Right of way — West Virginia Permit Test
Right of way on the West Virginia permit test — 8 rules, each with the reason behind it and a question on it while it is fresh.
The rules
Right of way is something to be given, not taken: if another driver does not follow the rules, give it to them anyway.
Being right does not stop the other car, and insisting on it is how a crash happens.
Remember, in every situation, right-of-way is something to be given, not taken.
When entering a public street or highway from an alley, private road or driveway, you must yield to traffic already on the roadway.
You are joining a road where nobody expects a car to appear.
Entering traffic - When entering a public street or highway from an alley private road or driveway you must yield to traffic already on the roadway.
At an uncontrolled intersection or a four-way stop, if you reach it at the same time as another vehicle, yield to the driver on the right.
Somebody has to go first, and a rule both drivers know beats two people waving each other on.
Uncontrolled intersections and four-way stop intersections - If you reach the intersection at the same time as another vehicle yield to the driver on the right.
At an intersection with a yield sign, slow down before reaching it, then yield to any vehicle in the intersection and to approaching traffic.
Yielding means fitting into a gap, and you cannot judge a gap at full speed.
Intersections with yield signs - Slow down before reaching the intersection then yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection and to approaching traffic.
You must yield to any emergency vehicle sounding a siren and showing flashing warning lights: pull to the right edge of the road clear of the intersection and stop until it has passed, keeping your foot on the brake so the driver knows you are stopped.
The crew needs one clear line through the traffic, and it has to be the same line every time.
Pull over to the right edge of the road clear of the intersection and stop until the emergency vehicle has passed. Keep your foot on the brake so the emergency driver knows you are stopped.
After an emergency vehicle passes, watch for other emergency vehicles before going on.
They often travel in twos, and the second one is the one nobody expects.
Watch for other emergency vehicles before proceeding.
Directions given by a police officer overrule the message of any sign, signal or road marking.
The officer can see what the sign cannot: what is happening right now.
Police Officer - Directions of a police officer overrule the message of any sign signal or road marking.
Yielding to a funeral procession is a courtesy rather than a legal duty: once the lead vehicle has cleared an intersection the rest of the procession has the right of way, and you should not cut in or out of it.
The line moves as one, and a car cutting in leaves both halves guessing.
Although not required by law it is a courtesy to yield to vehicles in a funeral procession.
On the test
What does the handbook say about right of way?
It is something to be given, not taken. Being right does not stop the other car, and insisting on it is how a crash happens. West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, p.49: “Remember, in every situation, right-of-way is something to be given, not taken.”
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
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Where these come from
Every rule here is checked against West Virginia Driver's Licensing Handbook, published by the West Virginia Department of Transportation, and against the state code itself. Last checked 2026-09-06.