Right-of-way and intersections
Your light turns green, but a bicyclist who started across late is still in the intersection in front of you. What should you do?
- Stop and let the bicyclist clear the intersection before you go. Correct answer
- Go ahead, since the green light gives you the right-of-way.
- Sound your horn so the bicyclist hurries, then go.
Why
A green light means go, but not into someone. The handbook says that even on green you should stop for anyone already in the intersection, whether in a vehicle, on a bicycle or on foot, and go only when you have enough space without creating a danger for anyone. The green light does not give you the space a bicyclist is already using. The horn is for avoiding collisions and letting others know you are there, not for hurrying someone along. At any signal, the general rule is the same: yield to pedestrians, bicyclists and other vehicles that may have the right-of-way.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Stop and let the bicyclist clear the intersection before you go.
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
- You pull up to an intersection with a STOP sign on every corner. A car on the cross street had already stopped there before you arrived. Who goes first?
- You are pulling out of a shopping center driveway onto a busy street. Who has to yield?
- You are about to make a right turn at an intersection. What does the handbook tell you to check for every time?
- You are entering a roundabout with two lanes and plan to go straight through. Which lane should you choose?