Right-of-way and intersections
You are about to make a right turn at an intersection. What does the handbook tell you to check for every time?
- Pedestrians crossing the street, and motorcycles or bicycles riding next to you. Correct answer
- Only the signal, because pedestrians must wait for turning vehicles.
- Traffic on the through road, which goes first at any intersection.
Why
A right turn crosses the crosswalk you are turning into and the strip of road just to your right, where a bicycle or motorcycle beside you may be riding. The handbook asks you to look at both every time you turn right. Pedestrians do not wait for turning cars: even on a green light they keep the right-of-way, and they have it in marked and unmarked crosswalks alike. The through-road answer takes a rule that is real only at a T intersection without STOP or YIELD signs and stretches it to every intersection. A left turn has its own, slightly different check: pedestrians plus any oncoming vehicle close enough to be dangerous.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Pedestrians crossing the street, and motorcycles or bicycles riding next to you.
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 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?
- A pedestrian waiting at the corner looks right at you and makes eye contact as you approach. What does the handbook say this means?
- You approach a crosswalk that has built-in flashing lights, but right now the lights are not flashing. What should you do?