Who goes first? California right-of-way rules, with pictures
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Right of way decides who goes first when drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians meet. Most of it comes down to a few rules: the first to arrive goes first, a tie goes to the one on your right, and when you join traffic, the traffic that's already there goes first. Pedestrians go first at intersections and in crosswalks, lines or no lines.
In the drawings, the numbers show the order everyone goes in, and a dashed arrow is a move that comes after the solid one. Every rule here comes from the California Driver Handbook.
Start with the free check-up to see which topics to study first. The free test takes about 5 minutes.
What right of way means
Right of way is the set of rules for who goes first, and not following them is one of the most common causes of collisions. When it isn't yours, you yield: you wait, slow down and get ready to stop so the other driver, bicyclist or pedestrian can go.
Wherever you are, the handbook adds one more rule: don't count on other drivers to let you go first, and give up your turn when that will help prevent a collision. Right of way is given, not taken. The rules say who should go first, and people still get them wrong.
Corners with no signs, and T intersections
At an intersection with no STOP or YIELD signs, the first to arrive goes first. Anyone who gets there later waits for that driver.
If you arrive at the same time as someone else, the one on your right goes first, whether that's a car, a bicyclist or a pedestrian. It works both ways: when the other driver is on your left, you're on their right, so you go.
A T intersection is where your road ends at a road that keeps going. With no STOP or YIELD signs, the through road goes first: drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians going straight on it all have the right of way. If your road is the one that ends, you wait, even if you got there first.
The handbook calls an intersection with no stop signs at any corner a blind intersection. The speed limit there is 15 mph, and if something blocks your view, move forward slowly until you can see.
Who goes first at a four-way stop
A four-way stop has a STOP sign on every corner, so everyone stops. Then you go in the same order as at a corner with no signs.
Taking your turn
- Make a full stop at the limit line. No limit line? Stop before the crosswalk. No crosswalk either? Stop before the intersection.
- Notice who stopped before you. The first to stop goes first.
- If you stopped at the same time as another driver, the one on the right goes first.
- When it's your turn, check traffic in all directions, then go.
The car across from you stopped first. You and the car on your right stopped together, and the car on your left stopped last. Who goes when?
Show the answerHide the answer
The car across from you goes first, then the car on your right, then you, then the car on your left.
A traffic light that isn't working gets the same treatment: stop as if there were STOP signs in all directions, then go carefully when it's safe. Keep an eye out for people on foot too, since pedestrians always have the right of way at intersections.
The mix-up
Not quite: The car on the right always goes first.
Right: Only when you stop at the same time. If you stopped first, it's your turn, and the car on your right waits for you.
Turning left
A left turn crosses the path of oncoming traffic. First check for pedestrians and let them cross. Then give the right of way to any oncoming vehicle that's close enough to be dangerous.
That holds on a green light too: green means go only if you have enough space to do it without creating a danger to an oncoming vehicle, bicyclist or pedestrian.
While you wait, keep your wheels pointed straight ahead. If someone hits you from behind while your wheels are turned left, you could be pushed into oncoming traffic.
Don't trust an oncoming car's right turn signal, either. The driver may have it on by mistake, or may plan to turn just past you, so wait until the car actually starts its turn.
Pulling out and merging onto the freeway
When you join traffic, the traffic that's already moving goes first. So when you pull out of a driveway or a parking lot, go carefully and yield to the traffic already in the lanes.
How big a gap you need
- Half a block, about 150 feetCity streets
- A full block, about 300 feetHighway
On a freeway on-ramp, the cars already on the freeway have the right of way. Use the ramp to get to about the speed of traffic, then merge into a space big enough for your car. Don't stop unless you absolutely have to.
Already on the freeway? Make space for cars coming in from a ramp, even though you have the right of way.
Who goes first at a roundabout
In a roundabout, everyone drives one way around a central island: counterclockwise. Traffic already in the roundabout goes first, and you join it when there's a gap.
Through a roundabout, step by step
- Slow down as you come up to it.
- Yield to every car already going around it.
- Enter heading right when there's a gap big enough to merge safely.
