Priority rules in Belgium: who goes first?

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Priority is one of the most watched driving topics online and one of the main reasons candidates fail the Belgian theory exam. The basic rule is priority to the right, but it gives way to a strict order: police officer, traffic lights, signs, then special rules for trams, emergency vehicles and manoeuvres.

Key points

A strict order

Authorised officer, then lights, then signs, then priority to the right: always in that order.

Whoever manoeuvres gives way

Leaving a car park, making a U-turn or reversing: you lose all priority.

Frequent special cases

Trams, emergency vehicles, zip merging: the exam loves them.

The basic rule: priority to the right

At a junction without signs or lights, you give way to the driver coming from your right. This applies even if the road on the right looks smaller, and even if you are on a wider road. It no longer applies as soon as a sign or traffic light controls the junction. Details on our page about priority to the right.

Signs that change priority

See every sign in our guide to Belgian road signs.

Belgian priority signs
Sign	Meaning	What you do
B1 (inverted triangle)	Give way	Slow down, stop if needed
B5 (STOP)	Mandatory stop	Full stop at the line, then give way
B9 (yellow diamond)	Priority road	Priority at junctions until sign B11
B11	End of priority road	Priority to the right applies again
B15	Priority at the next junction	Valid for that junction only
B17	Junction with priority to the right	Reminder of the basic rule

When you lose all priority

The code requires you to give way to all other road users when you carry out a manoeuvre: leaving a parking space, coming out of a property, car park or dirt track, reversing, making a U-turn, changing lanes or rejoining traffic. A common trap: priority to the right does not protect you when you come out of a car park on the right.

Emergency vehicles (blue lights and two-tone siren): give way and clear the road.
Trams: unless signs say otherwise, drivers must give way to trams.
Pedestrians on a zebra crossing have priority, and when turning at a junction you give way to them.
Lane ending: zip merging, one vehicle from each lane in turn.

On motorways and at roundabouts

A driver joining a motorway from the slip road gives way to traffic already on it. At most Belgian roundabouts, marked by sign D5 combined with B1, vehicles already on the roundabout have priority. Everything is explained in our guide to roundabout rules.

Practise this topic with real exam questions

Reading a rule is not enough: in the Belgian theory exam every question is asked on a photo of a real traffic situation, with answers that look deliberately alike. On PermisBelges, every topic of the highway code is practised with questions in the GOCA exam format, each one corrected and explained.

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Frequently asked questions

Does priority to the right apply if my road is bigger?

Yes, as long as no sign or light controls the junction. The size of the road does not matter.

Do I have priority when leaving a car park?

No. Any manoeuvre means you lose priority: you give way to everyone.

Do trams always have priority?

Unless signs say otherwise, drivers must give way to trams.

What should I do for an emergency vehicle?

Give way and clear the road, pulling over if necessary.

Who goes first when a lane ends?

Zip merge: one vehicle from each lane in turn, at the point where the lane ends.