Right-of-way and intersections
You reach an intersection that has no STOP or YIELD signs at the same time as another vehicle, which is on your right. What should you do?
- Yield: the vehicle on your right has the right-of-way. Correct answer
- Go first: the vehicle on the left always has the right-of-way.
- Go first if you are on the wider road.
Why
At an intersection without signs or signals, the basic rule is first come, first served: the vehicle that arrives first has the right-of-way. When two vehicles arrive at the same time, the tie-breaker is position, not speed or road width: you give the right-of-way to the vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian on your right. The same tie-breaker applies at an intersection with a STOP sign on all four corners once everyone has stopped. Road width is not a rule at all; the through road matters only at a T intersection without signs, where vehicles on the through road have the right-of-way. And remember the handbook's overriding advice: never assume another driver will give you the right-of-way, and give yours up whenever that helps prevent a collision.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Yield: the vehicle on your right has the right-of-way.
The rule behind this one
Right of way in California: who goes first goes through the whole topic, with the page of the California Driver's Handbook behind every rule.
More on right-of-way and intersections
- What should you do as you approach a roundabout and prepare to enter it?
- An ambulance with its siren and red lights on is coming up behind you while you are in the middle of an intersection. What should you do?
- A pedestrian with a white cane is waiting at the corner as you approach the intersection. Which of these is correct?
- Two vehicles meet on a steep, narrow mountain road where neither can pass. Which vehicle must back up?