Rules of the Road Ai prompt.odt

SECTION 7: RULES OF THE ROAD A. YIELDING RIGHT OF WAY No one should assume he or she automatically has the right-of-way. The situation and circumstances at the intersection must always be considered. You should yield the right-of-way to: The driver who is at or arrives before you at the intersection...

SECTION 7: RULES OF THE ROAD A. YIELDING RIGHT OF WAY No one should assume he or she automatically has the right-of-way. The situation and circumstances at the intersection must always be considered. You should yield the right-of-way to: The driver who is at or arrives before you at the intersection. Drivers in the opposing traffic lane when you are making a left turn. Stop signs control the driver on your right at a four-way intersection if both of you arrive at the intersection at the same time. Drivers on a public highway if you enter the highway from a driveway or a private road. Drivers already on a limited access or interstate highway if you are on the entrance or acceleration ramp. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and other drivers still in the intersection. Remember, courtesy is the key. C. TRAFFIC SIGNALS There are some intersections and other locations where there are single green, yellow, or red lights. In some metropolitan areas, traffic lights are horizontal instead of vertical; the red light is on the left, the yellow light is in the middle, and the green light is on the right. GREEN TRAFFIC LIGHT—you may go through the intersection if it is clear to do so, with caution. GREEN ARROW LIGHT—vehicles may proceed only in the direction of the arrow after yielding to vehicles and pedestrians still in the intersection at the time of the light change. YELLOW TRAFFIC LIGHT—the traffic light is about to change to red. * FLASHING YELLOW TRAFFIC LIGHT—slow down and proceed with caution. You should be prepared to stop for any traffic flow entering the intersection. FLASHING YELLOW ARROW LIGHT—turns are permitted, but first yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians. Oncoming traffic has a green light. Proceed with caution. * RED TRAFFIC LIGHT—you must stop before entering the intersection. You must wait behind the stop line, crosswalk, or intersection until the traffic light turns green. Unless posted otherwise, you may turn right on a red light after coming to a complete stop. FLASHING RED TRAFFIC LIGHT—you must stop behind a stopline, crosswalk, or intersection before entering and use the same procedure as you would at a stop sign by coming to a complete stop, looking both ways before entering the intersection, and yielding the right-of-way. RED ARROW LIGHT (RIGHT TURN)—right turns are not per mitted. Stop and remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown. RED ARROW LIGHT (LEFT TURN)—left turns are prohibited. Stop and remain stopped until an indication to proceed is shown. If the light does not change for some reason and you have been stranded by the red arrow light (left turn), and it is safe to do so, you may turn left from a one-way street onto a one-way street. Regardless of what the traffic lights may indicate, always obey the instructions of police or another peace officer at an intersection. For example, if the light is green and an officer tells you to stop, YOU MUST STOP. Also, even if you want to go straight and an officer indicates that you must turn, you are required to turn. Suppose you approach an intersection where the traffic lights are not working. In that case, you must first come to a complete stop before entering the intersection and yield the right-of-way to any vehicle on the right unless otherwise directed by a peace officer. D. TRAFFIC SIGNS Traffic signs tell you about rules, hazards, roadway locations, roadway directions, and the location of roadway services. These signs’ shape, color, symbols, and words give clues to the type of information they provide. warning signs These signs tell a driver of possible danger ahead, such as warning you to slow down and be prepared to stop if necessary or a hazard or special situation on the roadway ahead. These signs are usually yellow with black lettering or symbols and are diamond-shaped. Some warning signs may be fluorescent yellow, such as school zones, school crossings, and pedestrian crossings. Some common warning signs are shown below. Railroad Crossing Warning Signs Many railroad crossings have signs or signals to caution you about highway-railroad grade crossings. Some standard rail- road crossing warning signs and signals are shown below. A round yellow warning sign with an “X” symbol and black “RR” letters is placed along the road before a highway-railroad grade crossing. The sign cautions you to slow down, look and listen for a train or railroad vehicle, and be prepared to stop if a train is approaching. A white X-shaped sign with “Railroad Crossing” printed on it is located at the highway-railroad grade crossing. When a train or railroad vehicle approaches the intersection, you must stop behind the stop line or before the intersection until the intersection is clear. At highway-railroad grade crossings with more than one train track, the number of tracks will be posted. These signs warn you that there is more than one track and there may be more than one train crossing. Not all highway-railroad grade crossings with more than one train track will have these signs, so it is important to check for more than one track,train, or railroad vehicle at each highway-railroad grade crossing. Not all railroad-grade crossings have lights. When you cross railroad tracks, look both ways and cross the tracks quickly, without stopping. If a train is crossing the highway, you must wait to cross a highway-railroad grade crossing until the train is well down the track, or railroad devices, such as lights and gates, indicate it is safe to cross. If you are approaching railroad tracks and need to stop for traffic or a signal, stop at the stop line before the railroad tracks. Work Zone Signs These are generally diamond or rectangular-shaped