Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one? - Focaljet

**rpvitiello** · 03-27-2005, 08:44 PM

Now the US does not used priority road signs to tell you if other intersecting roads have to stop, now without these how are you suppose to be able to tell if an intersection is uncontrolled or not? Now in some situations you can see if the other road has a stop or yield sign, but if you can't see it how are you suppose to know if they have to stop or not?

So how the hell are you suppose to know if your in an uncontrolled intersection or not?

**EVIL_WICKED_ONE** · 03-27-2005, 08:46 PM

In California you do have signs that say things like, "cross traffic does not stop" and stuff like that, but if you are not sure you can also look at the ground for signs of any type of traffic control

**CaysE** · 03-27-2005, 08:48 PM

If there is no stop or yield sign for you, you have right of way. If you're at a yield sign, traffic that is merging with your lane has right of way and you must let them go first. If you're at a stop sign and there is traffic coming towards your intersection from either side, you wait until they stop or pass through. Not that hard.

**BackNFocus** · 03-27-2005, 08:48 PM

never been through an "uncontorlled" intersection technically but i have driven with people who have and it does say "traffic dont stop" or something like that. I say ehh better to stop then get smashed but thats just me.

**Jared** · 03-27-2005, 09:15 PM

You should be a trafficologist. And if that isn't a job then make it up. You worry about this stuff wayyyy too much

**Hocky** · 03-27-2005, 09:18 PM

Quote:

never been through an "uncontorlled" intersection technically but i have driven with people who have and it does say "traffic dont stop" or something like that. I say ehh better to stop then get smashed but thats just me.

Quite often out in the country there will be no signs at all....

**Jared** · 03-27-2005, 09:23 PM

I just always look to see if I can see the back of a stop sign, or flashing yellow lights, or any sort of sign, really, for the other traffic. And I look to see what the cars are doing.

If all else fails, I just proceed with caution. And then I think something like "WTF, stupid city needs to put some damn signs up" and then never think about it again.

**BUR_ZX3** · 03-27-2005, 10:38 PM

an "uncontrolled" intersection is any at which there is not any traffic control. Sign, light, or traffic cop.

99.9999% of the time they are "T" intersections, and the rule in cali at least is that the terminating traffic must yield to cross traffic.

if 4-way intersections exist without any sinage... I'd like to see it.

**rpvitiello** · 03-28-2005, 02:24 PM

Quote:

If there is no stop or yield sign for you, you have right of way. If you're at a yield sign, traffic that is merging with your lane has right of way and you must let them go first. If you're at a stop sign and there is traffic coming towards your intersection from either side, you wait until they stop or pass through. Not that hard.

Dude that is a controlled intersection, an UNcontrolled intersection has NO stop or yield signs, no lights, nothing for ALL directions. That is why it is called uncontrolled.

The reason I was thinking about this was I was driving through Boston the other day and there was a large # of uncontrolled intersections in its residential neighborhoods. I was noticing it was pretty hard to tell who had the right of way.

Yes they did also have 4 way uncontrolled intersections there. According to there traffic laws they follow the European system, traffic to the right has priority, not straight.

**Nells** · 03-28-2005, 06:33 PM

Quote:

an "uncontrolled" intersection is any at which there is not any traffic control. Sign, light, or traffic cop.

99.9999% of the time they are "T" intersections, and the rule in cali at least is that the terminating traffic must yield to cross traffic.

if 4-way intersections exist without any sinage... I'd like to see it.

We have a couple of those in my area. I failed my driver's test going through one without yielding enough.

**CaysE** · 03-28-2005, 08:38 PM

Quote:

If there is no stop or yield sign for you, you have right of way. If you're at a yield sign, traffic that is merging with your lane has right of way and you must let them go first. If you're at a stop sign and there is traffic coming towards your intersection from either side, you wait until they stop or pass through. Not that hard.

Dude that is a controlled intersection, an UNcontrolled intersection has NO stop or yield signs, no lights, nothing for ALL directions. That is why it is called uncontrolled.

Yeah thanks, I saw the last eleventy posts that said that, too.

Excuse my ignorance, oh great one, but you don't see uncontrolled intersections in NJ.

**EVIL_WICKED_ONE** · 03-28-2005, 09:43 PM

Quote:

If there is no stop or yield sign for you, you have right of way. If you're at a yield sign, traffic that is merging with your lane has right of way and you must let them go first. If you're at a stop sign and there is traffic coming towards your intersection from either side, you wait until they stop or pass through. Not that hard.

