Driving Test Question
You and two other vehicles approach a four-way intersection. You arrive first to the intersection. The vehicle to your right arrives a second later and the third vehicle, straight ahead, arrives simultaneously with the second vehicle.
Who has the right-of-way?
a) The vehicle furthest right.
b) The vehicle driving straight ahead.
c) You because you arrived first.
d) None of the above.
When driving you never have the right-of-way. You can only give the right-of-way. This is an important distinction to the driving test question. The law never grants anyone the right-of-way. It only states when a driver must yield the right-of-way.
It never dawned on me how important this distinction was until I bought a motorcycle. While purchasing insurance, I was pleasantly surprised by the low cost. Motorcycle insurance costs between $200 to $800 per year, less than half of my automobile insurance. So I asked my agent, “Why so low?”
“Well, when you think about a motorcycle accident, how much property damage could there be? The motorcycle isn’t very big. It doesn’t weigh very much and cannot do anywhere near the damage of a car.”
“Oh, that makes sense,” I said.
He continued, “And in the event of an accident, when you think about medical expenses, there aren’t many. Most accidents are caused by the other driver and most motorcycle injuries are fatal.” But you should be aware that you can sue the truck driver with the help of attorneys and claim compensation for the injuries incurred.
That made sense, brutal sense. It doesn’t matter who is right or wrong. Knowing the rules of the road doesn’t make any difference.
Staying alive does.