Yield and intersections — Maryland Permit Test

Yield and intersections on the Maryland permit test — 9 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.

The rules

Drivers must come to a stop for pedestrians crossing in marked and unmarked crosswalks.

A crosswalk exists to make crossing predictable; a driver who does not yield removes the only protection a pedestrian has.

Drivers must yield the right-of-way to a blind or partially blind pedestrian using a guide dog or carrying a white or metallic cane.

A white cane or guide dog signals that the pedestrian cannot see you or judge your speed, so the whole judgment falls to you.

At an intersection with no signs or signals, yield to a vehicle that arrives first; when two vehicles arrive at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.

Someone has to yield, so the law picks a rule everyone knows in advance rather than leaving it to guesswork.

At a four-way stop, the first vehicle to stop proceeds first; if two vehicles stop at the same time, the driver on the left yields to the driver on the right.

First to stop goes first is a rule that works without anyone communicating; ties go right so there is always an answer.

A driver turning left must yield to oncoming traffic and complete the turn only when it is safe.

A left turn crosses the path of oncoming traffic, so the turning driver is the one who must wait for a safe gap.

A driver entering a roadway from a driveway, alley, or private road must stop, then yield to all approaching vehicles and pedestrians.

A driveway is not a road, so traffic already on the road has no reason to expect you and no duty to make room.

At a yield sign, slow down and be prepared to stop; yield to all traffic and pedestrians on the roadway you are entering.

A yield sign means the other road has priority; you slow enough to stop, because you may have to.

Drivers merging onto a highway must yield to traffic already on the highway and use the acceleration lane to match the speed of traffic before merging.

Traffic on the highway cannot easily move over or slow down, so the ramp is where the adjusting is done.

A green light does not guarantee the right-of-way: enter the intersection only after yielding to vehicles and pedestrians still in it.

A green light gives you permission to go, not a guarantee that the intersection is empty.

On the test

Two vehicles arrive at an uncontrolled intersection at the same time. Who yields?

The driver on the left yields to the driver on the right. Someone has to yield, so the law picks a rule everyone knows in advance rather than leaving it to guesswork.

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.

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Where these come from

Every rule here is checked against Maryland Driver's Manual, published by the Maryland Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Administration, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-08-29.