You arrive at a 4-way stop before any other vehicle. What should you do?

Come to a complete stop, then go first when it is safe

Wait for the other drivers to wave you through

Yield to every vehicle that arrives after you

Slow down and roll through if no one is in the intersection

Two vehicles stop at a 4-way stop at the same time, at right angles to each other. Which one goes first?

The vehicle going straight, whatever its position

You are turning left at an intersection on a solid green light. An oncoming car is going straight. Who has the right-of-way?

The oncoming car; you must yield before turning

You, because you entered the intersection first

You, because the light is green for both

A pedestrian is crossing at a corner that has no painted crosswalk lines. You must:

Yield, because an unmarked crosswalk exists at most intersections

Proceed, because the crosswalk is not marked

Yield only if there is a traffic signal

An ambulance with its siren and flashing lights is coming up behind you. You should:

Pull to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes

You are leaving a parking lot and entering a public street across a sidewalk. You must yield to:

All pedestrians on the sidewalk and all vehicles on the street

Only vehicles coming from your left

Only vehicles turning into the lot

You are about to enter a single-lane roundabout. A car is already circulating and approaching from your left. You should:

Enter first, because you are on its right

Stop inside the roundabout to let it pass

On a two-lane road with no median, a school bus coming toward you stops with its red lights flashing and stop arm out. You must:

Stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the arm is pulled back

Continue, because the bus is on the other side

Stop only if children are visible

A pedestrian using a white cane is waiting to cross the street in front of you. You should:

Stop and let the pedestrian cross

Honk to let them know you are there

Wait only if the signal shows WALK

You are entering a freeway from an on-ramp. Who has the right-of-way?

You, because the ramp merges into the freeway

A police car is stopped on the shoulder with its emergency lights flashing. Under Move Over laws you should:

Move over a lane if you safely can; otherwise slow down

You want to turn right on a red light. Which statement is correct?

After a complete stop, you may turn if you yield to pedestrians and traffic, unless a sign prohibits it

You may turn without stopping if no one is coming

Right turns on red are illegal in every state

You must wait for a green arrow

At a T-intersection with no signs or signals, which driver must yield?

The driver on the road that ends

The driver who arrives last, whatever road they are on

You have the right-of-way, but another driver pulls out in front of you without yielding. What should you do?

Slow down or stop to avoid a crash

Keep going, since you have the right-of-way

Swerve onto the shoulder at full speed

Your light turns green, but a car is still crossing the intersection in front of you. You should:

Wait until the car has cleared the intersection

Go, because you have a green light

Right-of-Way Questions for the Permit Test, Explained

Right-of-way questions ask who must yield in a given situation, and they are some of the most-missed on the DMV permit test. The core rules: the first car to stop at a 4-way stop goes first, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right, left turns yield to oncoming traffic, and everyone yields to pedestrians and emergency vehicles. Test yourself with the 15 questions below.

Updated on 2026-11-06 · Ver en español

DMVPermitUSA is an independent study tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or operated by any state DMV, BMV, MVD, DPS or other government agency. Always check your state's official driver handbook and DMV website for current requirements.

