Chapter 6: Navigating the Roads

Knowing how to properly navigate intersections, turns, and traffic flows is the essence of daily driving. These rules govern how millions of road users interact safely, preventing chaos and collisions. Mastering the principles of right-of-way, turning, and passing is not only crucial for passing the driver’s license exam but is also a daily requirement for protecting yourself and others on Washington DC’s busy streets.

Right-of-Way

The concept of right-of-way is a set of rules that determines which road user—a driver, cyclist, or pedestrian—should proceed first in a situation where paths might conflict. It is important to understand that right-of-way is something to be given, not taken. Even if you legally have the right-of-way, you must always be prepared to yield to prevent a crash.

• Uncontrolled Intersections: At an intersection with no signs or signals, the first vehicle to arrive has the right-of-way. If two vehicles arrive at the same time, the driver on the left must yield to the driver on the right.
• All-Way Stops: At intersections with stop signs in all directions, the first vehicle to come to a complete stop has the right-of-way. If two or more vehicles stop simultaneously, the driver on the left must yield to the driver on their immediate right.
• Entering a Roadway: Drivers entering a public street from a private road, driveway, or alley must stop and yield the right-of-way to all approaching traffic and pedestrians.
• Merging: When merging onto a highway, drivers on the entrance ramp must yield to traffic already on the main road. Safe merging requires cooperation; drivers on the highway should adjust their speed or change lanes, if possible, to allow merging traffic to enter smoothly.
• Pedestrians: Drivers must yield to pedestrians in all marked and unmarked crosswalks. At intersections, you must stop for any pedestrian crossing the street you are on or the street you are turning onto.
• Emergency Vehicles: When you see or hear an emergency vehicle (police car, fire engine, ambulance) approaching with its lights flashing and siren sounding, you must immediately pull over to the right edge of the road, clear of any intersection, and stop. Remain stopped until the emergency vehicle has passed.

Common Mistake:
At a four-way stop, many drivers become impatient and fail to follow the “yield to the right” rule when two cars arrive at the same time. This creates confusion and can lead to a collision. Always wait your turn and give the right-of-way correctly.