10 right-of-way rules people often get wrong on the G1
Right-of-way questions look easy, but the wrong answers are written to match what feels natural or what drivers often do. These are the ten rules behind the right-of-way questions our writers flagged as the easiest to get wrong. Each one is from the Official MTO Driver's Handbook, with the trap and the rule side by side.
1. All-way stops: first to stop goes first
The trap: "Yield to the right" is the whole rule. The rule: at an all-way stop, the first vehicle to come to a complete stop goes first. Yielding to the vehicle on your right only decides the tie, when two vehicles stop at the same time. The size of the vehicle doesn't matter: a truck on your left that stopped at the same time as you yields to you.
2. Your turn signal doesn't give you the right-of-way
The trap: "I signalled, so they have to let me in." The rule: a signal only tells others what you plan to do. Before you change lanes, merge or turn, you still have to check that the way is clear.
3. Waiting to turn left: wheels straight, oncoming traffic first
The trap: turning your wheels left while you wait, so you're "ready to go". The rule: keep your front wheels pointed straight ahead until you actually start the turn. If you are hit from behind with your wheels turned, you can be pushed into oncoming traffic. When you turn left, you yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians crossing.
4. Turning on a red light
- Right on red: allowed unless a sign says otherwise, but only after a complete stop, even when the road is empty. Rolling through is a mistake on the test and on the road.
- Left on red: allowed only from a one-way road onto another one-way road, after a complete stop. From a one-way road onto a two-way road, wait for the green.
5. School buses: the median decides who stops
The trap: "Only traffic behind the bus has to stop." The rule: when a school bus has its red lights flashing (and its stop arm out), traffic from both directions must stop, unless the road has a median. With a median, only traffic coming from behind the bus stops. This applies on any road, whatever the number of lanes or the speed limit, at any time of day. Coming from behind, stop at least 20 m back. See the school bus sign page.
6. Pedestrian crossovers: wait for the whole road
The trap: going once the pedestrian has left your lane. The rule: at a pedestrian crossover you must stop and yield the whole roadway, and go only after the pedestrian has completely crossed and is on the sidewalk. That is true even when they are crossing in the opposite lane. You also may not pass another vehicle within 30 m of a pedestrian crossover.
7. Emergency vehicles from either direction
The trap: "I only need to pull over if it's behind me." The rule: when an ambulance, fire truck or police vehicle with flashing lights or a siren is coming from either direction on a two-way road, pull to the right as far as you safely can and stop, clear of intersections. Wait until it has passed, and check that no other emergency vehicles are coming before you move off.
8. Roundabouts: yield to traffic already in it
Traffic in a roundabout travels counter-clockwise. When you enter, you yield to traffic already in the roundabout, which comes from your left, and to pedestrians at the crosswalk. In a two-lane roundabout you may usually go straight from either lane (the left lane is also for left turns, the right lane for right turns), and you stay in your lane until you exit. Follow lane signs where they are posted.
9. Cyclists and motorcycles get the lane
- Cyclists usually ride about a metre from the curb, but they may use any part of the lane when they need to: to avoid hazards, to cross tracks at a right angle, or to stop drivers passing in a lane too narrow to share. When you pass a cyclist, leave at least 1 m.
- Motorcycles are entitled to the full lane. Never squeeze past in the same lane; pass by moving into another lane, as you would for a car.
10. Railway crossings: don't stop on the tracks
The trap: creeping onto the crossing in slow traffic. The rule: before you start across, make sure there is enough room on the far side to clear the crossing completely. If traffic is backed up past the tracks, wait before the crossing. When a train is coming, stop at least 5 m from the nearest rail.
FAQ
At an all-way stop, who goes first if two cars arrive at the same time?
The car on the left yields to the car on the right. If one car stopped first, it goes first, whichever side it is on.
Do I have to stop for a school bus on the other side of a divided road?
No. On a road with a median, only traffic behind the bus has to stop. Without a median, traffic in both directions stops.
Can I turn left on a red light in Ontario?
Only from a one-way road onto another one-way road, after coming to a complete stop and when the way is clear.
When can I drive through a pedestrian crossover after someone has crossed?
Only after the pedestrian has crossed the whole road and is on the sidewalk, even if they were crossing in the other lane.
Sources: Official MTO Driver's Handbook (Safe and responsible driving: driving through intersections, changing directions, stopping, sharing the road, dealing with particular situations). Checked November 2026. The ten rules are chosen from the right-of-way questions our writers tagged as easy to get wrong; once enough people have practised on the site, we will check them against real answer data.