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?
- The other car, because it reached the intersection first. Correct answer
- You do, if the other car is on your left.
- Whichever car is on the through road.
Why
A four-way stop works like an intersection with no signs at all, with one extra step at the start: everyone stops. After that, the order is set by arrival. The car that got there before you has the right-of-way, and you wait for it. Yielding to the vehicle on your right only breaks a tie, when two of you arrive at the same moment, so it never lets you jump ahead of a car that was already waiting. The through-road answer comes from a different layout, the T intersection without STOP or YIELD signs, where traffic continuing straight goes first. The order, then: everyone stops, the first to arrive goes first, and the right-hand rule settles only a dead heat.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is The other car, because it reached the intersection first.
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 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?
- You are already driving inside a roundabout. Which of these does the handbook require?