Dude that is a controlled intersection, an UNcontrolled intersection has NO stop or yield signs, no lights, nothing for ALL directions. That is why it is called uncontrolled.

Yeah thanks, I saw the last eleventy posts that said that, too.

Excuse my ignorance, oh great one, but you don't see uncontrolled intersections in NJ.

According to NJ Motor Vehicle Commision they exist.

**rpvitiello** · 03-28-2005, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Yeah thanks, I saw the last eleventy posts that said that, too.

Excuse my ignorance, oh great one, but you don't see uncontrolled intersections in NJ.

Ok don’t mean to be a dick, but you just showed that it is way too easy to get a license in the US. The fact that you were never taught of the existence of uncontrolled intersections is almost scary. Your driver training completely failed to make any mention of the existence of one of the potentially most dangerous types of intersections.

If you don’t mind me asking how old are you, and how long have you had your license for?

**FocusOnPunk** · 03-29-2005, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Yeah thanks, I saw the last eleventy posts that said that, too.

Excuse my ignorance, oh great one, but you don't see uncontrolled intersections in NJ.

Ok don’t mean to be a dick, but you just showed that it is way too easy to get a license in the US. The fact that you were never taught of the existence of uncontrolled intersections is almost scary. Your driver training completely failed to make any mention of the existence of one of the potentially most dangerous types of intersections.

If you don’t mind me asking how old are you, and how long have you had your license for?

goddamn, you're dramatic. i've driven through nearly half the united states and i've never encountered an uncontrolled intersection.
please do not assume the rest of the country remotely resembles the traffic cluster-[censored] that APPARENTLY is CT.
that, or you need a new hobby.

**rpvitiello** · 03-29-2005, 02:24 AM

Quote:

goddamn, you're dramatic. i've driven through nearly half the united states and i've never encountered an uncontrolled intersection.
please do not assume the rest of the country remotely resembles the traffic cluster-[censored] that APPARENTLY is CT.
that, or you need a new hobby.

Well yes driving THROUGH ½ the country I would doubt you would ever encounter one, you would mostly be driving on highways no?

And just so demonfire does not have a [censored] fit. I live in the cluster [censored] that is the greater NYC area. Most of CT is very different from the hell hole that I drive in. Hell Manhattan is a more pleasant place to drive than many of the roads I get to deal with. If I could afford it I would move there.

And for reference the intersections that made me think of this were ones in Boston MA. Uncontrolled intersections are rare in my area, it is pretty built up, but these were in residential neighborhoods. The thing that made it hard was many stop signs had a very far set back so it was almost impossible to tell if an intersection was controlled or not.

Now if you encounter one or not I still think this is something that should be taught before you get a license. Hell even I was not really taught this in driving school, and you know what I randomly came across several of these.

And how am I assuming anything I asked a pretty simple question that made no assumptions about the lay out of the US. I know dam well the roads are very different throughout the US and that the traffic regulations vary allot state by state.The only people that made assumptions were some of the other people who posted in this thread. Probably not to any fault of there own, simply due to the fact they were never taught otherwise. I only wish more people would give that more consideration before they try to drive through other states blissfully ignorant to the possibility laws may just be different from what they are used to.

BTW does anyone know of a good site that shows the differences in traffic regulations state by state? I am yet to find a good one that lists this stuff.

**CaysE** · 03-29-2005, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Yeah thanks, I saw the last eleventy posts that said that, too.

Excuse my ignorance, oh great one, but you don't see uncontrolled intersections in NJ.

Ok don’t mean to be a dick, but you just showed that it is way too easy to get a license in the US. The fact that you were never taught of the existence of uncontrolled intersections is almost scary. Your driver training completely failed to make any mention of the existence of one of the potentially most dangerous types of intersections.

If you don’t mind me asking how old are you, and how long have you had your license for?

Yeah it is too easy to get a liscence here, but implying that I don't deserve mine pretty much proves you ARE being a dick. I'm 26 and have been driving for 12 years. Yeah since 14. The "greater NYC metro area" in CT is a mess of construction, narrow highways and people going 75mph on them like idiots, and you think you have the balls to say I'm uneducated? I live a half hour outside of Manhattan, and let me tell you, there are no uncontrolled intersections here, and probably not in the whole of northern NJ except possibly Sussex county off some private farm road. Nobody here needs to know about them, and you're a hypocrit for saying my driver training failed when you're the one asking for clarification. When you don't know what to do in an intersection, you stop and figure it out, it doesn't get any more educated than that. Dick.