- Follow the signs and lane markings.
- Go around counterclockwise, and don't stop or pass.
- Signal when you change lanes or exit.
- Missed your exit? Keep going around until you come back to it.
With two lanes, pick your lane by where you're going, before you enter.
Pedestrians and crosswalks
Pedestrians always have the right of way at intersections. Even when your light turns green, wait until the people crossing in front of you are safely across.
A crosswalk is a stretch of road set aside for people to cross. Many have white lines, school crossings may have yellow ones, and some have no lines at all. People have the right of way in marked and unmarked crosswalks alike.
Where a limit line comes before the crosswalk, stop behind the line, not in the crosswalk. If someone is crossing where there's no crosswalk at all, you still slow down or stop so they can finish crossing safely.
Never pass a car that's stopped at a crosswalk. It may be stopped for someone you can't see.
People who use a guide dog or a white cane always have the right of way. Don't honk at them, and don't stop in the middle of a crosswalk, which could force them to walk into traffic outside it. In a hybrid or electric car, take extra care when you turn or back up near them: blind pedestrians rely on sound to know a car is nearby.
Emergency vehicles
When a police car, fire engine, ambulance or other emergency vehicle comes with its siren and red lights on, give it the right of way. Pull over to the right edge and stop until it has gone by. If you don't pull over, you may get a ticket.
Already in an intersection when you see it? Don't stop there. Keep going through, then drive to the right as soon as it's safe and stop.
Once it has passed, don't follow it closely: it's illegal to drive within 300 feet behind an emergency vehicle that has its siren or flashing lights on.
Narrow mountain roads
On a steep road too narrow for two cars to pass, the car facing uphill has the right of way. It's the downhill car that backs up until the uphill one can get by, since it has more control backing up the hill.
Questions people ask
Who goes first at a four-way stop in California?
Everyone makes a full stop, then the driver who stopped first goes first. If two drivers stop at the same time, the one on the right goes first.
Does the car on the right always have the right of way?
No, only when you arrive or stop at the same time. Otherwise the first to arrive goes first, and at a T with no signs the through road goes first.
Do pedestrians always have the right of way in California?
At intersections and in crosswalks, marked or unmarked, yes. People with a guide dog or a white cane always have it.
Who has the right of way in a roundabout?
Traffic already in the roundabout. Slow down, yield to it, and enter heading right when there's a gap big enough to merge safely.
On a narrow mountain road, who backs up?
The car facing downhill. The car facing uphill has the right of way.
What if another driver takes my right of way?
Let them go. Don't count on other drivers to let you go first, and give up your turn when that helps prevent a collision.
Take the free 20-question test
20 questions from every topic, each with the answer explained and a link to the handbook page. You need 16 right for 80%, the pass mark the DMV uses. Free, no sign-up.
Go deeper
Practice the rules in this guide
Each one has a free practice question with the answer explained.
- First to arrive goes first
- Arriving at the same time
- Four-way stops
- T intersections
- Turning left
- Right of way is given, not taken
Show all 20
- Pulling into traffic
- Merging onto a highway
- Entering a roundabout
- Which way to go in a roundabout
- Turning right at a two-lane roundabout
- Going straight at a two-lane roundabout
- Pedestrians at intersections
- Marked and unmarked crosswalks
- People crossing outside a crosswalk
- Pedestrians who are blind
- Car stopped at a crosswalk
- When a blind pedestrian pulls in the cane
- Meeting on a narrow mountain road
- Who backs up on a mountain road
Lessons in the Rulebook
The Rulebook explains each topic with pictures. It opens after the free check-up.
Sources
California Driver Handbook
- Section 6, Navigating the Roads: pages 19, 23 and 24
- Section 7, Laws and Rules of the Road: pages 34, 35, 39, 40, 41, 42, 45 and 51
- Section 8, Safe Driving: page 58
- Section 10, Financial Responsibility, Insurance Requirements, and Collisions: page 77
- Section 14, the handbook: page 84
We read these sources and wrote this guide in our own words. The DMV has the final word, and rules change, so check anything important with the DMV before your appointment.