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Pennsylvania driving lesson · Turns, Intersections and Highways

Intersections and right-of-way

A 4-minute lesson from the Pennsylvania course. Read the rules and examples, follow the handbook page references, and check your understanding before you move on.

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Read time
4 minutes
Course unit
Turns, Intersections and Highways
Checkpoint questions
6
Source pages
52, 53

The law doesn't give anyone the right-of-way at an intersection; it only says who must yield. Intersections are where teens crash most: in over one-third of crashes involving 16-year-old PA drivers, the teen was pulling out from a stop sign or turning left across traffic.

Know the rule

Even when another driver is required to yield and doesn't, you must still stop or yield as needed to avoid a crash. Never insist on the right-of-way.

Handbook p. 52 ↗

With no signs, signals or police, drivers must yield to pedestrians:

  • Crossing at any intersection without a traffic light, with or without a crosswalk
  • Crossing in marked crosswalks, whether or not at an intersection
  • Walking on a sidewalk across a driveway or alley
  • Crossing with the light while you turn a corner
  • Always: any blind pedestrian carrying a white cane or led by a guide dog
Handbook p. 52 ↗

Who must yield

Who must yield
SituationRule
Turning leftYield to oncoming vehicles going straight
Entering a roundabout or circleYield to drivers already in the circle
Two arrive at once from different roadsDriver on the left yields to driver on right
Leaving an alley, private road or drivewayWait until the main road is clear
Four-way stopFirst to arrive goes first; tie: left yields to right
Handbook p. 52 ↗

Know the rule

As you approach, look for signs, signals and markings that say which moves are allowed from which lane, and get into position well in advance.

Handbook p. 52 ↗

Know the rule

A road is one way if ONE WAY signs are posted, or if you see vehicles parked on both sides facing the same direction.

Handbook p. 53 ↗

Gaps you need at a stop sign

Gaps you need at a stop sign
ManeuverGap
Cross a 30 mph street (two-way stop)About 6 seconds each way (about a block)
Turn rightAbout 8 seconds from traffic on the left
Turn left from minor onto major streetAbout 9 seconds from traffic on the right
Handbook p. 53 ↗

Know the rule

To cross, look left, then right for a gap, then quickly left again. To turn right, look left, straight ahead, right, and left again.

Handbook p. 53 ↗

Tangle turn

A conflict with an opposing left-turning driver. Avoid it by turning before you reach an imaginary X in the center of the intersection, into the lane closest to the centerline.

Handbook p. 53 ↗

Know the rule

Never start a left turn until you can see that all the lanes you need to cross are clear and you can make the turn safely.

Handbook p. 53 ↗

Put it into practice

You're waiting to turn left at a multilane intersection and an oncoming truck blocks your view of the far lane. Don't inch into each lane as it clears; wait until you can see every lane you must cross is clear.

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 an intersection with no signs, signals, or police present, who must yield when two vehicles arrive from different roads at about the same time?
  1. The driver on the right always yields
  2. Whoever arrives first has the right-of-way
  3. The larger vehicle has the right-of-way
  4. The driver on the left yields

Answer: The driver on the left yields

When two vehicles reach an uncontrolled intersection together, the one on the left yields to the one on the right.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
Drivers turning left at an intersection must yield to:
  1. Oncoming straight-through traffic
  2. Vehicles behind them
  3. Only pedestrians, not other vehicles
  4. No one, since they signaled first

Answer: Oncoming straight-through traffic

A left-turning driver must yield the right-of-way to oncoming through traffic.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
A vehicle entering a public highway from a private driveway or alley must:
  1. Have the right-of-way over road traffic
  2. Wait until the main road is clear
  3. Only yield if a stop sign is posted
  4. Proceed slowly without stopping

Answer: Wait until the main road is clear

Vehicles entering from a driveway or alley must wait for a clear gap in the main road.

Handbook p. 52 ↗
To cross a 30 mph street at a two-way stop sign, about how large a traffic gap do you need in both directions?
  1. About a 2-second gap
  2. About a 15-second gap
  3. About a 6-second gap
  4. About a 1-second gap

Answer: About a 6-second gap

Crossing a 30 mph street safely at a two-way stop requires roughly a 6-second gap.

Handbook p. 53 ↗
When turning left from a minor street onto a major street, how large a gap should you allow from traffic approaching on the right?
  1. About a 3-second gap
  2. About a 20-second gap
  3. No gap is needed if you turn quickly
  4. About a 9-second gap

Answer: About a 9-second gap

Turning left onto a major road from a minor one requires about a 9-second gap.

Handbook p. 53 ↗
What is a 'tangle turn,' and how do you avoid it when turning left at an intersection?
  1. A conflict with an opposing left-turner, avoided by turning before the center point
  2. A type of illegal U-turn
  3. A skid caused by turning too fast
  4. A conflict only relevant to roundabouts

Answer: A conflict with an opposing left-turner, avoided by turning before the center point

You avoid a tangle turn with an opposing left-turner by completing your turn before the center of the intersection.

Handbook p. 53 ↗
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