A 3-minute lesson from the Alabama course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Regulatory signs tell you what you must or must not do. Unlike warning signs, they are the law and you must obey them. Most are black and white; STOP, YIELD, WRONG WAY and DO NOT ENTER use red.
STOP
Know the rule
At a 4-way stop, vehicles leave in the order they arrived: the first to come to a complete stop goes first. If several arrive at the same time, the vehicle furthest to the right goes first.
Even when it's your turn at a 4-way stop, wait a few seconds to be sure no one else starts into the intersection, because many people don't follow the rule.
WRONG WAY: you are approaching a one-way highway or ramp from the wrong directionDO NOT ENTER: a one-way roadway with traffic coming against youNo left turn at this intersectionNo parking: you may not park here even if you stay in the carReserved parking for handicap plate or permit only
Know the rule
You may not park in a space for the physically handicapped, on private or public property, unless the vehicle is driven by or for a handicapped person AND visibly displays the handicapped sticker.
EMERGENCY STOPPING ONLY: stopping permitted only for real emergencies
Put it into practice
You and a car to your right arrive at a 4-way stop at the same moment. The car on the right goes first. Even after it clears, pause a few seconds to be sure nobody else is starting to move before you go.
Check your understanding
Read the question, decide on an answer, then open it to check the explanation. These are Roadwise study questions based on the source handbook.
At a four-way stop where vehicles arrive at different times, who has the right to leave the intersection first?
The vehicle on the right
The first to arrive
The vehicle going straight
The vehicle on the main road
Answer: The first to arrive
Vehicles should leave a four-way stop in the order they arrived; the first to stop is the first allowed to leave.
