Who has the Right-of-way during a Power Outage?
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Chances are you have encountered a traffic light or two with a power outage in your neighborhood recently, adding time to your commute. It may seem like stopping at every single intersection is the safest move, but it is NOT the correct move.
When power outages occur, each intersection with a traffic light should be treated as a four-way yield and NOT a four-way stop, according to Michigan State Police.
Four-way stops can backup very quickly at busy intersections, causing bumper to bumper traffic jams on your drive home.
However, if you do happen to encounter a four-way stop, it is important to move in twos. Meaning, you cross the intersection with either the vehicle behind you or the vehicle in front of you. This two-by-two system helps the flow of traffic and lessens the frequency of the continuous stop and go.
It is also important to remember that if two cars traveling on different roads are approaching the same intersection at about the same speed, the driver on the left should yield to the driver on the right.
Last March, the Michigan State Police tweeted a reminder for drivers to use caution while approaching these intersections and to always use the basic right-of-way requirements, and of course, to always be courteous. Click here to learn more about the right-of-way law.
Angie Krueger is a journalist who enjoys eating to Classic Rock music. She also enjoys listening to it.
