You and a driver approaching from your right both come to a complete stop at the same instant at an intersection where every approach has a stop sign. What does the rule require of you?

Why A is correct

When two vehicles stop at the same time at an all-way stop, the vehicle on the right goes first. The rule exists because two drivers cannot reliably agree on who arrived first, and the right-hand rule resolves the deadlock deterministically without any negotiation. It pairs with the primary rule: the driver who stopped first proceeds first when the order of arrival is actually clear. Both drivers still have a duty to confirm the intersection is clear and that the other driver is actually yielding before committing to the manoeuvre.

Why the other options are wrong

B. Whoever has the larger vehicle proceeds first

Vehicle size plays no role at a stop-controlled intersection. A motorcycle that stopped simultaneously with a delivery truck to its left has the right of way over it, and the truck driver is required to wait for the smaller vehicle to clear.

C. You may proceed first because you are already positioned to go straight

Going straight does not create priority. At an all-way stop the deciding factors are the order of stopping and then relative position, and a vehicle positioned to move straight still yields to the vehicle on its right when the stops were simultaneous.

D. You must flash your headlights and wait for the other driver to acknowledge you

Signalling conventions like flashing headlights are not part of the rule and depend on the other driver responding as you expect. The right-hand rule exists precisely so that no gesture or negotiation is required to resolve simultaneous arrivals.

On the road

A mountain crossroads outside Boulder has stop signs on all four approaches. You stop at the same moment as a hatchback on your right. You hold for a beat; the hatchback pulls through. If it hesitates instead, you wait again rather than racing it off the line, because the half-second cost of a second hold is trivial compared with two vehicles entering the same space on different assumptions.

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