Chapter 6: Navigating the Roads

Knowing the rules for yielding, turning, and passing is the foundation of safe and cooperative driving. These procedures are the grammar of traffic, dictating who goes when and how vehicles interact to prevent chaos and collisions. Mastering these fundamental navigation skills is crucial for passing the driver’s test and for safely handling the countless dynamic situations encountered on the road every day.

Right-of-Way

The concept of “right-of-way” is often misunderstood. The law does not grant anyone the right-of-way; it only specifies which driver must yield (give up) the right-of-way. A driver’s duty is to do everything possible to avoid a crash, regardless of who technically has the right-of-way.

• Uncontrolled Intersections: At an intersection with no signs or signals, the driver on the left must yield to the driver on the right. If turning left, a driver must always yield to oncoming traffic that is going straight or turning right.
• All-Way Stops: At an intersection where all directions have a stop sign (a 4-way or all-way stop), the first vehicle to arrive and come to a complete stop should proceed first. If two or more vehicles arrive at the same time, the driver on the left must yield to the driver on their right.
• Driveways and Private Roads: A driver entering a public road from a driveway, alley, or private road must stop and yield to all traffic and pedestrians on the public road.
• Merging: When merging onto a highway from an on-ramp, the merging driver must yield to traffic already on the highway. Drivers already on the highway should, if it is safe to do so, move to an adjacent lane to allow merging traffic to enter smoothly.
• Pedestrians: Drivers must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians in any marked or unmarked crosswalk. At a green light, drivers must still yield to any pedestrians in the intersection. Special care must be taken for blind pedestrians using a guide dog or a white cane; they have absolute right-of-way.
• Emergency Vehicles: Upon the approach of an emergency vehicle (police, fire, ambulance) using a siren or flashing lights, drivers must immediately pull over to the right-hand edge of the road, clear of any intersection, and stop. Remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.
• Move Over Law: When approaching any stationary emergency vehicle (including tow trucks and highway maintenance vehicles) or a disabled vehicle on the side of the road with flashing lights activated, drivers must slow down to a reasonable speed below the posted limit and, if safe, move over one lane to provide a safety buffer.