Right of Way & Intersections — Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania permit practice test: 355 free practice questions (140 official sample questions · Official driver handbook). Official test format: 18 Q, pass 15. Right of Way & Intersections: 13 questions.
Who goes first at intersections, roundabouts, merges and uncontrolled crossings.
This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines.
| Topic / Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Topic | Right of Way & Intersections |
| License test | Pennsylvania Car learner's permit test |
| Topic questions | 13 (4% of 355 total) |
| Review status | This topic page is still being reviewed against the official handbook. Until review is finished it is hidden from search engines. |
Official handbook
pa.gov ✓ Verified from official source
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Questions (13)
1. WHEN NO SIGNS, SIGNALS, OR POLICE TELL YOU WHAT TO DO AT AN INTERSECTION, THE LAW STATES THAT:
- Drivers on the right must yield to drivers on the left
- There are no laws stating who must yield
- Drivers going straight must yield to drivers turning left at the intersection
- Drivers turning left must yield to drivers going straight through the intersection ✓
Answer: D. Drivers turning left must yield to drivers going straight through the intersection
Drivers turning left must yield to drivers going straight through the intersection. The handbook's general right-of-way rules say a driver turning left must yield to oncoming vehicles that are going straight ahead. When no sign, signal, or police officer directs traffic at an intersection, that rule still tells you who goes first. The driver going straight through may proceed, and the left-turning driver waits until it is safe. This matches the answer about left-turning drivers yielding to drivers going straight through.
2. YOU ARE WAITING TO TURN LEFT AT A MULTILANE INTERSECTION, AND OPPOSING TRAFFIC IS BLOCKING YOUR VIEW, YOU SHOULD:
- Accelerate rapidly when the first lane you need to cross is clear
- Wait until you can see all the lanes you need to cross before going ahead with your turn ✓
- Wait for the opposing driver to wave you across the intersection
- Edge your car into each lane of opposing traffic as soon as it clears
Answer: B. Wait until you can see all the lanes you need to cross before going ahead with your turn
Wait until you can see all the lanes you need to cross before you go ahead with your left turn. The handbook presents this exact situation and gives that answer: when opposing traffic blocks your view at a multilane intersection, you wait until all the lanes you need to cross are visible before proceeding. If a lane is hidden, you cannot tell whether a vehicle is coming in it, so starting the turn would mean moving without knowing the path is clear. The passage on crossing traffic also says to make sure your path is not blocked and to wait until you are sure you can clear the intersection.
3. THE LAW GIVES _______ THE RIGHT OF WAY AT INTERSECTIONS.
- No one ✓
- Drivers turning left
- Drivers going straight
- Drivers turning right
Answer: A. No one
The law gives no one the right of way at intersections. The Pennsylvania manual says the law does not give anyone the right of way at an intersection. It only says who must yield. It also says that if a driver who should yield fails to do so, other drivers still must stop or yield as needed to avoid a crash, and you should never insist on having the right of way. So no group, such as drivers going straight, turning left, or turning right, is automatically granted the right of way.
4. DRIVERS ENTERING A ROUNDABOUT OR TRAFFIC CIRCLE:
- Must stop before entering
- Must yield to drivers in the roundabout or traffic circle ✓
- Have the right of way if they arrive first
- Have the right of way if there are two lanes
Answer: B. Must yield to drivers in the roundabout or traffic circle
Drivers entering a roundabout or traffic circle must yield to the drivers already circulating inside it. The handbook describes the approach step by step: slow down, pull up to the yield line, look left, and wait for a gap before entering, because traffic already in the circle has the right of way. It also notes that the most common crash at roundabouts happens when a driver fails to yield on entry. So the entering driver gives way to those already inside, and takes the right of way only after entering.
5. Drivers entering a roundabout or traffic circle:
- Must always stop before entering.
- Must yield to drivers already in the roundabout or traffic circle. ✓
- Have the right-of-way if there is one lane.