**rpvitiello** · 03-30-2005, 12:04 AM

Quote:

Yeah it is too easy to get a liscence here, but implying that I don't deserve mine pretty much proves you ARE being a dick. I'm 26 and have been driving for 12 years. Yeah since 14. The "greater NYC metro area" in CT is a mess of construction, narrow highways and people going 75mph on them like idiots, and you think you have the balls to say I'm uneducated? I live a half hour outside of Manhattan, and let me tell you, there are no uncontrolled intersections here, and probably not in the whole of northern NJ except possibly Sussex county off some private farm road. Nobody here needs to know about them, and you're a hypocrit for saying my driver training failed when you're the one asking for clarification. When you don't know what to do in an intersection, you stop and figure it out, it doesn't get any more educated than that. Dick.

Look dude chill out, maybe I came off the wrong way on the net. Yes maybe for the area you are driving in there is no need for you to know of an uncontrolled intersection, just like I’m sure people in California have no “need” to know how to navigate a traffic circle. The thing that bugs me is the fact that if you have a driver’s license in one state it will allow you to drive through any other state. If people are going to only be trained in there local state how to drive, and then driver’s licenses should not be valid in other states.

Hell my CT driving instructor failed to go over the fact that it is illegal to make a right on red in NYC, and that is all but ½ an hour away from me (depending on traffic

)

If we want your license to be valid in any state then they should teach you how to safely navigate through any state.

When you are out driving is NOT the time to stop and figure out how to do something. How many times are you cursing because there is some idiot that “stops” to figure out how to get onto a busy highway? They force all of traffic to grind to a halt and nearly cause a crash.

And its not that you don’t “deserve” a license, I’m worried by how poor the instruction the majority of driving schools give and I’m also talking from personal experience. When I got my license I don’t think I was well enough prepared to drive. I find it surprising how many situations they failed to mention to me. Hell my driving school never even went over how to properly navigate a traffic circle, and outside of driving on major streets downtown it’s almost impossible to avoid them where I live. There is a traffic circle on the way to the house of almost everyone I know!

**CaysE** · 03-30-2005, 12:20 AM

A highway ramp is not an intersection, so that certainly doesn't count. But people leaning on their horns and screaming out their windows are the ones not knowing how to drive, not the person making sure they're doing things the right way. If it's someone swerving across lanes of a highway to get that barely-missed exit, yeah I agree with you. But with the topic at hand being intersections, when you don't know if you have right of way or not, you slowly come to a stop and make sure you can go.

I wholeheartedly agree that having a car is no longer considered a privelege in this country, but is deemed a personal right of being an American and everyone should be able to have one if they can pay for it. I think it's idiotic how many people are on the road who I'd love to pull over with strobes in my headlights just so I can ask for their liscence, drive off, and place it neatly through my roommate's credit card shredder. I'm no saint on the road either and everybody makes mistakes, but I agree, there needs to be a more aggressive training curriculum for those who wish to own and/or drive a car.

**FocusOnPunk** · 03-30-2005, 12:34 AM

there is no time in driver's ed to teach the local laws everywhere. for instance, in the city of gatlinburg, tennessee, pedestrians have the right of way everywhere. your CT driver's ed was (likely) state funded, therefore has no need to teach you about NY local laws, regardless of distance. indiana is 30 minutes from me, and their speed limit is slower. im expected to pay attention to that when i arrive.
driver's ed in this country is a shame, but you've got some far-reaching personal vendetta against the driving public...when i'd be willing to bet you'd be furious if you had to learn the local laws of not only all 50 states, but the oddities that exist in different municipalities.
its just not practical.
lets focus our resources on teaching people to stay in the right lane, or that flashing your brights is NOT a personal attack, or that construction zone speed limits are for real, things like that.
hell, i can see a roundabout from my house, and people still don't know how to use it...that's life. we've had traffic lights for like 80 years, and people run reds.

**rpvitiello** · 03-30-2005, 01:12 PM

Quote:

your CT driver's ed was (likely) state funded, therefore has no need to teach you about NY local laws, regardless of distance. indiana is 30 minutes from me, and their speed limit is slower. im expected to pay attention to that when i arrive.
driver's ed in this country is a shame, but you've got some far-reaching personal vendetta against the driving public...when i'd be willing to bet you'd be furious if you had to learn the local laws of not only all 50 states, but the oddities that exist in different municipalities.
its just not practical.
lets focus our resources on teaching people to stay in the right lane, or that flashing your brights is NOT a personal attack, or that construction zone speed limits are for real, things like that.
hell, i can see a roundabout from my house, and people still don't know how to use it...that's life. we've had traffic lights for like 80 years, and people run reds.

