Dark Signal, a Pointing Officer, and a Rolling Sedan
It is 7:40 a.m. on a rainy Tuesday. You are westbound on a two-lane road approaching a four-way intersection. The traffic signal is completely dark because of a power outage. A police officer in a reflective vest stands in the center of the intersection, facing you. The officer makes a firm 'come forward' hand motion, then points clearly to your left. A pedestrian with a backpack steps into the crosswalk on your right. The driver of a silver sedan on your left has begun to roll forward even though the officer is not looking at that driver. A stop sign on your approach is partly hidden by a low tree branch, but a solid white stop bar is visible. You intend to turn left. The officer again points left and gestures for you to move. What do you do?
1. Which control has the highest priority at this intersection, and what does the officer's gesture authorize you to do?
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The officer's direction controls. Under NJ law, a traffic officer's signal overrides a traffic signal, a stop sign, and pavement markings. The 'come forward' motion authorizes you to enter the intersection; the point to the left tells you to complete the left turn. That does not authorize you to ignore a pedestrian already in the crosswalk or to assume every other driver has seen the officer. You should move only after making eye contact or clearly seeing that the officer is holding cross traffic, and after checking that the pedestrian's path does not cross yours. The partly hidden stop sign and stop bar are secondary while the officer is directing, but they would control if the officer left.
2. The silver sedan starts rolling forward from your left. How should that affect your actions?
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It should make you pause and cover the brake, not simply proceed because the officer pointed at you. The officer's gesture gives you priority, but the sedan's driver may not have seen the officer or may have misread the hand signal. NJ law requires you to exercise due care even when you have the right-of-way. If the sedan enters the intersection, let it clear rather than turning into its path; if it stops, proceed cautiously. Do not wave the other driver through, because that can create confusion. If the officer's attention is divided, wait for a clear repeat of the signal.
3. If the officer were not present, what would be the correct procedure at this dark signal with the partly hidden stop sign?
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Without the officer, the dark signal is treated as an all-way stop. The stop sign and stop bar are still there even if partly obscured; you must stop at the stop bar, then creep forward if needed to see. At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop goes first; if two arrive at the same time, the driver on the right has the right-of-way, and a driver turning left yields to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right. You would also yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk. Because the sign is partly hidden, you should be extra cautious and not assume cross traffic will stop; make eye contact and proceed only when the intersection is clear.