California · Handbook chapter 5 · 9 min read

Chapter 5: Rules of the road

California right-of-way rules at intersections, roundabouts, crosswalks and mountain roads, special speed limits for schools, alleys, blind intersections and railroad crossings, everyday vehicle laws, and how points can cost you your license.

Why this chapter matters

Right-of-way and speed-limit questions make up a large share of the knowledge test. Most of them turn on a single number (15 mph, 25 mph, 500 feet) or a single rule (yield to the vehicle on your right), so learn them precisely.

Right-of-way: who goes first?

The basic rule: the vehicle that reaches the intersection first goes first. But never assume others will give you the right-of-way, and give yours up whenever that prevents a collision. Pedestrians always have the right-of-way.

• No STOP or YIELD signs: first to arrive goes first. If you arrive at the same time as a vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist, yield to the one on your right.
• All-way STOP: stop first, then follow the same rule.
• T intersection without signs: traffic on the through road has the right-of-way.
• Turning left: yield to pedestrians and to any oncoming vehicle close enough to be dangerous.
• Turning right: check for pedestrians and for motorcycles and bicycles beside you.
• Green light: go with care; pedestrians still have the right-of-way.
• Entering traffic: yield to traffic already in the lanes. It is illegal to enter an intersection and block it when you cannot get all the way across before the light turns red.

Roundabouts

Traffic moves counterclockwise around a central island.

1. Slow down as you approach.
2. Yield to all traffic already in the roundabout.
3. Enter to the right when there is a big enough gap.
4. Follow the signs and lane markings. Do not stop or pass inside.
5. Signal when you change lanes or exit.
6. Missed your exit? Go around again.

In a multi-lane roundabout: to turn right, use the right lane and exit in the right lane; to go straight, use either lane and exit in the lane you entered from; to turn left, enter and keep going around until you reach the exit you want.

Pedestrians and crosswalks

Pedestrians, sometimes called vulnerable road users, include people walking, people on roller skates or skateboards, and people with disabilities using a tricycle, quadricycle or wheelchair.

• Whether or not there is a crosswalk, slow down or stop so a crossing pedestrian can finish safely.
• Do not pass a vehicle stopped at a crosswalk. It may be hiding a pedestrian.
• If a pedestrian makes eye contact, assume they are about to cross, and yield.
• Give extra time to seniors, people with small children and people with disabilities.
• Crosswalks are often marked with white lines, school crossings may have yellow lines, and not every crosswalk is marked. Pedestrians have the right-of-way in both.

Blind pedestrians

A pedestrian with a guide dog or white cane has the right-of-way at all times. Take extra care in hybrid and electric vehicles, which are quiet.

• Do not stop in the middle of a crosswalk.
• Do not honk at a blind pedestrian.
• If the person pulls in the cane and steps back from the curb, that usually means you may go.

Mountain roads

When two vehicles meet on a steep, narrow road and neither can pass, the vehicle facing uphill has the right-of-way. The vehicle facing downhill has more control when reversing, so it backs up until the other can pass.

Speed limits to know

Even below the posted limit, you must never drive faster than is safe for conditions. This is the Basic Speed Law (see Chapter 7). Driving too slowly and blocking traffic can also earn a ticket; if you choose to go slower than others, use the right lane, and move right when someone close behind wants to go faster.

School buses

• Flashing yellow lights on a school bus: slow down and prepare to stop.
• Flashing red lights: stop, from either direction, and stay stopped until the children have crossed and the lights stop flashing. Failing to stop can bring a fine of up to $1,000 and a one-year suspension of your driving privilege.
• You do not need to stop if the bus is on the other side of a divided or multilane highway (two or more lanes each way).
• Always obey school crossing guards.

Railroad crossings

• Flashing red lights mean stop and wait. Stay stopped until they stop flashing, even if the gate goes up.
• When a train is coming, stop at least 15 feet from the nearest track.
• Never drive under a lowering gate or around a lowered one. If gates are down and no train is coming, call the posted railroad emergency number or 911.
• Expect a train on any track, from either direction, at any time. Never stop on the tracks, and do not start across unless you can clear them completely.
• Expect buses, school buses and hazardous-load vehicles ahead of you to stop before crossing.

Towing and slow lanes

If you are towing a vehicle or trailer, or driving a truck with three or more axles, use the far-right lane or a lane marked for slower vehicles. On a road with four or more lanes in your direction and no such marking, use only the two right-hand lanes.

Everyday rules worth remembering

• No smoking with a minor in the vehicle.
• Dumping or abandoning an animal on a highway can bring a fine of up to $1,000, six months in jail, or both.
• Do not drive so overloaded that you cannot control the vehicle or see ahead and to the sides, or with an unsecured load.
• Loads may not extend past the left fenders, or more than 6 inches past the right fenders. A load sticking out more than 4 feet behind the rear bumper needs a 12-inch red or fluorescent orange square flag, and at night it must also be marked with two red lights.
• No passengers in the back of a pickup unless there are secure seats and seat belts; animals there must be properly secured.
• No video screen visible to the driver unless it shows only vehicle information, navigation, a media player or the radio.
• Never throw a lit cigarette or anything burning from a vehicle.
• Do not put signs or objects on the windshield or the side or rear windows where they block your view, and hang nothing from the mirror. Items may go only in a 7-inch square in the lower corner of the passenger-side windshield or the rear window, a 5-inch square in the lower corner of the driver's side window, a 5-inch square at the top center of the windshield for a toll device, or on side windows behind the driver.
• Do not cut into a funeral procession; it has the right-of-way.
• Keep license plates readable and unaltered.

Serious offenses

• Using a vehicle to flee or evade police is a misdemeanor punishable by up to one year in county jail. Causing serious injury in a pursuit can mean up to seven years in state prison; manslaughter in a pursuit carries 4 to 10 years.
• If an unlicensed person is caught driving your car, it may be impounded for 30 days.
• Reckless driving or a speed contest that injures someone can bring prison, a fine or both.

Points and your driving record

When you sign a traffic ticket you promise to appear in court. Failing to appear (FTA) goes on your record and can lead to suspension. Convictions and collisions stay on your record for 36 months or longer.

As an adult, you can be treated as a negligent driver and have your license suspended for:

• 4 points in 12 months,
• 6 points in 24 months, or
• 8 points in 36 months.

For a one-point violation, a judge may let you attend traffic violator school so the ticket is not reported to your insurer (it stays on your record). You can do this once in any 18-month period.

A hit-and-run or reckless driving causing injury conviction means the DMV revokes your license. After a suspension or revocation, you need proof of financial responsibility (SR 22/SR 1P) to get a license again.

Provisional (teen) drivers

Collisions or violations in your first 12 months can lead the DMV to restrict or suspend your driving privilege. As a minor, the DMV may act if you have:

• One at-fault collision or conviction: the DMV may take action against your license.
• Two (in any combination): 30 days of driving only with a licensed adult aged 25 or older.
• Three: six months' suspension and one year of probation.
• An alcohol or drug conviction at ages 15 to 20: a one-year suspension or a delay in getting your license.

Turning 18 does not clear existing restrictions, suspensions or probation.

Hearings

If the DMV plans action against your license, request a hearing within 10 days of being served or 14 days from the date the notice was mailed, or you lose the right to one.