DMV Permit · Right of Way

At a T-intersection where one road ends at another, which driver has the right of way?

Correct answer

The driver on the through road (the one that does not end); the driver on the terminating road must yield

  1. A Always the driver on the smaller road
  2. B The driver on the through road (the one that does not end); the driver on the terminating road must yield
  3. C Whoever arrives first
  4. D Both yield equally

Why this is the answer

At a T-intersection, the road that does not terminate is the 'through' road, and traffic on it has the right of way. The driver on the road that ends at the intersection must yield to all traffic on the through road before turning. This rule applies whether the terminating road has a stop sign (which most do) or not. A yield sign on the terminating road requires only that you slow, look, and proceed when safe; a stop sign requires a complete stop first. Even without any sign on the terminating road, the through-road traffic still has priority in most state laws — though this is rare in practice because such intersections almost always have signs.
Source: State driver handbooks, Intersections

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