You are stopped at a two-way stop intersection in Oregon, intending to turn left. The driver across from you is going straight through. Who has the right of way?
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A.
You do: left turns always have priority.
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B.
Whichever driver arrived first.
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C.
Neither: both must wait for cross traffic.
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D.
The driver going straight through. Correct
The answer is "The driver going straight through."
At intersections with two-way stop signs across from each other, the driver turning left must yield to approaching or oncoming traffic going straight. Choice A tempts drivers thinking of the protected green left-turn arrow (where the left turn actually does have priority) and generalize it into a rule that left turns always go first.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. You do: left turns always have priority.
Left turners yield to oncoming traffic going straight; the priority works the other way. This answer generalizes the protected green left-turn arrow (where the left turn does have priority) into a universal rule that left turns always go first.
B. Whichever driver arrived first.
At a two-way stop with movements across from each other, the rule turns on direction of travel, not arrival order. This answer imports the four-way-stop courtesy of letting the first-arrived driver go, ignoring that the two-way-stop rule is structural.
C. Neither: both must wait for cross traffic.
Cross traffic on the through road is a hurdle both stopped drivers clear first, since that traffic is not stopped. Once it is safe to proceed, the left-turning driver still yields to the one going straight. This answer treats both stopped drivers as equally bound because they both stopped, and never applies the second rule that distinguishes them by direction of movement.
This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Intersections," p.42..
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