The Four-Way Stop With a Broken Signal
You are westbound on a two-lane road approaching a four-way intersection. The traffic signal is dark-no lights at all, not even flashing-because of a nearby power outage. Three other vehicles are present: a car facing you in the eastbound lane with its left turn signal on, a car to your right on the northbound approach arrived first and is stopped, and a car to your left on the southbound approach arrived at the same moment you did. Your windshield wipers are on because of light rain. There is no stop sign on your approach, and a police officer is not directing traffic. You want to continue straight through the intersection.
1. What does the dark signal require of you, and who has the right of way among the four vehicles?
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A dark signal is treated like a four-way stop. You must come to a complete stop and yield as you would at a stop sign. Right-of-way order:
- Northbound car (to your right): arrived first, so it goes first.
- You and the southbound car (to your left): arrived simultaneously. When two vehicles arrive at the same time and are not in conflict, the one on the right has priority-so the southbound car is to your left, meaning you are on its right and you may proceed before it, provided you are both going straight and paths do not cross.
- Eastbound car facing you with left-turn signal: a vehicle turning left must yield to oncoming traffic going straight. It waits for you.
Sequence: northbound car, then you, then the southbound car, then the eastbound left-turner. Confirm eye contact and proceed only when the way is clear.
2. The eastbound driver flashes their headlights and waves you through while you are still rolling slowly. Should you go immediately?
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No. A wave or flash is a courtesy, not a legal grant of right-of-way, and it does not override the law or the other drivers. Before moving you must:
- Come to a complete stop (the dark signal requires it).
- Verify the southbound car is actually stopped and yielding-the eastbound driver cannot speak for that vehicle.
- Check that no pedestrian or cyclist is entering the crosswalk.
- Make sure the eastbound car is genuinely stopped and not still creeping forward for its turn.
Proceed only when your own observation confirms the path is clear. If another driver waves you into a situation you cannot verify, decline and wait.
3. The rain intensifies and your wipers are on. Does that change anything about how you handle the intersection?
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It changes speed and following distance, not the right-of-way rules. Wet pavement lengthens stopping distance, and the dark signal may be hard for other drivers to notice in low visibility. Practical adjustments:
- Approach slower than you would in dry conditions so you can stop within the visible clear distance.
- Increase the gap behind the vehicle ahead.
- Turn on your headlights (required when wipers are in continuous use in Ohio) so others see you.
- Be extra alert for drivers who may blow through the dark intersection assuming they have priority.
The legal sequence from the prior task still governs; the weather just raises the margin of safety you should keep.