Practice right-of-way questions · Take a full mock exam

You arrive at a 4-way stop before any other vehicle. What should you do? A. Wait for the other drivers to wave you through / B. Yield to every vehicle that arrives after you / C. Come to a complete stop, then go first when it is safe / D. Slow down and roll through if no one is in the intersection. Answer: C. Come to a complete stop, then go first when it is safe. At an all-way stop, vehicles go in the order they arrived. The first to come to a complete stop goes first, after checking for pedestrians.
Two vehicles stop at a 4-way stop at the same time, at right angles to each other. Which one goes first? A. The vehicle on the right / B. The vehicle on the left / C. The larger vehicle / D. The vehicle going straight, whatever its position. Answer: A. The vehicle on the right. When two vehicles arrive at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
You are turning left at an intersection on a solid green light. An oncoming car is going straight. Who has the right-of-way? A. You, because you entered the intersection first / B. Whoever signals first / C. You, because the light is green for both / D. The oncoming car; you must yield before turning. Answer: D. The oncoming car; you must yield before turning. A solid green circle allows a left turn but does not protect it. Left-turning drivers yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk.
A pedestrian is crossing at a corner that has no painted crosswalk lines. You must: A. Proceed, because the crosswalk is not marked / B. Yield, because an unmarked crosswalk exists at most intersections / C. Honk to warn the pedestrian / D. Yield only if there is a traffic signal. Answer: B. Yield, because an unmarked crosswalk exists at most intersections. Most intersections have an unmarked crosswalk where the sidewalks meet the road. Drivers must yield to pedestrians in marked and unmarked crosswalks.
An ambulance with its siren and flashing lights is coming up behind you. You should: A. Speed up to stay ahead of it / B. Stop immediately in your lane / C. Pull to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes / D. Move into the left lane. Answer: C. Pull to the right edge of the road and stop until it passes. Pull over to the right edge of the road and stop, staying out of intersections, until the emergency vehicle has passed. If you are in an intersection, clear it first.
You are leaving a parking lot and entering a public street across a sidewalk. You must yield to: A. All pedestrians on the sidewalk and all vehicles on the street / B. Only vehicles coming from your left / C. Only vehicles turning into the lot / D. No one, if you signal. Answer: A. All pedestrians on the sidewalk and all vehicles on the street. A driver entering a road from a driveway, alley, parking lot or private road must yield to pedestrians on the sidewalk and to all traffic on the road.
You are about to enter a single-lane roundabout. A car is already circulating and approaching from your left. You should: A. Enter first, because you are on its right / B. Yield and wait for a safe gap / C. Honk and enter together / D. Stop inside the roundabout to let it pass. Answer: B. Yield and wait for a safe gap. Traffic already in a roundabout has the right-of-way. Yield to circulating vehicles coming from your left and to pedestrians, then enter when there is a safe gap.
On a two-lane road with no median, a school bus coming toward you stops with its red lights flashing and stop arm out. You must: A. Slow down and pass carefully / B. Continue, because the bus is on the other side / C. Stop only if children are visible / D. Stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the arm is pulled back. Answer: D. Stop and remain stopped until the lights stop flashing and the arm is pulled back. On an undivided road, traffic in both directions must stop for a school bus with flashing red lights. On a divided highway, oncoming traffic often does not have to stop, but the rule varies by state.
A pedestrian using a white cane is waiting to cross the street in front of you. You should: A. Stop and let the pedestrian cross / B. Honk to let them know you are there / C. Drive around them slowly / D. Wait only if the signal shows WALK. Answer: A. Stop and let the pedestrian cross. In every state, a pedestrian who is blind or visually impaired, using a white cane or a guide dog, has the right-of-way. Stop and wait; do not honk, which can be confusing.
You are entering a freeway from an on-ramp. Who has the right-of-way? A. You, because the ramp merges into the freeway / B. The faster vehicle / C. Traffic already on the freeway / D. Whoever signals first. Answer: C. Traffic already on the freeway. Drivers entering a freeway must yield to traffic already on it. Use the acceleration lane to match speed, signal, and merge into a safe gap.
A police car is stopped on the shoulder with its emergency lights flashing. Under Move Over laws you should: A. Keep your speed and lane / B. Move over a lane if you safely can; otherwise slow down / C. Stop behind the police car / D. Honk to alert the officer. Answer: B. Move over a lane if you safely can; otherwise slow down. All 50 states have Move Over laws. Change lanes away from the stopped vehicle when safe; if you cannot, slow down well below the limit. Many states also cover tow trucks and utility vehicles.
You want to turn right on a red light. Which statement is correct? A. You may turn without stopping if no one is coming / B. Right turns on red are illegal in every state / C. You must wait for a green arrow / D. After a complete stop, you may turn if you yield to pedestrians and traffic, unless a sign prohibits it. Answer: D. After a complete stop, you may turn if you yield to pedestrians and traffic, unless a sign prohibits it. Every state allows right on red after a full stop and yielding, unless a NO TURN ON RED sign is posted or local law forbids it, as in New York City.
At a T-intersection with no signs or signals, which driver must yield? A. The driver on the through road / B. The driver who arrives last, whatever road they are on / C. The driver on the road that ends / D. The driver turning right. Answer: C. The driver on the road that ends. The driver on the road that ends (the stem of the T) yields to vehicles and pedestrians on the through road.
You have the right-of-way, but another driver pulls out in front of you without yielding. What should you do? A. Slow down or stop to avoid a crash / B. Keep going, since you have the right-of-way / C. Speed up to get past first / D. Swerve onto the shoulder at full speed. Answer: A. Slow down or stop to avoid a crash. Right-of-way is given, not taken. If another driver fails to yield, you must still do what you reasonably can to avoid a collision.
Your light turns green, but a car is still crossing the intersection in front of you. You should: A. Go, because you have a green light / B. Wait until the car has cleared the intersection / C. Honk and go / D. Go around it. Answer: B. Wait until the car has cleared the intersection. A green light lets you go only when the way is clear. Yield to vehicles and pedestrians still in the intersection before you move.

