New Mexico driving lesson · Right-of-Way, Speed & Parking
Right-of-way at intersections
A 3-minute lesson from the New Mexico 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's no sign or signal. The law only says who must yield; it never gives anyone the right-of-way. You must always do everything you can to avoid hitting a pedestrian or vehicle.
Know the rule
You must always yield to a pedestrian, even one who is not obeying traffic controls.
When crossing a sidewalk to enter or exit a driveway, alley or parking lot, yield to pedestrians. It's illegal to drive on a sidewalk except to cross it.
Gives blind, visually impaired and physically disabled people access to all roads and sidewalks. Drivers must take all necessary precautions around them.
Near a blind pedestrian carrying a mostly white or metallic cane (with or without a red tip) or using a guide dog, take every precaution; a driver who doesn't is liable for injuries.
At a 4-way stop, the first driver to arrive goes first, after a complete stop. If vehicles arrive at the same time, the vehicle on the right goes first.
You and another car stop at a 4-way stop at the same moment; the other car is on your right. It goes first. If you had clearly arrived first, you would go first after stopping completely.
Put it into practice
A pedestrian jaywalks in front of you mid-block. You still must yield and do everything you can to avoid hitting them.
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, who goes first if two vehicles arrive at the same time?
The vehicle on the left
The vehicle going straight
Whichever vehicle is larger
The vehicle on the right
Answer: The vehicle on the right
If more than one vehicle arrives at the same time at a 4-way stop, the vehicle on the right goes first.