The Four-Way Stop With a Stalled First Car
You approach a four-way stop on a two-lane road in Morgantown at dusk. The car directly ahead of you stops at the sign, waits, then stalls and cannot restart. Its hazard lights come on. Behind you, two more cars have queued up. To your left at the intersection sits one car that arrived roughly when you did; to your right, a car is signaling a right turn. There is no stop line visible and no crosswalk markings, so the intersection boundary is the curb line. Your lane is narrow and the shoulder is soft gravel. You need to get around the stalled car without entering the oncoming lane longer than necessary, and you must not create a new right-of-way conflict with the cross traffic.
1. Who has the right of way at this four-way stop, and how does the stalled car change that?
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Right of way at a four-way stop is decided by arrival order: the first vehicle to stop and come to a complete halt goes first, and if two arrive at essentially the same time, the vehicle on the right goes first. The stalled car did stop first, but it is disabled and cannot proceed - it is no longer a moving claimant to the right of way, and its hazard lights signal that. You should not wait indefinitely behind it. Once it is clearly immobile, treat the intersection as if it were not there and yield to the vehicles that are actually able to move. The car to your left and the car to your right still hold their arrival-order claims relative to each other and to you.
2. Describe the sequence you should use to pass the stalled car safely, including what you check and where you position the vehicle.
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- Confirm the stalled car is truly stopped and signaling - hazards on, no forward movement - before deciding to go around.
- Signal your intent to pass and check mirrors and blind spot for the queued cars behind you; a driver behind may try to swing around at the same moment.
- Yield to cross traffic that has the right of way, including the car to your right that is turning. Do not pull into the intersection until that path is clear.
- Move left only as far as needed to clear the stalled car, using the oncoming lane briefly. Because the shoulder is soft gravel, do not use it - a partial off-road pass risks loss of control.
- Pass at low speed, re-check oncoming traffic before committing, and return fully to your lane only after you can see the stalled car in your mirror.
- If oncoming traffic makes the pass unsafe, wait rather than forcing a gap; a disabled vehicle does not license an unsafe pass.
3. The car to your right is turning right while you edge around the stalled car. What conflict could arise and how do you resolve it?
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If you swing wide to the left to clear the stalled car, you may enter the path the right-turning car needs, or you may end up beside it in a way that invites a sideswipe. Resolve it by sequence, not by assertiveness: let the right-turning car complete its turn first if it arrived at or before your turn, since it holds the right-of-way claim. Watch its wheels and turn signal rather than assuming intent. Only begin your pass once that car has cleared the intersection or is clearly waiting for you. If both of you hesitate, make eye contact or use a clear hand signal, and yield rather than compete - a few seconds of delay is always cheaper than a collision.