What right-of-way questions cover on the DMV test

Right-of-way questions describe a situation in words — two cars at a 4-way stop, a left turn on green, a school bus on the other side of the road — and ask who must yield. They come up on every state's knowledge test, and they are often missed because the reader has to picture the scene before applying the rule.

The key idea is that state laws are written as duties to yield, not rights to go. The correct answer is almost never to insist on your turn; it is to yield, or to let the other driver go if they do not yield. Expect questions on stop signs, uncontrolled and T-intersections, turns, roundabouts, pedestrians and cyclists, emergency vehicles, school buses and freeway merges.

The rules behind the most-missed questions

Run through this order of questions whenever you face a right-of-way scenario:

Is there a police officer, signal or sign? Follow it first. An officer's directions override signals and signs.
Is a pedestrian in or entering a crosswalk? Marked or unmarked, the pedestrian goes first. A person with a white cane or guide dog always does.
Who arrived first? At all-way stops and uncontrolled intersections, first to arrive goes first.
Same time? The driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.
Is someone turning left? The left-turning driver yields to oncoming traffic going straight or turning right.
Is someone entering the road? Drivers coming from a driveway, a road that ends at a T, or an on-ramp yield to traffic already on the road. In a roundabout, entering traffic yields to circulating traffic.

School bus and emergency vehicle questions are about stopping, not just yielding. For a school bus with flashing red lights on an undivided road, both directions stop. Divided-highway rules vary by state.

How to study right-of-way

Sketch each scenario with small boxes for cars and arrows for their paths; paths that cross are where someone must yield. Our right-of-way rules guide has a table for every type of intersection.

Then practice with real test-style scenarios in the topic practice tests and take a full mock exam. Right-of-way overlaps with signals, so also try the traffic signal and marking questions.

Right-of-way questions FAQ

Who has the right-of-way at a 4-way stop?

The first vehicle to stop completely goes first. If two stop at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right, and a left-turning driver yields to an oncoming driver going straight.

Does a green light give me the right-of-way?

It gives you permission to go, but you must still yield to pedestrians and vehicles already in the intersection, and to oncoming traffic when turning left on a solid green.

Do I have to stop for a school bus on the other side of the road?

On an undivided road, yes. On a divided highway with a median or barrier, oncoming traffic usually does not have to stop, but rules differ by state, so check your handbook.

Who goes first in a roundabout?

Vehicles already circulating. Drivers entering yield to traffic coming from the left and to pedestrians in the crosswalk.

Can I be at fault even if I had the right-of-way?

Yes. Every driver must try to avoid a crash. If you could have avoided a collision with a driver who failed to yield, you may share the blame.