Traffic laws are necessary to provide for the orderly movement of With the traffic laws you may be penalized, fined, and or lose your privilege to pedestrians as well as prevention of accidents, if you disobey or refuse to drive it is important to remember that traffic laws exist for your safety and protection.
Table of Contents
Here are three general traffic laws you should know
- It is a misdemeanour for any person to disregard a traffic law or fail to do something required by the traffic laws of this state.
- Everyone must obey the order of a law enforcement officer who is directing traffic.
- It is against the law to drive into an officially closed roadway or into a section of highway before it has been officially opened.
Laws governing right-of-way
To be a safe driver, whether you are in a vehicle or on a motorcycle, you must understand that, in every situation, the right-of-way is something that is to be given, not taken. If the other driver is not following the rules, yield the right of way, even if it really belongs to you: otherwise, you will be gambling with the lives of yourself and your passengers.
Drivers must yield to other drivers:
- At any intersection where there is a stop sign, you may proceed only after stopping and yielding the right-of-way to any other vehicle either in the intersection or so close to it as to make it dangerous.
- At intersections where there are no stop signs, yield signs or traffic signals, the driver of the vehicle on the left must yield to the driver of the vehicle on the right, if they approach or enter the intersection from different roadways at the same time.
- At a four-way stop intersection, when more than one driver reaches it at approximately the same time, the first one to stop should be the first to go, if safe to do so. Others should take their turns. There are three other things to remember. a. Don’t delay traffic behind you- take your turn when it comes. b. If another driver tries to take your turn, let the driver proceed in order to prevent an accident. c. Care, courtesy and common sense should at all times govern your actions.
- When making a left turn at an intersection, passage or driveway, yield the right-of-way to all traffic from the opposite direction, then proceed when it is safe to do so.
- When approaching a yield sign, slow down to a speed reasonable for existing conditions, and be prepared to stop. If it is necessary to stop for the purpose of safety, follow the procedure outlined for stop signs.
- When approaching a merging traffic sign, adjust your speed and vehicle position in order to merge or to allow others to merge into a lane safely.
- At intersections with traffic control lights, even after getting a green light, wait until all cross traffic is safely cleared at the intersection before proceeding.
- If you are about to enter or cross a highway from a passage, private road or highway, you must stop, and yield the right-of-way to all other vehicles on the street or highway before proceeding.
- If the police or authorized emergency vehicles, which utilize blue or red lights, are using either/both sirens and lights, you must pull over onto the right-hand shoulder and stop, if possible, until the emergency vehicle has passed. The intersection must not be blocked. In all cases pull to the right and stop.
- The operator of a motor vehicle that is displaying flashing yellow, amber, white, red, or blue lights shall approach the authorized emergency vehicle with due caution and shall make a lane change into a lane not adjacent to the authorized emergency vehicle if possible. If a lane change would be impossible, prohibited by law, or unsafe, reduce the speed of the motor vehicle to a reasonable and proper speed for the existing road and traffic conditions, less than the posted speed limit, and be prepared to stop.
- Yield to highway maintenance vehicles and workers in a construction zone.
- It is permissible to make a right turn on red at an intersection controlled by a traffic control light then, after a complete stop even the sign posted at that intersection prohibits doing so.
- It is permissible to make a left turn on a red signal from the lane of a Way Street only onto a one Way Street on which the traffic moves toward the driver’s left. You must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic, proceeding as directed by the signal at such intersection.
- You must stop when approaching a school bus that has the stop sign and the flashing lights on for the purpose of dropping off or picking up passengers. You shall not proceed until the school bus resumes motion. On a highway divided by a median, cars coming from the opposite direction are not required to stop. Remember to use caution. Children can be unpredictable. In this situation, the safety of the children is more important than any other traffic concerns. Children may not be watching for traffic, so you should be watching for them.
Drivers must yield to pedestrians
- The driver of a vehicle shall stop and remain stopped to allow a pedestrian to cross the roadway within a crosswalk when the pedestrian is upon the half of the roadway upon which the vehicle is travelling, or when the pedestrian is approaching and is within one lane of the “half of the roadway” means all traffic lanes carrying traffic in one direction of travel.
- When making a left or right turn at any intersection.
- At stop signs, after coming to a complete stop and before proceeding.
- At traffic signals, even when the light is green, if pedestrians are still on the crosswalk.
- When entering a street or highway from an alley, driveway, or private road.
- When approaching a blind person who is crossing a street or highway if he/she is carrying a white cane or being guided by a dog.
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