Right of way, turns and intersections in Wyoming

By the end of this topic you can

• You can decide who goes first at an intersection with no signs or signals.
• You can handle four-way stops and roundabouts correctly.
• You can make a legal turn on red after stopping and yielding.
• You can signal and position the car properly for a turn.

What you need to know and understand

• At an intersection with no signs or signals, yield to traffic coming from your right.
• Drivers turning left yield to oncoming traffic.
• At a four-way stop, the first to stop goes first. If in doubt, yield to the driver on your right.
• In a roundabout, traffic moves counterclockwise and entering drivers yield to traffic already inside.
• You may turn right on red after a full stop unless a sign prohibits it, and left on red from a one-way street onto another one-way street.
• Signal at least 100 feet before an intersection.
• If you enter an intersection while speeding, you give up any right of way you had.

Uncontrolled crossings and four-way stops

Where there are no signs or signals, watch for drivers coming from your right and let them go, no matter who arrived first. If you are turning left, you also yield to oncoming traffic going straight.

At a four-way stop, the driver who stopped first should go first. If two of you arrive together, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. Make eye contact and use hand motions if it helps everyone understand.

Getting through a roundabout

If an emergency vehicle comes while you are inside, continue to your exit, leave the roundabout and then pull over to the right.

1. Slow down as you approach and yield to pedestrians and to traffic already in the roundabout.
2. Look to your left, wait for a gap and merge in.
3. Keep moving once inside. Do not stop in the circle.
4. Signal right as you approach your exit and yield to pedestrians as you leave.

Turning correctly

• Plan ahead and move into the proper lane well before the turn.
• Signal at least 100 feet before the intersection. At higher speeds, signal 4 to 5 seconds ahead.
• Slow down and check for pedestrians and cyclists in your path.
• Turn into the proper lane, then match the flow of traffic.
• On red, stop completely behind the crosswalk or stop line, then turn only after yielding to pedestrians and other vehicles.
• Always stop before entering a road from a driveway, alley, building or parking lot.

Common mistakes

• Going first at an uncontrolled intersection just because you arrived first. Yield to the right.
• Rolling through a right turn on red without a full stop.
• Stopping inside a roundabout to let someone in. Keep moving once you are in the circle.
• Changing lanes in the middle of an intersection. The manual says not to change lanes before or while in one.

Test yourself: Right of way, turns and intersections in Wyoming

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.

Go deeper

• How to Get a Driver’s License in Wyoming
• Wyoming 50 Hour Driving Log and Behind-the-Wheel Certification
• Wyoming Driving Test