For many drivers, the idea of the right-of-way is simply a reference to the requirement that one needs to obey all traffic laws, including those at a controlled intersection. Understanding the obligation to yield can help keep you and your family safe. One of the most common causes of car accidents that personal injury attorneys hear is the other driver’s failure to yield.
However, yielding to the right-of-way does not just refer to instances at a controlled intersection but also to every aspect of driving, whether one is on a rural road facing a dead-end or merging onto a multi-lane highway. There are two key reasons why you should understand how one should yield when it comes to who has the right of way.
Traffic tickets can be given to those who violate traffic laws regarding right-of-way, even at an intersection with no signals, yield signs, or stop signs. In addition, tickets can be handed down to drivers who do not follow proper yielding to the right-of-way protocol at inoperable stoplights or four stop signs facing each other.
Failure to yield to the right-of-way can cause potential traffic accidents that will range in their level of severity. Some accidents can simply result in a minor fender bender. In contrast, a more serious truck accident involving a failure to yield can result in a prolonged stay at the hospital, even wrongful death.
Thus, one must understand when one has the right-of-way and when one should instead yield to the other drivers on the road. Failing to yield the right-of-way is one of the leading causes of car wrecks.
Tips For Determining Right of Way
To determine who has the right-of-way when driving, consider the following guidelines to understand the rules of the road better:
Always obey the given visual signal when in a controlled intersection with stop signs or traffic signs.
In intersections that are not controlled, yield to any cars already at the intersection. If you and another vehicle arrive at the intersection simultaneously, yield to the car on the right.
When approaching an intersection with multiple-lane roads, such as a one-lane, two-lane, or lane that intersects with a larger road, all drivers on the smaller road must yield to cars on the larger or multi-lane road.
When approaching a T-intersection, where one road dead ends, the driver on the dead-end road must yield to traffic on the other, normal-sided street.
When approaching a highway exit ramp, the driver on the access road must yield to cars on the exit ramp. Regardless of whether the traffic leaving the freeway will merge into a separate lane, one must still yield to vehicles on the exit ramp.
The right-of-way must also be given to pedestrians in a crosswalk, persons using a seeing-eye guide dog, and persons using a white cane, whether or not it has a white tip.
Remember, you should never assume that the other driver or pedestrian will utilize the rules of the road. Just because eye contact is made does not mean the other individual will give you the right-of-way.
Be safe, assume the worst, and if you are a friendly driver, sometimes letting the other car go is the safe approach, even if it is your right to go first.
Thus, along with ensuring that you follow these guidelines, you must also use appropriate caution when necessary.
Always remember it is better to drive friendly and arrive safely than to be correct and be in a car accident that was not your fault.
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Chasen Cohan, Esq. is the founder of Cohan PLLC. Mr. Cohan is a licensed attorney who also possesses FINRA Series 7 (Registered Representative) and Series 63 (Uniform State Representative) licenses, state insurance licenses, and State Securities Registrations in Nevada, Missouri, and North Carolina. Mr. Cohan is admitted to practice law before the Nevada Bar, all Nevada State and Federal Courts, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.
Mr. Cohan’s representative clients have included: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., Sam’s West, Inc., MGM Grand Resorts International, New York-New York Hotel & Casino, Mandalay Corp., The Treasure Island Hotel and Casino, The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, The Mirage Casino-Hotel, South Point Hotel & Casino, American Express, Barclays, US Bank, Wells Fargo, Citibank, and various life insurance companies and service providers.
Mr. Cohan is a Las Vegas native who graduated with honors from UCLA with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Mr. Cohan received his Juris Doctorate from the University of Texas School of Law. During law school, Mr. Cohan served as a clerk for the Office of the Texas Attorney General and a Judicial Extern for United States District Court Judge James R. Nowlin.
Clients from global brands and middle-market companies to innovative startups and individuals trust Cohan PLLC to resolve their trickiest legal disputes. Whether that’s litigation in state or federal trial and appellate courts in Nevada; investigations and enforcement actions before government agencies; or mediation, arbitration, and regulatory agency proceedings. Cohan PLLC has litigated hundreds of millions in dollars of claims on behalf of corporate litigants. As a result of this experience, Cohan PLLC has been afforded the opportunity to selectively act as Plaintiff’s counsel on complex, personal injury matters.