Guide to Traffic Tickets for Right-of-Way Violations

There are multiple types of right-of-way traffic violations. If a police officer witnesses you committing one of these offenses, you can receive a right-of-way traffic ticket.

Right-of-Way at Intersections

Intersections tend to be a major source of confusion for motorists. After all, there are certainly challenges: if you are in a rush, for instance, you might forget that a green light when you're in the left lane doesn’t necessarily mean you get to go first; that’s only the case if there is a green left-turn arrow. Misunderstandings like this happen all the time, and they often cause traffic accidents.

At intersections with signals, it’s important to follow the lights. But remember that even when you are following the direction of the signal, you need to be alert at all times. Some intersections do not allow you to turn right on red, or they dictate that you must yield to traffic going straight before you may turn.

Failure to Yield at an Uncontrolled or Four-Way Stop

Right-of-way becomes even more important at intersections without signals. Because there are no lights, drivers tend to take liberties. But this is not a safe practice, and as a motorist that takes the laws seriously, you should know and understand the right-of-way rules at four-way stops or uncontrolled intersections. Typically, these are:

• When two cars enter an intersection at the same time, the motorist on the left must yield the right-of-way to the motorist on the right.
• The first car that stopped at the intersection has the right-of-way.

This type of ticket is generally written after a resulting car accident.

Failure to Yield at a "T" or Three-Way Intersection

The right-of-way rules for T intersections are slightly different. They state that the driver of a car on the road that is ending must yield to a driver that is on the through street. This is always the case, no matter which driver got to the intersection first.

Failure to Properly Yield When Making a Left Turn

As established previously, it’s possible to break the rules when going through a green left-turn light, if you don’t yield the right-of-way to oncoming motorists. You can be convicted of this violation if you made the left turn without "reasonable safety."

Failure to Yield at Stop and Yield Signs

Even if you come to a complete stop at a stop sign, you can be ticketed if you fail to yield to another road user that has the right-of-way. This is hazardous and can cause a collision.

Failure to Yield to Pedestrians

Drivers of motor vehicles must yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian within any marked crosswalk. This is another instance where safety is a major issue; you must keep in mind that while you are in a vehicle, a pedestrian isn’t shielded by anything and is far more vulnerable. You can be ticketed for either refusing to stop for a pedestrian or coming very close to hitting a pedestrian.

As you can see, there are all kinds of ways a driver can commit this type of violation. But failure to yield the right-of-way is downright dangerous, and completely preventable. So always pay attention and follow those right-of-way rules!