Who Must Yield at T-intersections?

According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, there were 39,508 fatal crashes in the United States in a recent year, resulting in 42,939 deaths. Most U.S. road and highway accidents occur due to human errors, including failure to yield at T-intersections.

Failure to adhere to traffic laws significantly contributes to road accidents. To answer the question “who must yield at T-intersections?” Generally, you should yield to the vehicle already at an intersection. With stop sign etiquette, you should yield to the vehicle on the right when in doubt.

When a driver fails to yield the right of way, there’s an increased chance of an accident, which can lead to severe injuries. You may be entitled to compensation if you’ve sustained an injury in an accident caused by failure to yield to the right of way.

More importantly, working with a trusted New York car accident attorney enhances your chances of obtaining a fair settlement value for accident-related losses.

Failure to Yield the Right of Way – A Deadly Problem

In 2021, failure to yield to the right of way resulted in 4,239 fatal crashes; only speeding (18.5%), impaired driving (11,2%) and careless driving (7.6%) contributed to more accidents.

Failure to yield accidents is caused by a variety of factors, including:

• Vehicle Issues: Drivers must keep their vehicles in good working condition. Brake failure can cause the driver to lose control of the vehicle and fail to stop at an intersection to yield the right of way.
• Inexperienced Drivers: New drivers may need more confidence to apply their driving skills and knowledge. It is easy for an inexperienced driver to lack the understanding of when it is right to proceed and when to yield.
• Distracted Drivers: Distracted driving causes a fair share of accidents. A driver texting and driving, grooming, or reading an email may fail to notice a vehicle with a right of way, leading to a failure to yield to an accident.
• Intoxicated Driving: Alcohol impedes a driver’s safe driving skills, including coordination, decision-making, and perceptions. An intoxicated driver will likely drive through an intersection by ignoring the right of way, leading to an accident.

What Does Yield the Right of Way Mean in New York?

Yielding to the right of way means allowing a pedestrian, motorist, or cyclist to move ahead of you or cross a road in front of you.

Besides intersections, there are a variety of locations and situations where yield the right of way applies, including:

• Merging into a Larger Road: Whenever a driver turns into a main road, they must yield to the right of way to oncoming traffic. The rule applies to private roads, driveways, alleys, and side roads.
• Cyclists: Bicycles have the same rules as vehicles and must adhere to right-of-way rules unless under exception.
• Intersections: First, you should obey any traffic rule at an intersection. Vehicles approaching an intersection without traffic lights must obey and yield the right of way to the driver already at the intersection.
• Four-way Stop: Drivers arriving simultaneously at an intersection must yield the right of way to the driver on the right.
• T-intersections: At a T-intersection, the right of way belongs to the driver on the through street. A driver approaching a dead-end cannot turn left or right until they can safely turn without creating a hazard to oncoming traffic.

Yield Signs and Traffic Circles

Traffic Circle

Traffic circles apply to neighborhoods with little traffic. Generally, intersections with traffic circles are safer than those with yield or stop signs. Since traffic is not required to come to a complete stop, drivers have a shorter delay.

Here are a few tips for drivers when navigating a traffic circle:

• Slow down
• Yield to pedestrians crossing your path as you enter or exit the circle
• Look to your left since vehicles already navigating the circle have a right of way
• Use a signal to alert other drivers you’re about to turn
• Watch for large vehicles like trucks and buses. Large buses may not navigate traffic circles as quickly as passenger cars.

Yield Signs

A yield sign is a regulatory sign that requires drivers to move slowly—below 5mph—to see if there is oncoming traffic. A driver who sees a yield sign should slow down and yield the right of way to pedestrians and vehicles approaching from different directions.

Who is Responsible for a Right of Way Accident?

The driver who fails to yield to the right of way is responsible for damages arising from a right-of-way accident. A car accident attorney can help demonstrate the liable driver by compiling key pieces of evidence, including police reports, medical records, eyewitness statements, and video surveillance footage.

Personal injury laws allow victims who sustained injuries in a right-of-way accident to obtain compensation from the at-fault party.

Some of the damages you can obtain include:

• Medical expenses
• Lost wages
• Pain and suffering
• Reduced earning potential
• Mental distress and anguish
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Out-of-pocket expenses
• Loss of companionship

Tips for Understanding Who Has the Right of Way in Several Common Driving Circumstances

If unsure who has the right of way, yield to the other driver in these circumstances:

• At a yield sign
• When returning to a roadway after exiting a parking lot
• To a person using a white cane without a red tip
• To pedestrians in a crosswalk
• When turning left, you must yield to oncoming vehicles, pedestrians, motorcycles, or cyclists.
• At a traffic circle to vehicles already navigating the intersection
• To a person using a seeing-eye guide dog
• At a ‘T’ intersection where you must give way to a vehicle already on the through road

Get Legal Advice from an Experienced NY Car Accident Attorney

If you’ve sustained injuries in a car accident involving a driver who didn’t yield at an intersection, you may face medical bills, lost income, and emotional anguish. You deserve representation from an experienced attorney from The Barnes Firm, who will aggressively fight for your right to compensation. Contact us online or at (800) 800-0000 for a free case evaluation.

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Richard Barnes: “As President of The Barnes Firm, I have dedicated my career to achieving justice in hundreds of cases for the victims of injuries caused through the fault of others. Additionally, I have been honored to have been elected Best Lawyer and a Super Lawyer”

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