Failure to Yield the Right-of-Way Accidents

People driving vehicles rarely think about the dangers associated with operating them. When someone is driving he or she is operating a deadly weapon.  An average car weighs 5,000 pounds. When operated at moderate to high speeds it becomes a massive metal projectile capable of causing serious injuries.

Your average driver is not focused on the safety of other drivers on the road. Most drivers focus on what is inside their vehicles—music, children, friends, phones, etc. Their cars are their personal space and they are comfortable inside them. Driving is a daily activity and has become second nature to them.

When drivers are comfortable they relax. They are no longer on high alert for safety or focused on the rules of the road. With thousands of drivers on the road, this leads to dangerous situations. One of those situations is when a driver fails to yield the right-of-way to another driver.

Right-of-way laws were established to control who has the right to proceed when driving. Without them, the results would be confusion and crashes. When someone breaks a right-of-way law, a serious car accident and severe injuries may occur. Our Scottsdale personal injury attorneys know these laws and have experience handling car accident cases that result from someone failing to yield the right-of-way.

The right-of-way laws that control Scottsdale and the surrounding areas are set forth in the Arizona Revised Statutes. Some of the most important parts of the right-of-way laws are set forth below:

• A.R.S. 28-771 – When two vehicles enter or approach an intersection from different streets or highways at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right… The vehicle on the terminating street or highway shall yield to the vehicle on the continuing street or highway… A vehicle entering a freeway from an acceleration lane, a ramp or any other approach shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle on the main roadway of the freeway entering the merging area at the same time.

• A.R.S. 28-772 – The driver of a vehicle within an intersection intending to turn left shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle.

• A.R.S. 28-773 – The driver of a vehicle shall stop in obedience to a stop sign…and then proceed with caution yielding to vehicles that are not required to stop and that are within the intersection or are approaching so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard.

• A.R.S. 28-774 – The driver of a vehicle about to enter or cross a highway from a private road or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to all closely approaching vehicles on the highway.

• A.R.S. 28-855 – The driver of a vehicle approaching a yield sign shall slow down in obedience to the sign to a speed reasonable for the existing conditions and shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle in the intersection or approaching on another highway so closely as to constitute an immediate hazard during the time the driver is moving across or within the intersection.

• A.R.S. 28-856 –  The driver of a vehicle emerging from an alley, driveway or building within a business or residence district shall… On entering the roadway, yield the right-of-way to all closely approaching vehicles on the roadway.

Of all the rules of the road that control traffic in Scottsdale and the surrounding areas, the right-of-way rules are some of the most important. They control the flow of traffic and ensure that there is order on the streets. When someone violates one of these laws and disregards the safety of other drivers, our Scottsdale car accident attorneys are ready to help. If you or a loved one was injured by the failure of another to yield the right-of-way, trust your case to one of our Scottsdale personal injury attorneys. We are available now to discuss your case and provide a free consultation.