marks an area of road that traffic must not enter.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulations 72(1) and 73(1), checked on 2026-09-15.

  4. Question 4

    You are turning right while an oncoming vehicle is turning left into the same road. Who has right of way?

    • AYou, because a right turn crosses more traffic
    • BThe oncoming vehicle turning leftCorrect answer
    • CWhichever vehicle reaches the centre first
    • DWhichever driver indicates for longer
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: B

    The right-turn rule in article 8 requires you to yield to an oncoming vehicle that is turning left as well as one going straight.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 182 of 1997), Article 8(7), checked on 2026-09-15.

  5. Question 5

    A regional road leaves a built-up area and has no special speed limit. Which default applies beyond the boundary?

    • A50 km/h
    • B60 km/h
    • C70 km/h
    • D80 km/hCorrect answer
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: D

    Once the regional road is outside the built-up area, its default is 80 km/h under section 6(1) of the Road Traffic Act 2004, as substituted by the Road Traffic Act 2024.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004), s. 6(1), as substituted by Road Traffic Act 2024 (No. 10 of 2024), s. 7, checked on 2026-09-15.

  6. Question 6

    You are driving a motor vehicle on a road marked as a cycle street. What overtaking rule applies?

    • AYou may overtake only cyclists
    • BYou must not overtake on that stretchCorrect answer
    • CYou may overtake when no cyclist is present
    • DYou may overtake below 30 km/h
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: B

    Article 10(3) of the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 bars a motor vehicle driver from overtaking on a cycle street. The exception is for cyclists, e-moped users and e-scooter users.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 182 of 1997), Art. 10(3), as substituted by S.I. No. 473 of 2025, reg. 2(c), checked on 2026-09-15.

  7. Question 7

    May you park fully on a grass verge to keep a narrow carriageway clear?

    • AYes, because the road is narrow
    • BNo, parking on a grass verge is prohibitedCorrect answer
    • CYes, for up to 30 minutes
    • DYes, because a verge is different from a footpath
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: B

    The verge-parking rule in article 36 prohibits parking on a footpath, grass margin or median strip.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 182 of 1997), Article 36(2)(i), as substituted by S.I. No. 332 of 2012, reg. 16(m), checked on 2026-09-15.

  8. Question 8

    Which default limit applies to a public road in a built-up area that is not a motorway?

    • A50 km/hCorrect answer
    • B40 km/h
    • C30 km/h
    • D20 km/h
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: A

    Section 5 of the Road Traffic Act 2004 provides a 50 km/h built-up area default. The rule gives way where a special speed limit or roadworks speed limit applies.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004), s. 5, checked on 2026-09-15.

  9. Question 9Road sign

    At a junction on a local road, this sign faces you. What manoeuvre must you not make past it?

    • AThe sign allows a right turn when nothing is coming
    • BThe sign allows a right turn for a quick drop off
    • CThe sign applies to large vehicles only
    • DTurning right past the signCorrect answer
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: D

    Regulation 14 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025, Schedule 2, Part 1, makes the no right turn sign a prohibitory sign: you must not turn right past it. An empty junction, a short drop off, or vehicle size does not lift the prohibition.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 14(2)(a); Schedule 2, Part 1, checked on 2026-09-15.

  10. Question 10

    A plate under a prohibitory sign on a town street shows hours of the day. What do those hours mean?

    • AThe period during which the prohibition shown on the sign appliesCorrect answer
    • BThe fine that applies if you ignore the sign
    • CThe distance along the street that the sign covers
    • DThe class of vehicle the prohibition applies to
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: A

    Regulation 2 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025, read with Regulation 14, treats an information plate under a sign as showing the period during which the prohibition or restriction applies, unless the Regulations say otherwise. It does not state a fine, a distance, or the vehicle class. A different plate is used for vehicle class.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 2(2); Regulation 14(4), checked on 2026-09-15.

