When it comes to the rules of the road, the practice of right of way can be very tricky. Knowing when to go, when to stop, and who to yield to often becomes confusing. Furthermore, it becomes more confusing when the other drivers doesn’t know what to do either. So, in order to protect yourself and others, follow these yielding rules.
Yielding Rules: Observing Right of Way
Yield To Vehicles That Got to the Intersection First
Who arrives at the intersection first determines the yielding rules. If it was you, you should still come to a complete stop. Be sure to give yourself enough time to ensure that the other vehicles isn’t going anyways. What makes yielding rules so dangerous is that most other drivers either don’t know them, or don’t follow them. So, you want to give yourself plenty of time to make sure they know you are going and they shouldn’t.
However, if another vehicle arrives to the intersection first, yielding rules require you to stop. Therefore, it’s your job to allow the vehicle to carry on through the intersection. In fact, you may want to signal to them that you are stopping and waiting for them to pass. In times of confusion, a signal or gesture can help the other driver understand what you plan to do.
Yield to the Vehicle to Your Right If You Arrived at the Same Time
Things can become tricky when you both arrive at the intersection at the same time. In that case, how do you decide who should go? You should yield to the vehicle to your right in these cases. If there is only a vehicle to your left, yielding rules require them to yield to you. However, before you make any moves you should make sure they intend to give you the right of way.
Don’t Turn Left Into Oncoming Traffic
Another important practice of yielding rules to make sure you are not turning left in front of oncoming traffic. Even if you arrive at the intersection before another vehicle. If they are continuing straight ahead, you want to allow them to pass before turning left.
Come To a Complete Stop
Many right of way accidents occur because of misjudgments, when a driver thinks the car is turning, stopping, or traveling slowly enough to go. For this reason, it’s extremely important to come to a complete stop rather than rolling through.This allows you to accurately assess how fast a vehicle is traveling, their distance, and whether they are stopping or turning. Therefore, stopping is one of the most important yielding rules.