Everyone is a worse driver than me
I live in a small city and close to work, which means that I don't need to drive very much. And when I do, it's usually only for a short distance. So it amazes me that, at least once a day, I encounter a clueless driver who arrives at an intersection and has NO IDEA who has the right of way, or how they should proceed.
I'm not talking about people who run yellow lights, or those who wait several seconds after the light has turned red before completing their turn: they know better; they just choose to drive badly. I mean the ones who are genuinely perplexed - and either proceed into the intersection when it's not their turn and risk a collision, or just sit there and keep everyone else waiting.
Since I know that every bad driver in Waterloo reads my blog on a daily basis, I proffer this guide to handling tricky intersections.
Take the quiz and see how well you rate!
1. Who turns first?
Two cars arrive at the corner of Phillip and Columbia. One is going north on Phillip and wants to turn right onto Columbia, and the other is going south on Phillip and wants to turn left onto Columbia; so they are both turning onto Columbia westbound. The lights in all directions have just turned red. A second later, the driver turning left gets a left green arrow. Which car has the right of way?
The correct answer is: B. The driver turning left.
The green left arrow always provides a right of way over the red light in the other direction. The driver turning right must wait for all left-turning cars to complete their turn before proceeding into the intersection. Even though a right turn is permitted on a red light, the driver must still stop and wait for the intersection to be clear before proceeding. Both drivers should avoid turning simultaneously into different lanes (a common error), because this presents a risk of collision.
2. Can you turn left on a red light?
A car arrives at the intersection of Caroline and Erb. Caroline is a one-way street before Erb and a two-way street after Erb. Erb is a one-way street before Caroline and a two-way street after Caroline. Can the driver of the yellow car make a left turn onto Erb (going east) on a red light?
The correct answer is: A. Yes.
It is legal to make a left turn on a red light from a one-way street to a one-way street. A driver turning left or right on a red light must always yield the right of way, i.e. stop and wait for the intersection to be clear before proceeding.
The fact that Caroline and Erb are two-way streets west and south of the intersection is not relevant to this question (although it does mean that a left turn on a red light is not permitted from northbound Caroline onto westbound Erb).
3. The lights are out!
Due to a power outage, none of the lights at the intersection of Weber and Columbia are working, and there is no police officer directing traffic. There are many cars lined up to the intersection from all four directions. In what order do they proceed?
The correct answer is: C. One car at a time proceeds, taking turns clockwise.
When the traffic lights fail, the intersection is treated exactly like a four-way stop sign. One car proceeds into the intersection, then the car to the left proceeds, and so on. This process is slow, but there is no risk of collision.
Because traffic is often congested during a power failure, drivers often try to improve traffic flow by making up rules "on the fly" - for example, several cars proceed at once from each direction. But since these made-up rules are not known to any other driver, the risk of collision increases dramatically. Remember, it's like a four-way stop sign - one car at a time.
4. Who turns next?
A car is stopped, waiting for oncoming traffic to clear in order to complete a left turn from King onto University (westbound). As traffic clears, another car arrives at the intersection from the opposite direction, indicating a right turn from King onto University (also westbound). These are the only two drivers in the intersection, and they both have a green light. Which car turns next?
The correct answer is B: The driver turning right.
A right turn has priority over a left turn, because a left turn must potentially cross the path of oncoming traffic, which a right turn would not do. This rule applies even when there is no actual oncoming traffic.
Notice how the question stipulates that the left-turning car has proceed into the intersection but stopped at a green light waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. In a different situation, where the left-turning car entered the left half of the intersection before the right-turning car arrived, or the light turns yellow, the right-turning car must yield the right of way and allow the other driver to complete their left turn. Otherwise, the right-turning car would make an error by commencing a turn when the intersection is not clear.
5. Where should you stop?
A car heading north on Caroline is faced with a red light at Erb, right after the railway tracks that also intersect with Caroline. Where should the car stop?
The correct answer is C: Between the railway crossing and the intersection.
The red light indicates a stop for the intersection at Erb, not for the railway crossing. The double white lines before the railway crossing indicate where to stop in the presence of a train, and have nothing to do with the intersection up ahead (which has its own single white line). It is acceptable to cross the tracks and come to a stop at Erb, provided of course that your car does not overhang the tracks.
A surprising number of drivers stop all the way back behind the tracks. This is unnecessary and it only holds up traffic, because it prevents other cars lined up behind from making the right turn on the red light at Erb.
Thanks for taking the quiz! If you disagree with any of the answers, you can either get off the road or use the comment link below to share your insight.
I'm not talking about people who run yellow lights, or those who wait several seconds after the light has turned red before completing their turn: they know better; they just choose to drive badly. I mean the ones who are genuinely perplexed - and either proceed into the intersection when it's not their turn and risk a collision, or just sit there and keep everyone else waiting.
