Drivers: When you arrive at a 4-way stop intersection at the same instant as other cars, do you follow the rules of right-of-way, or do you play first-come-first-go?

If you go by the first-come-first-go rule that would assume that you didn’t all arrive at the exact same moment, yes? Kidding, I know what you mean. I usually give the other person the right-of-way unless it was evident that I got there first.

It might be a misconception but it seems to me that right of way is pretty much universally accepted so I instinctively go by that… but slowly just in case.

I always went by “first come-first go” with the tie going to the one to your right. Four years ago I became disabled and had to go through steps to drive with the modifications. That included several hours with a professional driving instructor. He said they no longer went by the way I learned back in the 60’s. Now whoever is first into the intersection has the right-of-way. That seems completely insane to me since I drive in a big city with so many intersections and so many crazy drivers. I’m still pretty much about taking turns and when in doubt let the other guy go first.

I follow the right of way and then cause a scene when people start waving each other and stumbling over their hand gestures. Then again I’m an asshole when it comes to driving. I guess that’s what happens when your ex-marine truck driving father teaches you the “rules” of the road.

I follow the “first come first go” with the person on your right taking precedence, unless someone enters the intersection first!

In Alameda, CA, at least, the “rule of thumb” seems to be whoever is on the bigger street gets to go first (and all of the intersections of big streets with big streets have lights).

Here in Pgh, people seem to negotiate it pretty well, but I’ve seen a couple of people pull the “My Escalade is bigger than your puny car, I go first”, which is fine by me. I’d rather not have them behind me =)

i do first come first go if all arrive together. if not, i go by right side goes first. i only do first come first go because it seems everyone else does, sometimes even that quicker drivers go first, so i am ready with foot on gas.

I’m so glad we have roundabouts in the UK instead of these sorts of junctions! From the comments written above, they seem much less ambiguous.

Here, we always give way to the right at a roundabout, unless there’s a big enough gap, meaning you can obviously clear the path of a car approaching from your right, without causing them to stop or slow down. I guess that’s sort of “first come, first go”, but not really – you only give way to the right if there’s a car to your right either about to enter, or already on, the roundabout.

First come first serve, if you arrived at the same time driver on the right goes. (at least that’s the law in Ohio)

First come first serve. Usually people assume someone is going to go, so they all wait (no one wants to be hit) then people wave one, then we all take turns.

First car first, unless they come at the same time, then the driver to the right goes first.

Some times that is about the same as playing “chicken” I usually wave the other guy thru. It helps avoid road rage and accidents. There are to many people that think they are in a hurry. In Chicago it seems that whoever has the biggest vehicle or worst piece of junk goes first because they feel safe or do not care.

In CA, the rule is the driver on the right, has the right of way if two cars arrive at a 4 way simultaneously. Otherwise, it’s first come, first go.
Sometimes you just end up having to wave someone through if there’s doubt. Having the right of way is little consolation when you’re staring at a dinged up fender.

All the states I lived in, the rules of the road are similar on a 4-way stop or unmarked intersection. First-come, first go; if you arrive at the same time, yield to vehicle approaching from your right.

The State of Illinois Rules of the Road, for example contains the following entry:

“All-Way Stop
This sign means there are four STOP signs at the intersection. Traffic from all directions must stop. The first driver to stop is the first driver to go. Other drivers must wait their turn. (emphasis added) You also may see 3-WAY, 5-WAY or ALL-WAY signs.”

Tie goes to not-me. I will never attempt to take the right of way from someone at a 4-way stop, because I don’t trust them to acknowledge that I’ve taken it. I don’t care if he’s on the right, left, or straight ahead. If there’s even the smallest question of who arrived at the intersection first, I wave the other guy on. I can wait the extra 5–10 seconds.

Thanks for the great answers. I’ll go with the majority: first-come-first-go, yield to the right in case of a tie.

I stopped waiving people on when my last Drivers Safety Course instructor explained that if you waive someone on, you’re telling them it’s safe to proceed. If a car comes out of nowhere and hits them, they can sue you.

I follow the first to arrive = first to go plan. If two cars arrive at the same time, the car on the right goes first. However, I must note that most people do not seem to follow these rules and a great majority of them wave me on to go first no matter where I am. I always shake my head and take their turn.

Oddly enough, in Massachusetts at least, the right-of-way law at a 4-way stop intersection is first-come-first-go. The right-of-way principle is similar to that of a rotary, in that the first car to the rotary has the right to proceed first, then the second car, then the third, etc. This is what creates the zipper effect that rotaries (and 4-way stops, by extension) were designed for.

This should apply to all states, as I doubt the right-of-way laws are different in different states (though if it were different, I wouldn’t be surprised). Either way, a call to your local police department (or a trip by the police dept. to pick up a driver’s manual) would definitively provide a solution that is specific to your area.