Four-Way Stop With a Bicyclist and a Waved-Through Driver
You are driving north on a two-lane residential street in Lincoln at 25 mph. At a four-way stop, you stop at 4:12 p.m. A sedan traveling east arrives at the same moment and stops. A bicyclist is southbound in the narrow right lane, also stopped, signaling a right turn onto your street eastbound. You want to turn left onto the westbound street. A pedestrian is approaching the northwest corner but is still about 12 feet from the curb. A delivery van is behind you. The sun is low and in your eyes; you have sunglasses but the visor is down. The intersection has no all-way-stop placard beyond the stop signs. A light rain has just ended, and the pavement is still wet. Your wipers are off.
1. Who has the right-of-way at this four-way stop, and in what order should the vehicles move?
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All three arrived at essentially the same time, so the first rule is yield to the vehicle on your right. The eastbound sedan is on your right, so it goes first. The bicyclist is oncoming to you and is signaling a right turn. If you turn left across the southbound lane, you are the left-turning vehicle and must yield to the oncoming bicyclist, who is proceeding straight or turning right. So the expected order is sedan, then bicyclist, then you, provided the pedestrian has not entered the crosswalk. Do not wave the bicyclist through before the sedan clears; that creates a second conflict.
2. The sedan driver waves you through. Should you accept the wave?
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No. A wave is a courtesy, not a transfer of right-of-way. The sedan may be waving you into the path of the oncoming bicyclist or the pedestrian, and the driver cannot see those hazards for you. Accepting the wave also makes your movement unpredictable to the delivery van behind you and to the bicyclist. Stay stopped, make your own check of the crosswalk, the bicyclist, and the intersection, and proceed only when the way is clearly open. If the sedan remains stopped and blocks your view, wait it out rather than trusting the gesture.
3. What should you do about the pedestrian and the wet pavement?
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The pedestrian is about 12 feet from the curb and may enter the crosswalk, so cover the brake and be ready to yield. In Nebraska, pedestrians in a crosswalk have the right-of-way, and a low sun plus wet pavement makes them harder to see and makes your stopping distance longer. Keep your visor down, use wipers if needed, and avoid rolling forward while watching the other vehicles. If the pedestrian steps off the curb, wait; do not try to turn behind them before they clear your lane.