Driver's License Test Prep
Oregon Practice Right of Way

You're approaching an Oregon intersection without painted crosswalk lines, and a pedestrian steps off the corner to cross. Who has the right of way?

  1. A.
    The pedestrian; a crosswalk exists at every Oregon intersection, marked or not. Correct
  2. B.
    Whoever reaches the intersection first.
  3. C.
    The pedestrian, only if a sidewalk runs to at least one corner.
  4. D.
    You do, because pedestrians can only legally cross at marked crosswalks.
The Why

The answer is "The pedestrian; a crosswalk exists at every Oregon intersection, marked or not."

There is a crosswalk at every Oregon intersection, even when no painted lines are present, and it exists whether or not a sidewalk or shoulder reaches the corner. Drivers who half-remember the manual's "imagine the sidewalk extends to the other side" test conclude an actual sidewalk must be present and pick C.

Why the others miss

The traps in the wrong answers

B. Whoever reaches the intersection first.

The pedestrian has the right of way at any marked or unmarked crosswalk, regardless of who arrived first. This answer applies a two-vehicle first-to-arrive habit to a situation the crosswalk rule already resolves in the pedestrian's favor.

C. The pedestrian, only if a sidewalk runs to at least one corner.

The unmarked crosswalk exists even when there is no sidewalk or shoulder, so the pedestrian still has the right of way here. This answer reads the manual's 'imagine a sidewalk extending to the other side' test as requiring an actual sidewalk rather than an imagined one.

D. You do, because pedestrians can only legally cross at marked crosswalks.

Oregon recognizes an unmarked crosswalk at every intersection, and drivers must yield to pedestrians crossing there. This answer treats visible paint as what creates a crosswalk, so a pedestrian at an unmarked corner reads as jaywalking rather than the crossing the Oregon manual protects.

The Rule

This question tests your knowledge of Right of Way in Oregon. Source: Oregon Driver Manual, "Sharing the Road: Pedestrians," p.47..

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