Right-of-way and intersections
You drive an electric car and are backing out of a driveway while a pedestrian with a guide dog walks nearby. Why does the handbook ask for extra care with hybrid and electric vehicles here?
- Blind pedestrians rely on sound to tell that a vehicle is nearby. Correct answer
- A blind pedestrian has the right-of-way only in crosswalks, so driveways need judgment.
- Guide dogs are trained to respond to a short tap of the horn.
Why
People who use guide dogs or white canes are partly or totally blind, and they keep the right-of-way at all times, not only in crosswalks. They often know a car is close because they hear it, which is why the handbook singles out hybrid and electric vehicles when you are turning or backing up. The horn answer is wrong on the handbook's own terms: do not honk at a blind person. If you stop at an intersection, stay out of the middle of the crosswalk, because that can force the pedestrian to walk around your car and into traffic. The gesture that usually means you may go is a blind pedestrian pulling in the cane and stepping back from the intersection.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, June 2025 edition. The correct answer is Blind pedestrians rely on sound to tell that a vehicle is nearby.
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 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?
- 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?