Since I know that every bad driver in Waterloo reads my blog on a daily basis, I proffer this guide to handling tricky intersections.
Take the quiz and see how well you rate!
1. Who turns first?
A. The driver turning right, because you can turn right on red.
B. The driver turning left, because they have a green left arrow.
C. Whoever got there first, goes next.
D. Both drivers can turn simultaneously, into different lanes.
B. The driver turning left, because they have a green left arrow.
C. Whoever got there first, goes next.
D. Both drivers can turn simultaneously, into different lanes.
The correct answer is: B. The driver turning left.
The green left arrow always provides a right of way over the red light in the other direction. The driver turning right must wait for all left-turning cars to complete their turn before proceeding into the intersection. Even though a right turn is permitted on a red light, the driver must still stop and wait for the intersection to be clear before proceeding. Both drivers should avoid turning simultaneously into different lanes (a common error), because this presents a risk of collision.
2. Can you turn left on a red light?
A. Yes, as long as the intersection is clear.
B. No. The driver must wait for a green light before making the left turn.
B. No. The driver must wait for a green light before making the left turn.
The correct answer is: A. Yes.
It is legal to make a left turn on a red light from a one-way street to a one-way street. A driver turning left or right on a red light must always yield the right of way, i.e. stop and wait for the intersection to be clear before proceeding.
The fact that Caroline and Erb are two-way streets west and south of the intersection is not relevant to this question (although it does mean that a left turn on a red light is not permitted from northbound Caroline onto westbound Erb).
3. The lights are out!
A. The drivers on Weber have priority, because it is a more major street than Columbia.
B. Several cars should go in one direction, then several cars proceed from another direction, and so on.
C. Only one car at a time proceeds from each direction. The priority cycles clockwise (after the car to your right goes, it's your turn).
D. Only one car at a time proceeds from each direction. The priority cycles counterclockwise (after the car to your left goes, it's your turn).
E. It's mostly random, with cars going straight having priority over cars that are turning.
B. Several cars should go in one direction, then several cars proceed from another direction, and so on.
C. Only one car at a time proceeds from each direction. The priority cycles clockwise (after the car to your right goes, it's your turn).
D. Only one car at a time proceeds from each direction. The priority cycles counterclockwise (after the car to your left goes, it's your turn).
E. It's mostly random, with cars going straight having priority over cars that are turning.
The correct answer is: C. One car at a time proceeds, taking turns clockwise.
When the traffic lights fail, the intersection is treated exactly like a four-way stop sign. One car proceeds into the intersection, then the car to the left proceeds, and so on. This process is slow, but there is no risk of collision.
Because traffic is often congested during a power failure, drivers often try to improve traffic flow by making up rules "on the fly" - for example, several cars proceed at once from each direction. But since these made-up rules are not known to any other driver, the risk of collision increases dramatically. Remember, it's like a four-way stop sign - one car at a time.
4. Who turns next?
A. The driver turning left, because they were there first.
B. The driver turning right, because the left-turning driver must yield the right of way.
C. Both drivers can turn simultaneously, into different lanes.
B. The driver turning right, because the left-turning driver must yield the right of way.
C. Both drivers can turn simultaneously, into different lanes.
The correct answer is B: The driver turning right.
A right turn has priority over a left turn, because a left turn must potentially cross the path of oncoming traffic, which a right turn would not do. This rule applies even when there is no actual oncoming traffic.
Notice how the question stipulates that the left-turning car has proceed into the intersection but stopped at a green light waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. In a different situation, where the left-turning car entered the left half of the intersection before the right-turning car arrived, or the light turns yellow, the right-turning car must yield the right of way and allow the other driver to complete their left turn. Otherwise, the right-turning car would make an error by commencing a turn when the intersection is not clear.
5. Where should you stop?
A. On the railway tracks.
B. Behind the double white lines at the railway crossing.
C. After the railway crossing but before the intersection.
B. Behind the double white lines at the railway crossing.
C. After the railway crossing but before the intersection.
The correct answer is C: Between the railway crossing and the intersection.
The red light indicates a stop for the intersection at Erb, not for the railway crossing. The double white lines before the railway crossing indicate where to stop in the presence of a train, and have nothing to do with the intersection up ahead (which has its own single white line). It is acceptable to cross the tracks and come to a stop at Erb, provided of course that your car does not overhang the tracks.
A surprising number of drivers stop all the way back behind the tracks. This is unnecessary and it only holds up traffic, because it prevents other cars lined up behind from making the right turn on the red light at Erb.
Thanks for taking the quiz! If you disagree with any of the answers, you can either get off the road or use the comment link below to share your insight.
Comments
THere clearly isn't room in the diagram for another car...