Right-of-Way Rules and Intersection Safety
Right-of-way questions ask who must yield - not who has a right to go. Kentucky expects you to know the order of arrival, the special cases, and how to handle failed signals.
Intersections
At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop is first to proceed. If two arrive at the same time, yield to the vehicle on your right. At an uncontrolled intersection, yield to traffic on your right. A vehicle turning left must yield to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right. When a signal is dark or flashing red, treat it as a four-way stop.
Pedestrians and special vehicles
Yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk, and do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk - it may be yielding to someone you cannot see. Emergency vehicles with lights and siren get the right of way; pull to the right and stop. School buses with flashing red lights require you to stop in both directions on undivided roads; on a divided highway, traffic on the opposite side need not stop.
Roundabouts
Yield to traffic already in the circle, usually from your left. Enter to the right, stay in your lane, and use your right turn signal before your exit.
Worked example
You stop at a four-way stop. A car on your right stops at the same moment; a car opposite you signals for a left turn. Reasoning: you and the car on your right arrived together, so you yield to the right. The left-turning car must also yield to you if you go straight. Result: the car on your right goes, then you, then the left-turner when clear.
Traps
Waving someone through when you have the right of way - it can cause a crash and you can be cited; forgetting that a left-turner yields; and stopping for a school bus on the opposite side of a divided highway when not required.