CVC525 says: Right-of-way is the privilege of the immediate use of the highway. The rules apply if more than one road user wants to occupy the same space. Right-of-way rules help people drive safely. These rules go along with courtesy and common sense. Bicycle, moped riders, and pedestrians must follow these rules, too.
Never insist on taking the right-of-way. If another driver does not yield to you when he or she should, forget it. Let the other driver go first. You will help prevent collisions and make driving more pleasant.
However, do not always insist on others going ahead of you. If another vehicle expects you to take your legal turn, you may delay traffic by stopping or slowing unnecessarily for another vehicle to go ahead of you.
Other Vehicles – At an intersection without STOP or YIELD signs, you should slow down and be ready to stop. Yield to vehicles already in the intersection or just entering it. Also yield to the car on your right if it has reached the intersection at the same time as your car.
At a “T” intersection, vehicles on the through road have the right-of-way. When there are STOP signs at all corners, stop first, then follow the above rules. When you turn left, give the right-of-way to all vehicles on the same road coming from the opposite direction close enough to be dangerous. Turn only when you can see that it is safe. On divided highways, or highways with several lanes, watch out for cars coming in any lane you must cross.
Whenever you have parked off the road, before you enter the road again, you must signal and yield to traffic.
Yield – The shape of a yield sign is an upside-down triangle. Slow down, stop if necessary, and give the right-of-way to other traffic and pedestrians.
What does “Yield” really mean?
It means a driver at a yield sign shall give way to the oncoming traffic. This may mean a driver may have to stop at a yield sign until it is clear for them to pull out into the traffic. Other times, traffic may be clear, so they may proceed.
The yield sign is simply telling you that if you and another entity, driver, pedestrian, etc. are on a collision course, the other person has the right-of- way, and you must brake or stop or do whatever is necessary to stay out of his or her way.
It is simple. When you see the yield sign, get out of the way. Don’t interfere. If you are the driver who must yield, and if there is a crash, most likely you are at fault. Even if there isn’t a collision, if a traffic officer sees you force another driver to slow down or change course, you are guilty of a violation and can be fined for “Failure to Yield.”
Now let’s suppose it is the other driver who is supposed to yield to you, but it appears that he isn’t going to yield. What should you do? You should yield, even though the other driver is wrong. Don’t risk a crash to prove a point. The right-of-way does not exist unless the other driver is willing to give it to you.
Right-of-Way Laws:
(CVC21800. d.1,2) Inoperative Traffic Lights – Drivers must stop and apply the same rule as at a four-way stop intersection.
(CVC21803) Yield Sign – Drivers must yield to vehicles close enough to constitute a hazard and proceed only when reasonably safe to do so.
(CVC21801) Drivers turning left (U-turn, private property) must yield to any oncoming vehicles close enough to constitute a hazard.
Violating stop signals and signs
STOP – You must come to a full stop at the stop sign, at a clearly marked limit line, or at the crosswalk. If there is no limit line or crosswalk, stop before the unmarked crossing area.
CVC21802 (a) The driver of any vehicle approaching a stop sign at the entrance to, or within, an intersection shall stop as required. The driver shall then yield the right-of-way to any vehicles which have approached from another highway, or which are approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to those vehicles until he or she can proceed with reasonable safety.
Why stop completely at stop signs?
A stop sign is a traffic control device that tells a driver that they must stop their vehicle. Stop signs are implemented to control the traffic flow and to keep drivers from collisions.
Avoiding a stop sign or red light or not completely stopping at either usually results in a collision with other vehicles, pedestrians, or bicyclists. Always stop completely.
As you are approaching an intersection, scan for signs, signals, and special pavement markings (such as “STOP AHEAD”). You must make a full stop at the limit line. If there is no painted limit line across the road, many drivers fail to come to a complete stop at the stop sign. Not only is rolling through a stop sign dangerous, but it also is an easy way to get a ticket.
Driver distractions
Driver distraction is the diversion of attention away from activities critical for safe driving toward a competing activity. It is being identified as an emerging road safety issue and is increasingly ranked as a significant contributing factor to road trauma alongside speeding, drunk driving, and fatigue.
Types of Driver Distraction
There are four types of driver distraction: physical distraction, visual distraction, auditory distraction, and cognitive distraction. A distracting activity involves one or more of these.
Sources of Driver Distraction
Any number of things can distract a driver. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has attempted to categorize these sources of driver distraction under the following 13 headings:
- Eating or drinking
- Outside person, object, or event
- Adjusting radio, cassette, or CD
- Other occupants in vehicle
- Moving object in vehicle
- Smoking related
- Talking or listening on mobile phone
- Dialing mobile phone
- Using device/object brought into vehicle
- Using device/controls integral to vehicle
- Adjusting climate controls
- Other distractions
- Unknown distraction