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What Does Yielding the Right-of-Way Mean?

Posted on January 25, 2023 in

Failure to yield the right-of-way was the primary cause cited in 3,326 traffic crashes in Oregon in 2020. This number included 179 pedestrian crashes and 281 bicycle crashes. This error was the second-most common cause of traffic accidents in the state and contributed to 68 deaths and 4,759 injuries.

The picture in Portland was similarly grim. Failing to yield the right-of-way contributed to 1,413 car accidents. These crashes caused seven fatal injuries and 704 non-fatal injuries.

Yielding the Right-of-Way Under Oregon Law

Yielding simply means waiting until your path clears of pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles. In other words, when someone else has the right-of-way, you must yield to them.

Oregon law gives several situations where drivers must yield to someone else, including:

Vehicles At Intersections

The most common situation where drivers need to yield the right-of-way happens at intersections. The right-of-way rules depend on the intersection’s traffic controls:

Traffic Lights

A driver facing a green light has the right-of-way but must yield to any vehicles already in the intersection. So if a car on the cross-street got stuck in the intersection after it turned red, the driver with the green light must wait for the car to clear the intersection.

A yellow or red light means a driver does not have the right-of-way. The driver must stop and yield until the light changes. A driver can turn right at a yellow or red light after stopping and yielding to cross-traffic, including vehicles, bicycles, and pedestrians.

Stop Signs and Flashing Red Lights

Drivers must stop at stop signs and flashing red lights. They can proceed after the way clears. If cross-traffic also has a stop sign, the first driver to arrive has the right-of-way. If both drivers arrive at the same time, the driver on the right has the right-of-way.

Yield Signs and Flashing Yellow Lights

When approaching a yield sign or a flashing yellow light, a driver must slow down or stop to yield to approaching vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists.

Traffic Patrol

Drivers must yield the right-of-way when signaled by a crossing guard or other traffic patrol member. The typical signal takes the form of a flag or sign displayed to drivers.

Pedestrians and Cyclists

Pedestrians on sidewalks and marked crosswalks have the right-of-way. Drivers must yield until they clear. This law covers drivers at intersections, mid-road crosswalks, and driveways.

Cyclists in a bike lane or sidewalk have the right-of-way against cars. Cars must stop for bikes crossing in a bike lane or on the sidewalk. Drivers must also yield to cyclists before turning right or left or moving into a turn lane with a marked bike lane.

Emergency Vehicles

When an emergency vehicle approaches with its lights or siren on, drivers must yield the right-of-way. The driver must move to the right and stop until the emergency vehicle passes. “Emergency vehicle” includes ambulances and vehicles used by paramedics, firefighters, and police officers.

Transit Buses

Drivers must yield the right-of-way to a transit bus displaying a yield sign on its rear. Under this law, drivers cannot pass a bus in the adjacent lane when the bus illuminates its yield sign. Instead, drivers must stop or move to the left to clear the lane for the bus.

Consequences of Failing To Yield the Right-of-Way in Oregon

When drivers fail to yield to someone with the right-of-way, they could get traffic citations. These citations carry a fine and result in a moving violation on their driving records. Since Oregon does not use a points system, three moving violations will result in suspension.

More importantly, failing to yield often constitutes negligence. If you suffered an injury in a crash due to another driver’s failure to yield, Oregon law could entitle you to personal injury compensation.

Contact Our Car Accident Attorneys in Portland, OR

If you were injured in an accident in Portland, OR, please contact our Portland car accident lawyers at Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation today.

Tillmann Law Personal Injury Lawyers
101 SW Main St. #1905
Portland, OR, 97204
(503) 272-8986

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I was involved in a serious auto accident. Not that there is a good time to be in any accident, it just happened to be 2020. Tillman Law and support staff kept me in the loop as the court system was disarray with all the Covid issues. The staff was very professional and courteous. In a nutshell, they took care of me.
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My husband was in a bad car accident a few years back, and he was stopped due to traffic. He was behind a fuel truck, and someone rear-ended him, going 60mph. The worst part was our 6 mo old was in our and the truck was totaled beyond repair and my husbands back injured severly he ended up with 2 broken vertebrae. Our child had ptsd any time getting into a vehicle after that. Tillman made this right even though we couldn't do much for our son other comfort him and make car rides more comfortable from there on out Tillman was able to get my husband the money he deserved after the other driver was extremely negligent and either not paying attention or on his phone or something unfortunately this was during covid and when the police came they didnt do a single thing to check for any of that. We can't say enough good things about Aaron Tillman he gave us our hope back and the ability to have back surgery to repair a lot of his back issues due to the car wreck. So if you have been in an accident definitely call Tillman Law they're amazing super professional, kind and empathetic beings who will work for the best possible outcome for your case and fight they won't just roll over and play dead they spent about 2.5 years on my husbands case never giving up. He was always super honest with my husband and always communicated everything. So again, thank you, Aaron Tillman, and thank you to your law firm for working so tirelessly. We appreciate it more than you know.
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Aaron is great. He is professional and personable which makes you feel cared about during the process. He will provide advice and resources so that the process is smooth and renders positive results. I highly recommend!
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I can’t recommend Tillman Law enough. We were in a sticky situation from a car accident in December and my partner was out of work for over a month. Aaron told us we may not be able to get those lost wages, but he would definitely try to fight the insurance for them and even then we might not see the money for a long time. It’s only been 3 1/2 months since the accident and we just got our lost funds today. Tillman Law was quick, efficient, and made this entire situation much less painful. I appreciate everything they’ve done for us.
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Mr. Tillman took care of my care seamlessly! He immediately hopped on my case immediately and guided me through the entire process. His team is professional, organized and well-resourced! He even went back to ensure the settlement was beyond fair. If you want someone who will fight tooth and nail on your behalf- Mr. Tillman is your lawyer!
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I am so happy to promote Aaron and his team. They did such an amazing job handling my case. Call them if you need service. I called him when I first needed help with my accident and he called me back within five minutes. This team is so great! I am so happy to have worked with them.
Teresa Ochoa
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Mr. Tillmann and his paralegal Jason were fantastic to work with! They were always available to answer my questions in a timely manner and delivered a very good outcome after I was rear ended. I would recommend their services to anyone.
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Amazing team at the Tillman Law, LLC . His work speaks for it self. Thank you for being professional and above all understanding to different people. God bless everyone that works there .
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Aaron and his staff, especially Jason, were all extremely courteous, timely, and professional. Highly recommend, truly appreciate your hard work!
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The Tillman Law Firm is amazing! I have been very pleased with everyone that I came in contact with concerning my case. They filed the case against the insurance company and fought hard in litigation to get what rightfully was taken from me. I would highly recommend them, they are the best in the Portland metro area!
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