Intersection right of way — California Permit Test
Intersection right of way on the California permit test — 8 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Where there are no stop or yield signs, and a vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist reaches the intersection at the same time as you, give the right-of-way to the one on your right.
Both drivers need the same answer at the same moment, and the one on the right is it.
However, if a vehicle, pedestrian,
At a stop sign with a stop sign on all four corners, stop first and then follow the ordinary right-of-way rules.
Everyone stops, so the order is decided by who stopped first and then by who is on the right.
If you approach a stop sign and there is a stop sign on all four corners, stop first and proceed as above.
At a T intersection without stop or yield signs, the right-of-way on the through road belongs to vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians alike.
A bicyclist on the through road is going straight on the same road, so nothing about the intersection changes who waits.
T intersections without STOP or YIELD signs: Vehicles, bicyclists,
When turning left, check for pedestrians and give the right-of-way to any pedestrian or approaching vehicle close enough to be dangerous.
A left turn crosses the path of everything coming the other way, on foot or on wheels.
Turning left: Check for pedestrians. Give the right-of-way to any pedestrian or approaching vehicle that is close enough to be dangerous.
When turning right, always check for pedestrians crossing the street and for motorcycles and bicycles riding next to you.
The rider beside your right rear wheel is the one the mirror never shows you.
Turning right: Always check for pedestrians crossing the street, and motorcycles and bicycles riding next to you.
On a green traffic signal light, proceed with caution, because pedestrians have the right-of-way.
The green is about the cars around you, not about the person already in the crosswalk.
Green traffic signal light: Proceed with caution. Pedestrians have the right-of-way.
When entering traffic, proceed with caution and yield to the traffic already in the lanes.
The cars already rolling cannot stop for you as quickly as you can wait for them.
Entering traffic: When entering traffic, you must proceed with caution and yield to the traffic already occupying the lanes.
It is against the law to stop or block an intersection where there is not enough space to cross completely before the light turns red.
A blocked intersection stops the cross traffic that has just been given its green.
It is against the law to stop or block an intersection where there is not enough space to completely cross before the traffic signal light turns red.
On the test
Who goes first when two vehicles reach an uncontrolled intersection together?
The one on the right. Both drivers need the same answer at the same moment, and the one on the right is it. California Driver’s Handbook, p.39: “However, if a vehicle, pedestrian,”
How this works
Most practice tests hand you a bank of questions and leave the manual somewhere else. This one puts them together.
You read one law and the reason behind it, then answer a question on that law while it is still fresh. Get it right and you move on; get it wrong and you have found the gap while it is cheap to fix, not on the morning of the exam.
Learning one rule at a time, and proving it immediately, is what turns a manual you skimmed into something you actually know — and it makes studying feel like getting somewhere rather than like waiting to find out.
What it costs
- One payment, once — not a subscription. Nothing renews and there is nothing to cancel, for an exam you sit one time.
- Free to start: a 10-question test and the first section of cards. No sign-up and no account.
- Paying opens the rest of the cards, unlimited full-length practice tests, and retests built from exactly the questions you got wrong.
- Every level up to Prepared — 3 tests passed in a row.
- Do the work, fail the real exam, and we refund you.
Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against California Driver’s Handbook, published by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-21.
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/CA.pdf (California Driver’s Handbook, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025), retrieved 2026-09-14; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/CA.pages.txt (the pdftotext -layout fixture every citation here was cut against and verified against; sha256 pinned in SOURCES.json)
- src/assets/drivers-manuals/SOURCES.json, CA entry — the folio offset of 6 and its basis, the three non-law pages, the two sign gallery pages, and the record of why California’s exam shape is this app’s own
- docs/plans/chosen-exam-shapes.md section 5 — the decision that a state publishing neither exam figure ships 40/32 with both disclosed
- docs/plans/how-to-build-laws.md — the rule that the handbook is the syllabus and nothing enters this file without a page in it