In message , Percival P. Cassidy
writes
On 10/06/2015 12:12 PM, Moe DeLoughan wrote:

In the USA, I'm amazed to the no-priority '4-way stop' crossroads. The
rule seems to be that the guy who thinks he got there first assumes he
has priority. That said, when driving over there, driving is
normally a
pleasure, and the drivers tend to be somewhat more considerate than
here
in the UK and in Continental Europe.


AT 4 way stops, it's not no-priority. It's as you described. If a car
gets there first, it has the priority. If they all get there about the
same time, the the driver to your right has the right of way. Same
rule
applies for boats crossing paths, if a boat is crossing your path from
the right, it has the right of way. Boat and aircraft lights are set
up consistent with that, so one craft sees green, the other red.

If they all get there at the same time, how do you determine which is
the "right" one? Everyone has a driver to the right side of them. I
suspect that the driver who has the biggest or most beat up vehicle
gets the right-of-way.

The joke here in Minnesota: What do you get when you have four drivers
at a four-way? Answer: A picnic. That's 'cause we'll spend an eternity
trying to out-polite the others:

"After you."
"No, after you."
"Oh, no, really. I'm in no hurry. You go first."
"But I'm afraid of looking rude. You first."
"Are you sure? Really, you first."
"Actually, I think that guy gets to go first."

That's how it used to be in the UK 50 years ago.

Not by law. Most roads used to have some priority signage or road
marking. The introduction of mini-roundabouts meant that, in many cases,
the larger (or busier road) no longer needed to have priority.




--
Ian