My in-laws were visiting us from
Long Island New York this weekend. I had
to go buy some car parts and accessories at Canadian Tire and invited my
father-in-law to come along for the ride and keep me company. He's a retired spy for the city of New York or
at least that is what he hints at whenever we asked them what exactly he did
for a living. He's a fun guy to be with
and conversations with him are always interesting.
As we drove through the rain and
endless stop signs in the West Island he told me that he had just finished his drivers’
refresher's course. Both he and my
mother-in-law take the course every four years which qualifies them for a 10%
discount in their automobile insurance. Although I'm not aware of any such incentives in Québec it might be a
good idea to implement such a program here.
He was amazed to see the number of
four-way stop signs at Montréal intersections. In New York they are quite a bit rarer. Nonetheless four-way stop signs were a topic of discussion at his recent
refresher course. He said that everyone
was confused by the right-of-way rules and even the instructor wasn't entirely
sure who goes first if everyone arrives at a stop sign at the same time.
The Highway Safety Code of Québec
has several paragraphs devoted to stop signs. Oddly enough paragraph number 368 which is stop sign rule sends you off
to paragraph 360 which in turn is completed by paragraphs 369 and 370.
No one ever said the law was easy.
Paragraph 368 of the Code reads as
follows:
Stop sign.
368. The driver of a road vehicle or any
person riding a bicycle must stop his vehicle when facing a stop sign, and
comply with section 360.
One might think that when drafting this ever important piece of
legislation
the lawmakers might have included the details that could be
found in paragraph 360. They did not. So let's look at paragraph 360. It reads as follows:
Flashing red light.
360. Unless otherwise directed by a sign
or signal, when facing a flashing red light, the driver of a road vehicle or
any person riding a bicycle must stop his vehicle and yield the right of way to
a vehicle approaching on another roadway that is entering the intersection, or
is so close that it constitutes a hazard.
Essentially, when you come up to a
stop sign you must stop your vehicle and yield the right-of-way to the other
car if it is already entering the intersection or is so close to you that your proceeding through the intersection would cause an
accident. This rule applies when you
have a stop sign and the other guys don't. Interestingly enough all of the stop sign rules apply equally to bicycle
riders and automobile drivers.
Sections 369 and 370 of The Code
tell you what to do when you come to a two or four-way stop sign intersection.
Two-way stop sign.
369. At an intersection regulated by stop
signs installed for only one roadway, the driver of a road vehicle or any
person riding a bicycle who is facing a stop sign must stop his vehicle and
yield the right of way to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the roadway he is
about to cross or enter.
Four-way stop sign.
370. At an intersection regulated by stop
signs for all directions, the driver of a road vehicle or any person riding a
bicycle must stop his vehicle and yield the right of way to any vehicle having
reached the intersection before him. He must also yield the right of way to
pedestrians crossing the roadway he is about to cross or enter.
While all this law may be
interesting for some it does not actually answer my father-in-law's question as
to who goes first when everybody reaches the intersection at a four-way stop at
the same time. Here then are the three
simple rules to remember when coming to a four-way stop.
Rule number one: The first car to
stop should be the first car to go.
Rule number two: The first vehicle
to enter the intersection should be the first one to go through it.
Rule number three: If two or more
vehicles stop simultaneously THEN THE CAR ON YOUR RIGHT GETS TO GO FIRST. The car on your left waits for you.
Now we've cleared that up. Happy motoring Dad.
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