The Four-Way Stop With a Confused Driver
You arrive at a four-way stop in a residential neighborhood. You are traveling north and stop at the same moment as a car traveling south, which is signaling a left turn across your path. A cyclist is stopped on the east approach, waiting to go straight west. A pedestrian is walking on the sidewalk toward the southeast corner but has not stepped into the crosswalk. There is no stop line painted, only a limit line implied by the sign. You intend to go straight north. The southbound driver waves at you to go first, but their turn signal is still on.
1. Who has the right of way, and how should the wave-off affect your decision?
Read the worked answer
At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop has the right of way. If you and the southbound car stopped simultaneously, the tie is broken by yielding to the vehicle on the right - but here the southbound car is directly across from you, not to your right, and it is turning left across your path. A left-turning vehicle must yield to oncoming traffic going straight. So the default rule gives you the right of way over the southbound car.
The cyclist on the east approach, if it stopped at the same time, is to your right and would generally go before you if you are both proceeding straight into a conflict. Treat the cyclist as a vehicle with the same stop-and-yield rules.
A wave-off does not transfer the legal right of way, and it can be ambiguous - the southbound driver's signal is still on, so their intent is unclear. The safe response is to proceed only after confirming the southbound car is actually stopped and not rolling, making eye contact, and moving slowly enough to stop again if they turn anyway. Do not assume the wave means the way is clear.
2. What is your obligation toward the pedestrian, and does the crosswalk matter here?
Read the worked answer
A pedestrian on the sidewalk approaching the corner is not yet in the crosswalk, so you are not automatically required to yield until they step into it. But you should anticipate that they may step off, especially since you are at a stop and they may assume you see them. Proceed only when you can do so without forcing them to stop or wait. If they enter the crosswalk, you must yield. Do not wave them across if other vehicles are still moving - a wave can pull a pedestrian into a lane where another driver is not stopping.