Theory Mastery

RVV 1990 art. 84: instructions beat everything

Official text on wetten.overheid.nl

Instructions take precedence over traffic signs and traffic rules.

Source: RVV 1990 art. 84 · checked 2026-10-23

This article is listed in the law overview

How the exam asks it

Late in the evening in Nijmegen you reach a junction where the traffic light is completely dark. There is no sign and there are no shark's teeth. At the same time a car approaches from the right. What do you do?

  1. Whoever reaches the junction first may go through first
  2. You let the car coming from the right go first
  3. You agree with the other driver who goes first
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Correct answer: You let the car coming from the right go first

False — a dark light does not leave a gap in which whoever arrives first may go. Without a sign or working light you fall back on the basic rule: traffic from the right goes first

Why learners get this wrong: At a dark traffic light without signs: whoever reaches the junction first may go first.

Open this question

You are approaching a junction in Rotterdam. There are shark's teeth across your lane, but your traffic light is green. Your passenger says: 'Now the light governs priority, not the shark's teeth.' Is that true?

  1. True
  2. False
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Correct answer: True

False — you put the shark's teeth above the light. A working traffic light ranks above shark's teeth and priority signs; on green you may drive on. The shark's teeth only apply again when the light is not working.

Why learners get this wrong: A priority sign (for example shark's teeth or sign B6) outranks a traffic light when the two contradict each other.

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At roadworks in Rotterdam-Zuid there is a white solid line between two lanes. A recognisable traffic controller signals you across that line into the other lane, to follow the diversion. There are no police nearby. What do you do?

  1. You wait until a police officer lets you cross it
  2. You stay in your lane, because the line comes first
  3. You follow the signal and cross the line
Show the answer

Correct answer: You follow the signal and cross the line

False — you think only the police may give such an instruction. An authorised traffic controller who is recognisable as such also gives instructions you must follow, and they rank above the lines on the road.

Why learners get this wrong: Only a police officer may let you depart from a traffic sign; a traffic controller's signal is not enough for that.

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