You are on a road that ends at a T-intersection with no stop or yield signs. Who has the right-of-way?
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A.
Traffic on the through road going straight. Correct
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B.
Whichever driver reaches the intersection first.
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C.
The vehicle preparing to turn onto the through road.
The answer is "Traffic on the through road going straight."
At an unsigned T-intersection, the driver on the through road has the right-of-way over the vehicle coming from the road that ends, no matter who arrived first. Choice B carries over the general first-to-arrive rule from the uncontrolled-intersection bullet just above, missing that the very next bullet lists a separate rule for T-intersections that overrides it.
The traps in the wrong answers
B. Whichever driver reaches the intersection first.
The through-road driver has priority at a T-intersection regardless of who arrived first. This answer carries the first-to-arrive rule from the preceding uncontrolled-intersection bullet into the T-intersection case, missing the separate T-intersection rule the manual lists right after it.
C. The vehicle preparing to turn onto the through road.
The driver on the road that ends must yield to traffic already on the through road. This answer applies the habit that the driver about to make a move gets priority, which reverses the direction the T-intersection rule assigns.
This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in California. Source: California Driver Manual, "Right-of-Way Rules: Who Goes First? / Intersections / T intersections without STOP or YIELD signs," p.39..
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