rule of the road

1. : any of the various regulations imposed upon travelers by land or water for their mutual convenience or safety

2. : any of the rules making up a code governing ships as to the lights to be carried, the signals to be made, and the action of one ship with respect to another when risk of collision exists

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Naut.

any of the regulations concerning the safe handling of vessels under way with respect to one another, imposed by a government on ships in its own waters or upon its own ships on the high seas.

[1870-75]

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rule of the road see under ↑rule

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Main Entry: ↑road

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rule of the road

The regulations to be observed in traffic by land, water or air (eg in Britain drivers, riders and cyclists take the left side in meeting, and the right in overtaking)

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Main Entry: ↑rule

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rule of the road,

1. any of the regulations of a country, state, or town, with regard to the movement of vehicles on a highway.

2. any of the regulations embodied in a code of rules for the safe handling of boats or ships meeting or passing each other: »

If [a naval maneuvre] requires ships to pass starboard side to starboard side, the rule of the road is waived (Listener).

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n. usu. rules of the road a custom or law regulating the direction in which two vehicles (or riders or ships) should move to pass one another on meeting, or which should yield to the other, so as to avoid collision