Right of way is one of the most-tested topics in the LTO written exam, and the rules come from one place: Section 42 and Section 43 of Republic Act No. 4136, the Land Transportation and Traffic Code. The questions look simple — "which vehicle goes first?" — but they are written to catch you on the details: who is on the left, who is already in the intersection, and who was given a signal.

Here are the rules, in the exact form the law states them, followed by what each one means on the road.

The four right of way rules in RA 4136

Rule 1 — Left yields to right. When two vehicles approach or enter an intersection at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right of way to the vehicle on the right, except as otherwise provided in the law. And one extra bite: any vehicle traveling at an unlawful speed forfeits whatever right of way it would otherwise have had.

Exam tip: the question will often show two cars arriving together at a crossing with no traffic light. The car on the left waits.

Rule 2 — Inside the intersection goes first. The driver of a vehicle approaching but not having entered an intersection shall yield to a vehicle within the intersection or turning to the left across the line of travel of the first-mentioned vehicle, provided the driver turning left has given a plainly visible signal of intention to turn.

Exam tip: two things are being tested here. First, a vehicle already in the intersection has priority over one approaching it. Second, even that priority depends on the turning vehicle having signaled.

Rule 3 — Pedestrians in a crosswalk. Within a business or residential district, the driver on the highway shall yield to a pedestrian crossing within a crosswalk, except where the movement of traffic is directed by a peace officer or by a traffic signal.

Exam tip: watch for the exception. If a traffic light is green for you, that signal — not the general rule — decides who goes.

Rule 4 — Stop before a through highway or railroad crossing. The driver of a vehicle on a highway shall bring the vehicle to a full stop before crossing a "through highway" or railroad crossing, except that where no hazard is apparent, the vehicle may be slowed to five miles per hour instead of a full stop.

Exam tip: the exam question can be phrased as "when is a full stop not required?" — the answer is when no hazard exists; then slowing to five mph is allowed.

The exception: who yields in the other situations

Section 43 lists the cases where ordinary right of way does not apply:

• A vehicle entering a highway from a private road shall yield to all vehicles already on that highway.
• The driver on the highway shall yield to police, fire department vehicles and ambulances when they are on official business and sounding an audible signal.
• A vehicle entering a through highway or a stop intersection yields to all vehicles approaching from either direction on that through highway.

What that means on the road:

• Pulling out of a side street, a garage, or a dirt entrance onto a main road — you wait for everyone.
• A siren behind you means you give way, no matter what the general rule says — and on the approach of an emergency vehicle the law even tells you how: drive to the right-hand edge or curb of the highway, clear of any intersection, and stop there until the vehicle has passed, unless a peace officer directs otherwise.
• Approaching a road marked as a "through highway" (one with priority), traffic on it goes first.

What happens if you fail to yield

Failing to yield is a violation of the Act. The Land Transportation and Traffic Code's own fine list is historical — violations not covered by a specific item fall under its generic provision, which set a small fine decades ago. The schedule the LTO actually enforces today comes from DOTC Joint Administrative Order No. 2014-01, which names six separate "failure to yield" violations — the vehicle on the left failing to yield to the vehicle on the right, failure to yield to a vehicle already in the intersection or turning left, failure to yield to a pedestrian on a crosswalk, failure to yield entering from a private road, failure to yield to an ambulance, police or fire department vehicle, and failure to yield at a through highway or stop intersection — plus the related failure to stop before traversing a through highway or railroad crossing.

For the exam itself you rarely need a peso amount for right of way — you need to know the act itself is a violation and to spot who has priority in the situation.

How the questions get you

The written exam rarely asks on the statute directly. It puts you in a scenario and asks what the correct driver does. Three patterns:

• Two cars arrive at the same time at an unsigned crossing. The one on the left yields — not the bigger vehicle, not the faster one, not whoever is turning.
• One car is turning left, one is entering from the other side. The entering car yields if the turning car's signal has been given plainly and visibly.
• A pedestrian crosses where there is no traffic light. The driver yields if the pedestrian is on a crosswalk in a business or residential district.

If a question has no answer among these rules — for example, about a green or a red light — control passes to whoever the traffic light gives it to. The statutory rules cover the situation where there is no signal in charge.

The one trick worth repeating

Nearly every right of way item in the exam turns on either (a) who is on the left, (b) who is already in the intersection, or (c) whether a signal or siren was plainly given. When you read an item, first find those three facts. If they are not present, the controlling rule is Section 43, which covers entrances from private roads, emergency vehicles and through highways.

Practice it before it counts

The rules above are the whole of the statutory right of way sections of RA 4136. On the free LTO mock exam they appear as scenario questions, and they are among the items people most often miss on a first pass — see common mistakes in the LTO written exam for how usually these slip. Drill a batch of right of way items, then review the ones you got wrong, and read them again the following day.