Right-of-Way — When to Yield

Give it, don’t take it

Right-of-way laws decide who goes first when paths cross. They also help assign fault after a crash. If another driver fails to yield, you still yield when that is what prevents a collision. Make eye contact. Do not assume they see you.

Intersections

At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop goes first. If two arrive together, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. When turning left, yield to oncoming traffic. When entering from a driveway, alley, or unpaved road, yield to traffic already on the through street. Pedestrians in a marked or unmarked crosswalk have the right-of-way.

People you must always protect

Yield to children playing in the street — slow in neighborhoods, near schools, and near playgrounds. Yield to a blind pedestrian with a white, red-tipped, or chrome cane or a guide dog. Stop immediately, outside the crosswalk, and stay 15 feet from a blind person in the roadway or at an intersection.

Yield to a funeral procession. Once the lead vehicle enters the intersection, the rest of the procession may follow regardless of the signal. Do not cut into the line. Procession vehicles typically run headlights as a signal.

School and church buses

When a school or church bus displays flashing red lights and the stop arm is extended, you must stop. On an undivided road, traffic in both directions stops. Do not go until the lights stop and the arm retracts. On a divided highway with a physical median, traffic coming from the opposite direction on the other side of the median does not stop — but you still stop if you are traveling the same direction as the bus.

Move Over / Bernardo’s Law

When you approach a stationary emergency, wrecker, or other authorized vehicle using flashing lights on the shoulder or roadside, move over to a non-adjacent lane if you can do so safely. If you cannot change lanes, slow substantially and pass with caution. This is Oklahoma’s Move Over law, also called Bernardo’s Law.