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New Hampshire driving lesson · Basic Driving

Steering and right-of-way

A 3-minute lesson from the New Hampshire course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

Read time
3 minutes
Course unit
Basic Driving
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
21

Right-of-way rules decide who goes first at intersections and merges. The law says who must yield, never who automatically gets to go, so always look at the actual situation before you proceed.

Know the rule

Hold the wheel at 9 and 3 o'clock or 8 and 4 o'clock, knuckles and thumbs on the outside. Use hand-to-hand steering for slight turns and hand-over-hand for greater steering.

Handbook p. 21 ↗

Know the rule

RSA 265:28: at an intersection, the driver on the left yields to the vehicle on the right, unless a traffic control device or police officer directs otherwise.

Handbook p. 21 ↗

Know the rule

RSA 265:29: when turning left at an intersection or into an alley, private road or driveway, yield to oncoming vehicles in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard.

Handbook p. 21 ↗

Know the rule

No one should assume they automatically have the right-of-way; always consider the situation at the intersection.

Handbook p. 21 ↗

Yield the right-of-way to:

  • Emergency vehicles using a siren or flashing lights, from any direction
  • The driver who is at, or arrives at, the intersection first
  • Oncoming traffic when you're turning left
  • The driver on the right at a 4-way stop when you both arrive at the same time
  • Drivers on a public highway when you enter from a driveway or private road
  • Drivers already on a limited access or interstate highway, when you're on the entrance ramp
  • Pedestrians, bicyclists and other drivers still in the intersection
  • Funeral processions
Handbook p. 21 ↗
Four-way stop same-time rule
Same Time Rule: at a 4-way stop, the driver on the right goes first
Four-way stop same-time rule
First Car Rule: the first vehicle to arrive goes first

Know the rule

For an emergency vehicle, drive immediately to the right side of the road and stop until it passes, without blocking an intersection. Then signal and re-enter only when safe.

Handbook p. 21 ↗

Know the rule

Let a funeral procession (vehicles with headlights on following a hearse) pass as a group.

Handbook p. 21 ↗

Put it into practice

You and another car reach a 4-way stop at the same moment; she's on your right. She goes first. If you had clearly arrived first, you'd go first.

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.

What are the recommended hand positions for steering, according to the manual?
  1. 9-and-3, or 8-and-4 o'clock
  2. 12 o'clock with one hand
  3. 10 and 2 o'clock only
  4. 6 and 12 o'clock

Answer: 9-and-3, or 8-and-4 o'clock

Hands should be at 9 and 3, or 8 and 4 o'clock positions.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Under RSA 265:28, who must a driver approaching an intersection on the left yield to?
  1. The vehicle on the right
  2. Any oncoming emergency vehicle only
  3. The vehicle on the left
  4. The vehicle going straight

Answer: The vehicle on the right

A driver approaching an intersection on the left must yield to the vehicle on the right.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Under RSA 265:29, a driver turning left within an intersection must yield to what?
  1. Pedestrians only, not vehicles
  2. Vehicles waiting behind it in its lane
  3. An oncoming vehicle close enough to be a hazard
  4. Any vehicle already stopped at a red light

Answer: An oncoming vehicle close enough to be a hazard

A left-turning driver must yield to oncoming vehicles close enough to be an immediate hazard.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
At a four-way intersection controlled by stop signs, if two drivers arrive at the same time, who has the right-of-way?
  1. The larger vehicle
  2. Whoever signals first
  3. The driver on the right
  4. The driver on the left

Answer: The driver on the right

If both drivers arrive at the same time, the driver on the right has the right-of-way.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
When entering a public highway from a private driveway, a driver must yield to whom?
  1. Only pedestrians crossing the driveway
  2. Only vehicles signaling a turn
  3. Drivers already on the public highway
  4. No one, since driveways have priority

Answer: Drivers already on the public highway

Drivers entering a highway from a driveway or private road must yield to drivers already on it.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
Drivers must yield the right-of-way to a funeral procession following a hearse with headlights on.
  1. True
  2. False

Answer: True

Drivers should allow vehicles following a hearse with headlights on to pass as a group.

Handbook p. 21 ↗
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