Road Rules – Who has the Right of Way When Driving with Power Out?

If you roll up on a darkened stoplight during a power outage, would you know what to do?

When approaching a darkened stoplight, drivers in Washington should:

A) Slow and look for oncoming traffic before proceeding.

B) Come to a full stop and treat the intersection as an all-way stop.

C) Yield to the vehicle on their right.

Give yourself 100% if you answered “B.”

Drivers should treat a darkened stoplight as an all-way stop, coming to a complete stop before they reach the intersection. Then, they may proceed cautiously in the order in which they arrived.

You’ll also want to watch for these what-ifs:

• If a law enforcement officer or other authorized person is directing traffic, follow his or her instructions, regardless of who got there first.
• If you roll up to the intersection at the same time as another car, yield to the driver on your right.
• If a pedestrian is attempting to cross, he or she has priority (the same as at any crosswalk, marked or not).
• If the stoplight is flashing red in all directions, treat it as a four-way stop.
• If the stoplight is flashing yellow in all directions, you don’t have to stop, but you should proceed very cautiously.