Right-of-Way Laws for the Road
We all seem to have the occasional accident. Often, these accidents are caused from failure to yield the right of way. It is natural that such accidents occur frequently, as not everyone is exactly clear on what the right-of-way laws for the road are. Although different states in the USA vary their right-of-way laws slightly, there is a general set of right-of-way laws that holds for the whole country. Know these laws and follow them--they may save you on insurance or even an accident.
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Turning into the Same Lane from Opposite Directions
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If two cars are headed in opposite directions, approaching each other, with the intent to turn into the same lane, one car will have to yield to the other. Right-of-way laws state that if both cars are about to turn into the lane at roughly the same time, it is the car turning right that should go first; the car turning left should yield right-of-way to the car turning right.
Turning into a Small Roadway or Alley
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Sometimes one car wants to enter an alley or small roadway at the same time another wants to exit. If this roadway or alley is too small to accommodate two cars simultaneously, one car will have to yield to the other. In this case, the right-of-way laws state that it is the car on the major roadway turning into the alley that must yield the right-of-way. Thus, a driver who wishes to enter an alleyway at the same time another car wants to leave it and turn into the main road must wait for the car to exit the alley before entering.
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Gridlocked Intersections
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In many areas with dense traffic, gridlock is common. In short, gridlock is when a the cars ahead of the intersection are not moving fast enough to let the cars behind the intersection cross the intersection without idling in the center of the intersection. Because this problem deals with intersections, it is possible that cars from multiple directions need to cross the intersection. In this case, right-of-way laws restrict any car that cannot move past the intersection without stopping to enter the intersection. That is, these cars must yield to other cars at the intersection, regardless of arrival order.
Empty Intersections
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In the normal case in which an intersection does not face a problem of gridlock, drivers still may be confused on the order of crossing an intersection. In this case, the sequence of action follows arrival time. The car that arrives at the intersection first may cross the intersection first, in any direction. Other drivers must yield right-of-way until the car has cleared the intersection.
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