Well drivers ed is something you have to pay for to get your license. It usually cost about $800 to get a license for the first time in CT. The thing that bugs me is for that you are ill prepared to take to the road. My drivers ed never even covered highway or night driving, which a drivers ed program is legally required to cover in CT. Also if you fail your drivers test in ct legally you only have to wait 15 days to retake the test, but practically there is a 90 day waiting period to schedule a driving test. If you fail you can count on having to wait at least 3 more months to try again.

Now things like posted speed limits and such I don’t see as something you have to be trained in knowing everywhere, that is why they are posted. The laws that you should know ahead of time are ones that are not readily posted as you drive.

Now as for there being obscurities between locations, it almost seams to me that traffic laws should me more standardized as well. I understand the layout of roads will vary depending on where you are, the geography is different throughout the country, but laws should not very greatly from town to town in the same region with the same basic road structure.

**CaysE** · 03-30-2005, 05:48 PM

Quote:

your CT driver's ed was (likely) state funded, therefore has no need to teach you about NY local laws, regardless of distance. indiana is 30 minutes from me, and their speed limit is slower. im expected to pay attention to that when i arrive.
driver's ed in this country is a shame, but you've got some far-reaching personal vendetta against the driving public...when i'd be willing to bet you'd be furious if you had to learn the local laws of not only all 50 states, but the oddities that exist in different municipalities.
its just not practical.
lets focus our resources on teaching people to stay in the right lane, or that flashing your brights is NOT a personal attack, or that construction zone speed limits are for real, things like that.
hell, i can see a roundabout from my house, and people still don't know how to use it...that's life. we've had traffic lights for like 80 years, and people run reds.

Well drivers ed is something you have to pay for to get your license. It usually cost about $800 to get a license for the first time in CT. The thing that bugs me is for that you are ill prepared to take to the road. My drivers ed never even covered highway or night driving, which a drivers ed program is legally required to cover in CT. Also if you fail your drivers test in ct legally you only have to wait 15 days to retake the test, but practically there is a 90 day waiting period to schedule a driving test. If you fail you can count on having to wait at least 3 more months to try again.

Now things like posted speed limits and such I don’t see as something you have to be trained in knowing everywhere, that is why they are posted. The laws that you should know ahead of time are ones that are not readily posted as you drive.

Now as for there being obscurities between locations, it almost seams to me that traffic laws should me more standardized as well. I understand the layout of roads will vary depending on where you are, the geography is different throughout the country, but laws should not very greatly from town to town in the same region with the same basic road structure.

State troopers will seem like faeries compared to the FED TROOPERS!!! FEAR!

Unfortunately, the state oversees its own traffic laws, getting a standardization across the country would require federal involvement. I'm not sure how comfortable I feel about that.

**Kestrel** · 03-30-2005, 06:07 PM

Quote:

never been through an "uncontorlled" intersection technically but i have driven with people who have and it does say "traffic dont stop" or something like that. I say ehh better to stop then get smashed but thats just me.

Its tthat simple. Jee just stop its not a big deal say oh jee no ones coming guess I'll go thru.

**BGerb** · 06-26-2008, 08:21 PM

I am a driver's education student right now (15 years old) and my assigment is to find a discussion about controlled and uncontrolled intersections. So in response to another person's post, it is taught in driver's ed. My thoughts on an uncontrolled stop are: the people that have no option but to turn must yield to the other cars. The people that can either go straight or turn, they have the right away. This is because the people that have to turn have to slow down anyway to make the turn. The other drivers could just be continuing to go straight at the normal speed (speed limit of course). Obviously uncontrolled intersections are confusing for a lot of people and it should be easy enough to put up one yield sign to end the confusion.

03-27-2005, 08:44 PM	#1
rpvitiello I can't stop typing...I can't stop typing...I can't stop typing...I can't stop typing... Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Stamford, CT, US (The NYC area) Posts: 6,204	Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one? Now the US does not used priority road signs to tell you if other intersecting roads have to stop, now without these how are you suppose to be able to tell if an intersection is uncontrolled or not? Now in some situations you can see if the other road has a stop or yield sign, but if you can't see it how are you suppose to know if they have to stop or not? So how the hell are you suppose to know if your in an uncontrolled intersection or not?

