I have had a request to share some information regarding the laws surrounding controlled intersections. In every accident report, there is a category that the officer completes titled "Contributing Factors." Within this category, there are many choices ranging from road factors and vehicle equipment factors to human factors. Every accident has a contributing factor, and for the most part, each of these contributing factors can either be minimized or eliminated altogether through intervention. If road conditions are degraded, slow down. If vehicle equipment contributed to the accident, a little preventive maintenance is in order. The most common category involves the driver and what they did—or did not do—that contributed to the accident.

The behavior I would like to cover in this article is "Failure to Yield the Right-of-Way" and "Failure to Stop at a Stop Sign." This includes those who stop at stop signs but then proceed when it is not safe to do so, as well as those drivers who do not stop at all. Of the numerous accidents we have responded to over the years, most have been caused by either failure to yield the right-of-way or failure to stop at a stop sign.

There is probably no greater risk when driving than entering a roadway from an intersection or driveway. Drivers pulling out onto a roadway need to consider not only their ability to cross the roadway, but also the safe distance required to merge with vehicles already traveling at the posted speed. That distance is much different when crossing or merging with traffic in a 25 mph zone versus a 55 mph zone. Many times, we see failure-to-stop violations and subsequent accidents at highly visible intersections more often than at intersections where hills or vegetation limit the view of vehicles entering the intersection. This goes back to attentive driving. As drivers, we tend to increase or decrease our attentiveness based on what we perceive as risk. It is usually when our vigilance is lowered that we run into problems.

As drivers, we must maintain focus on what we are doing, especially at critical points in our travels, such as intersections and other points of access. Even if you are the one who has the right-of-way, be vigilant. Do not assume that the vehicle at the stop sign sees you and will wait before pulling out. Do not assume that the vehicle leaving a private driveway sees you. Be ready to react to the unexpected. Just because you are in the right does not mean you cannot help prevent an accident.

I think what our driver's education teachers called this was "defensive driving," and it is just as important for experienced drivers as it is for new drivers.