Q: Yielding at intersection.

asked by on October 01, 2016

I was approaching an intersection without stop signs, and needed to take a right turn. There were no pedestrians crossing. Another car approached from the street to the left of me, slowed, but proceeded to travel through the intersection as I was beginning my right turn. Who should have yielded in this situation?

Legally, in most if not all jurisdictions, even though the other car did not stop as it should have, once that car began to cross the intersection you are required to yield the right-of-way simply because it is necessary for safety. Of course, had the other driver stopped, as he should have, the "rule", or rather "expectation" is that they yield to you simply because you arrived and completed your stop first.

Of note, the law does NOT allow anyone the right-of-way which makes the foregoing legal principle easy to understand. That is, the other motorist, even if he should have stopped at the uncontrolled intersection but did not, once he started moving across your path, the law says you have to let him go, for safety; that is, you have to yield even though he is impolite.

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