The Four-Way Stop With a Broken Signal Light
You are driving south on a two-lane road approaching a four-way intersection. The traffic signal at this intersection is completely dark - no red, yellow, or green in any direction. A sign on your approach reads "ALL WAY STOP" beneath the dead signal. As you slow, you see three other vehicles: one already stopped in the northbound lane facing you, one approaching from the west on your right, and one approaching from the east on your left. You reach the intersection at roughly the same moment as the westbound vehicle. The northbound vehicle has been stopped longer than anyone and begins to move. There is no police officer directing traffic and no temporary signage beyond the ALL WAY STOP placard.
1. What does a dark signal head legally mean here, and how does that change your obligation compared with a normal green light?
Read the worked answer
A signal that is dark because of a power failure or malfunction is treated as though no signal exists at that intersection. You cannot rely on signal phases to assign right-of-way. Instead you fall back on the default rule for uncontrolled intersections and on any posted signage. Here the ALL WAY STOP placard converts the situation into a four-way stop: every driver must come to a complete stop, then proceed in the order they arrived, and yield to the vehicle on the right when arrivals are simultaneous. A functioning green light would have given you priority to proceed without stopping; a dark head removes that priority entirely.
2. You and the westbound vehicle arrive at essentially the same instant. Who goes first, and how does the northbound vehicle's movement affect your decision?
Read the worked answer
For a tie at a four-way stop, the tie-breaker is the vehicle on the right. The westbound vehicle is on your right, so it has the right-of-way over you and you must wait. Separately, the northbound vehicle has been stopped longest and is already proceeding, so you must also yield to it as it clears the intersection - never enter while another vehicle is still occupying your path. The correct sequence is: northbound goes first (longest stopped), then westbound (on your right), then you. Do not creep forward hoping to claim the gap; make eye contact and confirm the other driver is actually stopping.
3. The eastbound vehicle on your left begins to roll forward at the same time you consider going. What is the safe judgement, and what mistake are you most at risk of making?
Read the worked answer
The eastbound vehicle is on your left, so it does not have priority over you under the right-hand rule - but priority is not permission to collide. If it is already rolling into the intersection, the safe call is to hold and let it clear rather than assert your technical right-of-way. The classic error at a dead-signal four-way stop is 'priority creep': assuming that because the rule favours you, the other driver will yield. Defensive driving treats right-of-way as something you are given, not something you take. Wait until the eastbound vehicle has clearly stopped or cleared, then proceed only when your path is visibly open.