Four-way stops are a common source of driver frustration. The need to completely stop in the absence of other traffic can feel like a waste of time. Additionally, other drivers do not always consistently follow the rules regarding who has the right of way.
Police officers near intersections may pull drivers over after witnessing behavior that seems to violate traffic statutes. Failing to yield at an intersection is a common traffic error and also a frequent cause of intersection collisions.
In some cases, police officers who accuse a driver of failing to yield may have misunderstood the situation and stopped a person who did not commit a traffic violation. Those drivers may be able to fight their tickets.
Who has the right of way?
North Carolina traffic statutes are very clear about right-of-way at a four-way stop. Whoever arrives at the intersection first is the one with the right to proceed through the intersection first.
If two drivers arrive at roughly the same time, then the driver on the left should yield to the driver on the right. Sometimes, officers might assume that a driver failed to yield when, in fact, they were the person who reached the intersection first.
Other times, visual communication between the motorists may have resulted in one driver yielding the right of way to the other through hand gestures or similar nonverbal communication. Witness statements, dash cam footage and other evidence could potentially help those accused of failing to yield at an intersection fight the charges they face.
Reviewing what led to a failure to yield traffic ticket with a North Carolina defense attorney could help drivers avoid not just the fine associated with the failure to yield but also the potential driver’s license consequences of moving violations and the insurance ramifications of a traffic ticket. Discussing the ticket itself and what happened before the traffic stop can help drivers avoid costly and disruptive penalties imposed due to non-compliance with traffic statutes.