  11. Question 11Road sign

    You are on horseback on a rural local road and meet this sign. What applies?

    • AOnly ridden horses on market days are caught
    • BThe sign catches dogs on a lead, not horses
    • CYou must not go past the signCorrect answer
    • DThe sign applies only on market days
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: C

    Regulation 18 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 provides that a person riding, leading or driving a horse or animal, or in charge of one, must not go past the sign. A rider on horseback is caught. The sign is not limited to market days.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 18(1), (4), checked on 2026-09-15.

  12. Question 12

    A steady amber light comes on at a level crossing while you are far enough back to stop safely. What should you do?

    • AAccelerate across before the red lights begin
    • BStop before entering the crossingCorrect answer
    • CContinue because amber means the barriers will rise
    • DCross slowly while checking for a train
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: B

    The level-crossing amber-light rule in regulation 46 requires a stop unless you are already too close to stop safely.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 46(4), checked on 2026-09-15.

  13. Question 13

    A white arrow painted in your lane points straight ahead. What must traffic in that lane do?

    • AGo straight aheadCorrect answer
    • BTreat the arrow as a suggestion when the lane is empty
    • CRead it as showing where other traffic will go
    • DObey it only at traffic lights
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: A

    Regulation 60 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 provides that a white arrow painted in a lane shows the direction in which traffic in that lane must go. A straight-ahead arrow requires traffic in that lane to go straight ahead. It is not a suggestion, not a hint about other traffic, and not limited to traffic lights.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 60, checked on 2026-09-15.

  14. Question 14

    On which side should you normally overtake, and when should you return to the left?

    • AOn the left, returning when the other driver signals
    • BOn either side, returning at the next junction
    • COn the right, returning to the left only when it is safeCorrect answer
    • DOn the right, returning as soon as your front wheels pass
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: C

    Article 10(4) of the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 sets overtaking on the right as the general rule and requires a safe return to the left.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 182 of 1997), Art. 10(4), checked on 2026-09-15.

  15. Question 15Road sign

    Behind a slow tractor on a winding country road, you see this sign. Which of these does it not allow?

    • AOvertake other vehiclesCorrect answer
    • BTurn left at the next junction
    • CPark at the side of the road
    • DMake a U-turn
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: A

    This is the no overtaking sign in Part 1 of Schedule 2 to the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025. Article 10(3) of the Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 says a driver must not overtake, or try to overtake, on a stretch of road where it is provided. Turning, parking and U-turns are dealt with by other signs.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic and Parking) Regulations 1997 (S.I. No. 182 of 1997), Article 10(3), as substituted by S.I. No. 473 of 2025, reg. 2(c), checked on 2026-09-16.

  16. Question 16Road sign

    Which of these explains this sign?

    • AA bus lane running with the flow of traffic
    • BA shared zone for pedestrians, cyclists and vehiclesCorrect answer
    • CA cycle track running against the flow of traffic
    • DA mini-roundabout ahead
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: B

    This is the shared zone sign. Regulation 13 of the Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 provides that it indicates a shared surface street used by pedestrians and vehicles, and the sign carries a 20 km/h speed limit sign inside it.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic (Traffic Signs) Regulations 2025 (S.I. No. 433 of 2025), Regulation 13(1); Schedule 1, Part 7, checked on 2026-09-16.

  17. Question 17

    What is the default limit for a rural regional road when no special or roadworks limit applies?

    • A120 km/h
    • B100 km/h
    • C80 km/hCorrect answer
    • D60 km/h
    Show the answerHide the answer

    Correct answer: C

    The regional road default outside a built-up area is 80 km/h under section 6(1) of the Road Traffic Act 2004, as substituted by the Road Traffic Act 2024.

    Citation

    Source: Road Traffic Act 2004 (No. 44 of 2004), s. 6(1), as substituted by Road Traffic Act 2024 (No. 10 of 2024), s. 7, checked on 2026-09-15.

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