and orange with black letters or symbols. These warnings include workers ahead, reduced speed, detours, slow-moving construction equipment, and poor or suddenly changing road surfaces. In work zones, traffic may be controlled by a person with a sign or flag telling you which direction to travel, slow down, or stop. You must follow their instructions. Barriers, such as drums, cones, and tubes (panels), keep traffic out of hazardous work zones. Along with signs and road markings, they guide you safely through the work zone. Fines for speeding in a work zone are doubled. Regulatory Signs These signs are square or rectangular or have a unique shape and are white with black, red, or green letters or symbols. Speed Limit Signs—these black and white signs indicate the maximum legal speed allowed in ideal conditions. Stop Sign—a stop sign has eight sides and is red with white letters. You must stop behind the stop line or crosswalk if one is present. Look for crossing vehicles and pedestrians in all directions and yield the right-of-way. Yield Sign—a yield sign is a red and white downward -pointing triangle with red letters. It means you must slow down and allow traffic with the right-of-way to cross before entering. Shared Center Lane Left Turn Only—this sign tells you where a lane is reserved for left-turning vehicles from either direction and is not to be used for through traffic or passing other vehicles. One-Way Street—these signs tell you that traffic flows only in the direction of the arrow. Do not turn in the opposite direction of the arrow. Never drive the wrong way on a one-way street. Guide Signs These signs are square and rectangular and are green, brown, or blue. They give information on intersecting roads, help direct you to cities and towns, and show points of interest along the highway. Guide signs can also help you find hospitals, service stations, restaurants, and hotels. Route Number Signs The shape and color of route number signs indicate the type of roadway: interstate, U.S., state, city, county, or local road. E. PAVEMENT MARKINGS Pavement markings are lines, arrows, words, or symbols painted on the roadway to give you directions or warnings. They are used to divide lanes, tell you when you may pass other vehicles or change lanes, tell you which lanes to use for turns, define pedestrian walkways, and show where you must stop for signs or traffic signals. Crosswalk And Stop Lines Crosswalks define the area where pedestrians may cross the roadway. When required to stop because of a sign or signal, you must stop behind the stop line, crosswalk, or stop sign or signal. You must yield to pedestrians entering or in a crosswalk. Not all crosswalks are marked. Be alert for pedestrians when crossing intersections. If crosswalks are not apparent, you must stop before entering the intersection. If there is a stop line before the crosswalk, the stop line must be obeyed first. F. OTHER LANE CONTROLS Shared Center Left Turn Lane There is a shared left turn lane in the middle of the roadway on many streets where making a left turn safely is hard. When using a shared left turn lane, check your mirrors; for vehicles ahead, signal left and check your left blind spot. Steer smoothly into the shared left turn lane and when traffic is clear, make your left turn. When making a left turn from a shared turn lane, you may only enter the lane more than 500 feet prior to turning if the last vehicle is more than 500 feet from the intersection. Express Lanes Express lanes are travel lanes on I-15 dedicated to high-occupancy vehicles (2 or more persons) and those single-occupancy vehicles with a registered and active express pass transponder or C decal. Express lanes are identified by double white lines that separate them from the general-purpose lanes. Motorists may only access the express lanes at designated access points, identified by white dashed lines. Access points are about 3,000 feet long and are located at nearly every interchange along the express lanes. Vehicles are recommended to exit the express lanes one interchange before the desired exit. Crossing the double white lines is unsafe and illegal. Note: When being followed by an emergency or police vehicle with flashing lights, it is permissible, when safe to do so, to make a right-hand lane change out of the express lane. Drivers of single-occupant vehicles must purchase an express pass and have an active account connected to a credit or debit card to utilize the express lanes. Carpool Lane The express lanes may be used as a carpool lane for those vehicles with high occupancy (2 or more persons) for free. Motorcycles, buses, and vehicles with registered clean fuel vehicle decals (C decals) may also use the express lane free of charge. Flex Lane A flex lane may be used during rush hours. The lanes may have double-dashed yellow lines to either side. Signals above the lanes show which lane is safe to travel. Some travel lanes are designed to carry traffic in one direction at certain times and in the opposite direction at other times. Before entering the lane, check to see which lanes can be used at that time. A green arrow means you can use the lane. A red X means you cannot use the lane. Merging And Gore Area If you are merging into a lane of traffic, you must yield the right-of-way to all vehicles traveling the continuing lane of traffic which are close enough to be an immediate threat. It is against the law to cross over or to drive in the “gore area.” The gore area is between the solid white lines of a traffic lane and a lane used to either enter or exit from that traffic lane. The gore area can also appear when two highways merge or split. Do not cross over the solid white line. Merge like a zipper. The ZIPPER METHOD is the idea of alternating when merging at a congested merge point (i.e., construction zone.) Use both lanes of traffic until the vehicles reach the merge point, and once the vehicles reach the merge point, alternate, yielding the right-of-way into the single-traffic lane. A violation of this section is an infraction