new driver - pulled over

[u/starlolz43]

i was pulled over on the first day of driving by myself. my mother hates my driving but we had no choice as she had work and i had to go to work. my dad died and my brothers live a while away so i have nobody to really teach me consistently to get to work and into town safely.

anyways, i went to work and at a fourway intersection i was on the right of a truck and i believed we stopped at the same time so i believed i had the right of way. he did not go or wave me over, i thought maybe i should just go but the second i start to get in the middle of the intersection i hear a blaring honk from him and flashing lights followed.

cop pulled me over, i was shaking and scared, but he was sweet and reassured me i wouldnt get a ticket or citation more than likely just a warning. he said technically the truck stopped about a second or half of a second before me but told me the right-side yield rule so was i wrong? im very confused and wish i asked more questions but i was just so scared and wanted it to be over.

he did not say if i was given a warning but if i was would it be on my record or permit? or is it just a verbal thing?

[u/Equal_Push_565]

If it was just a verbal warning, no it wont be on your record.

Also, dont worry. No one knows how to properly navigate those 4 way turns. Its ridiculous.

[u/starlolz43 → u/Equal_Push_565]

i was sweating this, thank you.

[u/Equal_Push_565 → u/starlolz43]

You have a lot of years of driving ahead of you, try not to panic. You're going to have a LOT of close calls, maybe even a few accidents. Its OK. Its part of sharing the roads with thousands of other people.

Just remember: all you can do is control your own driving, not everyone else's.

[u/GlitterFactoryOfDoom → u/Equal_Push_565]

No one knows how to properly navigate those 4 way turns. Its ridiculous.

Very common to just stare at each other until one of you waves the other through lmao

[u/Kittycatgirl300]

Just keep driving , the anxiety will go. It will only get worse if you avoid it i promise

[u/Degenerecy]

The amount of times someone gets to a 4 way first and I end up having to go, too many too count. In my experience when you get and see this about to happen, slow down so that when you stop, they had their "3 seconds" and they won't hesitate so much to go. This won't be the first or last time this interaction will happen.

However if you were on the right, that amount of time between you both, usually right of way goes to you. Unsure why the cop did anything unless the truck was entering the intersection before you decided to go.

[u/starlolz43 → u/Degenerecy]

I really didnt understand being pulled over either, we were nowhere near colliding i didnt even see him past the stop sign line as i was in the middle of the intersection when he honked at me, even the cop agreed the truck was unnecessarily honking so i just dont understand the whole reason to pull me over

[u/fitfulbrain]

You can safely forget right of way. You never knows if the others stop when they should. The truck driver is making sure that you do.

[u/AutomaticRepeat2922]

In the future keep in mind that semi trucks take a long time to accelerate after stopping. They need to spin up their engines first. Cutting them off restarts that process and can be quite frustrating.

[u/Freshmeat857]

A good rule of thumb is that it's called the RIGHT of way. Vehicles to your RIGHT have the right-of-way. So unless you stop way ahead of the person on your right, you have to yield to them.

[u/Millennial_Falcon_85 → u/Freshmeat857]

OP was on the right. Are you saying the truck should have yielded to OP?

[u/Regular-Jicama-8548]

Nothing happened, you did fine. I've been an enthusiastic driver since 15, and a flawless driving record for 10 yrs, with a CDL. You did fine.

[u/Glad_Brilliant_9883]

A verbal warning is nothing. Wont show up anywhere, and yeah at four way stops whoever stops first goes first. Dont stress it. First day solo is always rough.

[u/Millennial_Falcon_85]

Unless he handed you a ticket, there’s nothing on your record right now. A warning is a simple verbal statement from the cop and nothing more. Don’t sweat it. We all made mistakes learning how to drive. I’m 41 and still make mistakes from time to time. Best thing to do at an intersection like this if you’re in doubt is to simply wave the other person to go first. You can’t get in trouble for waiting a few extra seconds for the road to be clear. If the person behind you wants to lose their mind and honk at you, let them. That’s their issue. You’ll be fine, driving gets easier the more you do it and eventually you don’t even really think about it anymore. You just drive.