Wednesday

Right of way including the concept that no driver can claim the right of way and what to do when traffic lights malfunction.

The law does not give the right-of-way to anyone. It only says who must yield the right-of way. Every driver, motorcycle, moped, bicyclist and pedestrian must do everything possible to avoid a crash. So, when must you yield the right of way? Every driver of a vehicle shall yield the right-of-way to:

  1. A pedestrian worker and flag person engaged in maintenance or construction work on a highway when lawfully notified by a warning device of that person.
  2. To an escort vehicle or pedestrian flag person that is engaged in the management of highway movement of an oversize vehicle, when the driver is warned of the presence of the vehicle or person.
  3. To a publicly owned transit bus traveling in the same direction which has signaled and is re-entering the traffic flow from a specifically designated pullout bay.
  4. To a vehicle which has entered the intersection from a different highway.
  5. The driver on the left shall yield to the vehicle on the right when both vehicles have entered an intersection from different highways at the same time.
  6. To all vehicles approaching on a state-maintained highway in which you are about to enter or cross the state-maintained road from a paved or unpaved road that is not controlled by a traffic control device.
  7. To all vehicles approaching on a paved county or city maintained road from an unpaved road that is not controlled by a traffic control device.
  8. To any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard, when turning to the left within the intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway.
  9. At intersections that are controlled by stop signs, yield signs and traffic signals or as directed by a police officer.

When you approach an intersection in which the traffic lights are inoperative you should stop as if the intersection is controlled by a stop sign. (See F.S. 316.1235)

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