Rules of the Road and Right-of-Way
Keep left - and rethink every turn
The Virgin Islands is the only United States jurisdiction with left-hand traffic. You keep to the left side of the road, pass on the right of the vehicle ahead, and travel clockwise around roundabouts. This single fact reshapes almost every other rule, so expect questions that punish mainland habits.
Turns. A left turn is the short, easy turn across the near side of the intersection. A right turn is the one that crosses oncoming traffic, so you must yield to vehicles coming toward you before turning right. Check the mirror on the side you are turning toward and signal early.
Right-of-way. At an intersection with no signs or signals, yield to traffic approaching from your right. At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop goes first; if two stop at the same moment, the vehicle on the right goes first. Never assume right-of-way - it is yielded, not taken.
Sharing the road. Stop for a school bus displaying flashing red lights in both directions unless you are separated by a raised median. When an emergency vehicle approaches with lights and siren, pull to the left edge and stop. Yield to pedestrians in a marked crosswalk.
Following distance. Use at least three seconds behind the vehicle ahead, and add a second in rain or darkness.
Worked example. You and another car reach a four-way stop at the same instant, and that car is on your right. It goes first. If it were on your left, you would go first.
Trap. Drivers who learned to drive on the right instinctively drift right when turning and check the wrong mirror. Practice narrating "keep left" until it is automatic.