Who has the right of way? See Kansas’ 4-way stop guidelines & other rules of the road
Four-way stops can be confusing and even dangerous if you’re not following the rules. But what are the rules exactly?
Kansas’ driving handbook states that the vehicle who reaches the intersection first has the right of way. But what if two vehicles arrive at the same time? Or you weren’t paying enough attention to know who was first? What do you do then?
In either of those scenarios, the rule of thumb shows that drivers should yield the right of way to the vehicle on the right.
The handbook says: “At a 4-way stop, the driver reaching the intersection first should be given the right-of-way by other drivers approaching the 4-way stop. If more than one vehicle arrives at the same time, the vehicle on the right goes first.”
In all cases, when entering an intersection, drivers should be sure that the intersection is cleared before doing so.
“You may not enter an intersection unless you can get through it without blocking traffic flow,” the state handbook reads.
Other common right of way rules
Who has the right of way can change depending on the situation. Here are some examples from the driving handbook:
- Pedestrians have the right of way at all times, no matter the situation.
- Anyone who is on the main road has the right of way when another driver is trying to enter from a roadside, a driveway or alley.
- Vehicles turning right or driving through have the right of way to drivers turning left.
- Vehicles coming from the right should be given the right of way in an uncontrolled intersection (an intersection without stop signs or traffic signals).
