Traffic refers to the movement of motorized vehicles, unmotorized vehicles and pedestrians on roads. Traffic laws are the laws which govern traffic and regulate vehicles, while rules of the road are both the laws and the informal rules that may have developed over time to facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic.
Organized traffic generally has well-established priorities, lanes, right-of-way, and traffic control at intersections.
Organization
In many parts of the world traffic is generally organized, flowing in lanes of travel for a particular direction, with junctions, intersections, interchanges, traffic signals, or signs. Traffic may be separated into classes: vehicular; non-vehicular (e.g. bicycles); and pedestrian. Different classes may share speed limits and easement, or may be segregated. Some countries may have very detailed and complex traffic laws while others rely on drivers’ common sense and willingness to cooperate.
Organization typically reduces travel time. Though vehicles wait at some intersections, wait time at others is much shorter. An unexpected occurrence may cause traffic to degenerate into a disorganized mess: road construction, accidents, or debris may all disrupt the flow. On particularly busy freeways, a minor disruption may persist in a phenomenon known as traffic waves. A complete breakdown of organization may result in traffic jams and gridlock. Simulations of organized traffic frequently involve queuing theory, stochastic processes and equations of mathematical physics applied to traffic flow.
Rules of the road
Rules of the road are the general practices and procedures that road users follow, especially motorists and cyclists. They govern interactions with other vehicles and pedestrians. The basic traffic rules are defined by an international treaty under the authority of the United Nations, the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. Not all countries are signatory to the convention and, even among signatories, local variations in practice may be found. Driving safely is usually easier if a driver can adapt to both written and unwritten local rules of the road.
As a general rule, a driver is expected to avoid hitting other vehicles, pedestrians, etc. regardless of whether or not the applicable rules of the road allow them to be where they happen to be.
These rules should be distinguished from the mechanical procedures required to operate one’s vehicle. See driving.
Directionality
Traffic going in opposite directions should be separated in such a way that they do not block each other’s way. The most basic rule regarding this concept is which side of the road should be used for travel. About 34% of the world by country population drives on the left, and 66% keeps right. By roadway miles, about 72% drive on the right.
Highway code
In many countries, the rules of the road are codified, setting out the legal requirements and punishments for breaking them.
In the United Kingdom, the rules are set out in the Highway Code, including some obligations, but also a lot of other advice on how to drive sensibly and safely. For this second set of advice, it states: Although failure to comply with the other rules of the Code will not, in itself, cause a person to be prosecuted, The Highway Code may be used in evidence in any court proceedings under Traffic Acts to establish liability. Many of its ex-colonies still retain this notice.
Ohio Driver’s Manual, 1950
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Ohio Driver’s Manual, 1950
In the United States, traffic laws are regulated by the states and municipalities through their respective traffic code. The federal government’s Department of Transportation has some control over road signage and vehicle safety, and limited control over the Interstate highway system (which is actually built and maintained by the states). However, all state vehicle or traffic laws have common elements. These include the mandatory automobile insurance requirement, right-of-way rules, the basic speed rule (go only as fast as is safe under the circumstances up to the maximum posted speed limit), and the requirement to stop after an accident. The most common state-by-state variation is in maximum speed limits; for example, rural states like Texas have speed limits as high as 80 mph (130 km/h), with 75 mph (120 km/h) being more common, but Oregon has a maximum speed limit of 65 mph (104 km/h) and Hawaii has a maximum of 60 mph. (97 km/h).
from wikipedia
