People can get cited for failure to yield right of way and if they are found guilty, it is a 4 point violation in Virginia. That’s a pretty big deal and can have a big impact on your insurance rates.
But, it’s more important than just points on a license and insurance rates.
Of course, each state has rules on when a person has the right of way and when you should yield the right of way to someone else. Most of us are familiar with those rules, and if not, perhaps we should review the handbook. For example, we all know that Pedestrians have the right of way in a cross-walk and that merging traffic must yield right of way to traffic that is already on the road.
Personally, I like the comment from The California Driver Handbook that says “Right-of-way rules, together with courtesy and common sense, help to promote traffic safety. It is important to respect the right-of-way of others, especially pedestrians, motorcycle riders, and bicycle riders. Never assume other drivers will give you the right-of-way. Yield your right-of-way when it helps to prevent collisions.” (I added the bold for emphasis).
The lesson for today? Know the rules of the road. But remember that it’s more important to use common sense.
There are many variations on this, but I often remember this little poem when I’m driving:
Here lies the body of MichaelO’Day, Who died maintaining his right of way. He was right, dead right, as he sailed along, But he’s just as dead as if he’d been wrong.