- Have the right-of-way if there are two lanes.
Answer: B. Must yield to drivers already in the roundabout or traffic circle.
Drivers entering a roundabout or traffic circle must yield to drivers already in the roundabout or traffic circle. The handbook tells you to slow down as you approach, pull up to the yield line, and look left for traffic already moving in the circle. It states plainly that circulating traffic has the right-of-way, so a driver entering must wait for an adequate gap instead of pushing in. The manual also notes that failing to yield before entering is the most frequent cause of crashes at roundabouts. That points directly to yielding to drivers already in the roundabout or traffic circle, not to claiming the right-of-way based on lane count.
6. You want to turn left at an intersection. The light is green but oncoming traffic is heavy. You should:
- Use the next intersection.
- Wait at the crosswalk for traffic to clear.
- Wait in the center of the intersection for traffic to clear. ✓
- Take the right-of-way since you have a green light.
Answer: C. Wait in the center of the intersection for traffic to clear.
7. At a four-way stop:
- The driver to arrive first has the right-of-way. ✓
- The driver to arrive last has the right-of-way.
- One driver should continue driving without stopping.
- One driver should wave the other drivers ahead.
Answer: A. The driver to arrive first has the right-of-way.
The driver who arrives first at a four-way stop goes first and has the right-of-way. The handbook describes a four-way stop as having four stop signs, one for each direction, so all traffic must stop. It says the vehicle that gets there first should go forward first. That is the rule behind this answer. It also covers ties: when two arrive together, the one on the left gives way to the one on the right. The question asks who has the right-of-way, and the first arrival is the one the manual names.
8. An intersection has no traffic signs or signals. You arrive at the same time as a vehicle to your right. You should:
- Speed up and get through the intersection.
- Slow down and yield to the vehicle on your right. ✓
- Drive into the intersection and make the other vehicle stop.
- Honk your horn and drive through the intersection.
Answer: B. Slow down and yield to the vehicle on your right.
You should slow down and yield to the vehicle on your right. The manual's rule for intersections with no signals or signs covers this case: if two cars from different roads get there at roughly the same moment, the car on the left gives way to the car on the right. You are the driver on the left, so you slow down and let the vehicle on your right go first. That rule decides who proceeds when nothing else controls the intersection.
9. When dealing with pedestrians, a driver must:
- Make sure the pedestrian is aware of their vehicle.
- Always yield the right-of-way, even if the pedestrian is in the wrong. ✓
- Yield the right-of-way only when the pedestrian is legally entitled to it.
- Slow down and sound their horn near a crosswalk.
Answer: B. Always yield the right-of-way, even if the pedestrian is in the wrong.
You must always yield the right-of-way to pedestrians, even if the pedestrian is in the wrong. The Pennsylvania manual warns that pedestrians may not know or follow their responsibilities at traffic and pedestrian signals, and it says to be alert for them. In that same section it gives a broad instruction: always yield to pedestrians. That rule is not limited to pedestrians who are legally entitled to cross at that moment. Other passages add specific duties, such as slowing for blind pedestrians and yielding to people in crosswalks, but the pedestrian-signal section directly supports this answer.
10. When no signs, signals, or police tell you what to do at an intersection, the law states:
- That drivers on the right must yield to drivers on the left.
- Nothing. There are no laws stating who must yield.
- That drivers going straight must yield to drivers turning left at the intersection.
- That drivers turning left must yield to drivers going straight through the intersection. ✓
Answer: D. That drivers turning left must yield to drivers going straight through the intersection.
Drivers turning left must yield to drivers going straight through the intersection. The handbook's intersection rules say a left-turning driver has to wait for approaching traffic continuing straight ahead. It also sets out default right-of-way rules for intersections, so there are laws on this point even when no sign, signal, or police officer directs traffic. In this situation, the driver making the left turn waits while the through driver goes ahead.
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Last checked: 2026-10-17 · Verified from official source
Updated: · 140 official sample questions · Official driver handbook