Give way to oncoming trafficNew Zealand
Traffic rules
New Zealand
1. Give way to oncoming traffic
Give way to oncoming traffic means that drivers must allow vehicles approaching from the opposite direction to pass first through a narrow section of road. The rule is normally indicated by a sign facing the direction that must yield and a corresponding priority sign facing oncoming traffic.
Drivers must reduce speed and stop when necessary before entering the narrow passage. They may continue only when they can do so safely and without obstructing oncoming traffic that has priority.
When must I give way to oncoming traffic in New Zealand?
Where priority signs, temporary signals or an authorised controller in New Zealand require your direction to yield at a narrow road or bridge, allow opposing traffic through first. Do not assume every narrowing has the same priority arrangement.
🔗 nzta.govt.nz • New Zealand, NZTA official Road Code — give-way-to-oncoming-traffic
Road narrowing, give way to oncoming drivers.
English • R2-7 • Give way to oncoming vehicles. Give way to opposing traffic through the narrow section or one-lane bridge. Wait until you can proceed safely.
Sources
🔗 Commons.wikimedia.org
🔗 Nzta.govt.nz • NZTA sign specifications • R2-7
🔗 Nzta.govt.nz • NZTA Traffic Control Devices Manual • Part 5, June 2026
Image via Commons.wikimedia.org
New Zealand Transport Agency • NZTA-Sign-Spec • Source revision 2024-12-07. Wikimedia original unmodified.
Does a road-narrows warning automatically give oncoming traffic priority in New Zealand?
Not necessarily. A warning of a narrow carriageway is not itself the same as an instruction to give way. Check whether there is a separate priority sign, signal or temporary traffic control, and take account of any rules for an obstruction on your side.
🔗 nzta.govt.nz • New Zealand, NZTA official Road Code — give-way-to-oncoming-traffic
What if an oncoming vehicle is already entering a narrow passage in New Zealand?
Reduce speed and wait where you can do so safely rather than forcing two vehicles into insufficient space. Even if a sign gives your approach priority, that does not justify a collision or endangering another road user.
🔗 nzta.govt.nz • New Zealand, NZTA official Road Code — give-way-to-oncoming-traffic