03-27-2005, 08:46 PM	#2
EVIL_WICKED_ONE Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Apr 2004 Location: Santa Clara, CA Posts: 3,642	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one? In California you do have signs that say things like, "cross traffic does not stop" and stuff like that, but if you are not sure you can also look at the ground for signs of any type of traffic control

03-27-2005, 08:48 PM	#3
CaysE EDM Specialist Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bloomfield, NJ Posts: 7,165	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one If there is no stop or yield sign for you, you have right of way. If you're at a yield sign, traffic that is merging with your lane has right of way and you must let them go first. If you're at a stop sign and there is traffic coming towards your intersection from either side, you wait until they stop or pass through. Not that hard.

03-27-2005, 08:48 PM	#4
BackNFocus Senior TEAM Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Sarasota FL Posts: 3,925	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one? never been through an "uncontorlled" intersection technically but i have driven with people who have and it does say "traffic dont stop" or something like that. I say ehh better to stop then get smashed but thats just me.

03-27-2005, 09:15 PM	#5
Jared Moderator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 15,718	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one? You should be a trafficologist. And if that isn't a job then make it up. You worry about this stuff wayyyy too much

03-27-2005, 09:23 PM	#7
Jared Moderator Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: Allentown, PA Posts: 15,718	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one? I just always look to see if I can see the back of a stop sign, or flashing yellow lights, or any sort of sign, really, for the other traffic. And I look to see what the cars are doing. If all else fails, I just proceed with caution. And then I think something like "WTF, stupid city needs to put some damn signs up" and then never think about it again.

03-27-2005, 10:38 PM	#8
BUR_ZX3 [FJ] Addict Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: On the Set of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Posts: 35,096	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one? an "uncontrolled" intersection is any at which there is not any traffic control. Sign, light, or traffic cop. 99.9999% of the time they are "T" intersections, and the rule in cali at least is that the terminating traffic must yield to cross traffic. if 4-way intersections exist without any sinage... I'd like to see it.

03-30-2005, 12:20 AM	#18
CaysE EDM Specialist Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bloomfield, NJ Posts: 7,165	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one A highway ramp is not an intersection, so that certainly doesn't count. But people leaning on their horns and screaming out their windows are the ones not knowing how to drive, not the person making sure they're doing things the right way. If it's someone swerving across lanes of a highway to get that barely-missed exit, yeah I agree with you. But with the topic at hand being intersections, when you don't know if you have right of way or not, you slowly come to a stop and make sure you can go. I wholeheartedly agree that having a car is no longer considered a privelege in this country, but is deemed a personal right of being an American and everyone should be able to have one if they can pay for it. I think it's idiotic how many people are on the road who I'd love to pull over with strobes in my headlights just so I can ask for their liscence, drive off, and place it neatly through my roommate's credit card shredder. I'm no saint on the road either and everybody makes mistakes, but I agree, there needs to be a more aggressive training curriculum for those who wish to own and/or drive a car.

03-30-2005, 12:34 AM	#19
FocusOnPunk Senior TEAM Member Join Date: May 2002 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 2,796	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one there is no time in driver's ed to teach the local laws everywhere. for instance, in the city of gatlinburg, tennessee, pedestrians have the right of way everywhere. your CT driver's ed was (likely) state funded, therefore has no need to teach you about NY local laws, regardless of distance. indiana is 30 minutes from me, and their speed limit is slower. im expected to pay attention to that when i arrive. driver's ed in this country is a shame, but you've got some far-reaching personal vendetta against the driving public...when i'd be willing to bet you'd be furious if you had to learn the local laws of not only all 50 states, but the oddities that exist in different municipalities. its just not practical. lets focus our resources on teaching people to stay in the right lane, or that flashing your brights is NOT a personal attack, or that construction zone speed limits are for real, things like that. hell, i can see a roundabout from my house, and people still don't know how to use it...that's life. we've had traffic lights for like 80 years, and people run reds.

06-26-2008, 08:21 PM	#23
BGerb Newbie Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 1	Re: Uncontrolled intersection, how do you tell if you are in one I am a driver's education student right now (15 years old) and my assigment is to find a discussion about controlled and uncontrolled intersections. So in response to another person's post, it is taught in driver's ed. My thoughts on an uncontrolled stop are: the people that have no option but to turn must yield to the other cars. The people that can either go straight or turn, they have the right away. This is because the people that have to turn have to slow down anyway to make the turn. The other drivers could just be continuing to go straight at the normal speed (speed limit of course). Obviously uncontrolled intersections are confusing for a lot of people and it should be easy enough to put up one yield sign to end the confusion.