Maine driving lesson · Right-of-Way, Signals, Signs and Markings
Yielding the right-of-way
A 4-minute lesson from the Maine course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.
Right-of-way rules decide who goes first when there are no signs, signals or police. They have the force of law, but a good driver never insists on them: never assume you have the right-of-way.
Know the rule
A driver who has the right-of-way should use it sensibly and never insist on it. Always look at the situation and think about your own safety.
Emergency vehicles with a siren and flashing light, from any direction: immediately drive to the right side of the road, clear of any intersection, and stop until they pass. Failing to do so is a Class E crime.
A driver turning left must yield to bicycle and roller ski operators coming from the opposite direction and may not turn unless it can be done safely without interfering with them.
You and a pickup reach a 4-way stop at the same moment; the pickup is on your right. It goes first. If you had clearly stopped first, you would go first, but only after checking that the pickup driver is actually waiting.
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 4-way stop, which driver has the right-of-way?
The driver on the left
The one turning left
The one going straight, always
The one who arrives first
Answer: The one who arrives first
The driver reaching the intersection first gets to go first, after all vehicles have stopped.
