In Canadian provinces, no small number of motor vehicle accidents take place at a point where 2 or more roadways intersect. Drivers are expected to behave according to the rules that govern drivers’ behavior at such intersections. What are those rules?

Actions expected of a driver at an intersection:

• Exercise caution when turning left at an intersection. Watch for approaching vehicles.
• Obey traffic signals and posted signs. Do not ignore a stop sign, or one that asks drivers to yield to oncoming vehicles.
• Do not give any thought to speeding, regardless of how seemingly empty an approaching intersection might appear. A speeding driver has violated the law. At the same time, that lawbreaker has posed a threat to the safety of others.
• Do not tailgate. Drivers that make a habit of tailgating threaten the safety of other motorists. In addition, their habit poses a possible danger to both motorists and vulnerable road users.

Not all intersections are the same.

Railway crossings have different sorts of warning signs. Some have a signal that lights up and sounds, when a train is approaching. Others do not; the presence of the rails, along with a single sign, provides the only warning that a train could be coming at any moment.

Municipalities normally install roundabouts to reduce the chances that a speeding vehicle might try to travel down a certain roadway. The driver on the roundabout must yield to any vehicle that wants to enter that circular intersection. Sometimes bumps in the road serve the same purpose as a roundabout.

A 4-way stop can seem confusing. Which driver is on the right side? Which one has the right to assume the right-of-way? Those lingering questions highlight the dangers associated with an intersection that has 4 stop signs.

The entrance to or exit from a highway can prove equally dangerous. That is certainly true, if the traffic starts to backup. At an exit, the drivers in the fast-moving vehicles may not be ready for the sudden need to come to a stop. On the other hand, some drivers may find it difficult to increase their speed in a short space of time. Any accident can turn into a chance for the plaintiff to sue with the help of a personal injury lawyer in Halifax.

All of those examples manage to underscore one fact: There seems to be no such thing as a safe intersection. An overpass might be used to eliminate the need for a railway crossing. Yet it is not always possible for a municipality to install an overpass at every point where a railway line crosses a major road or a side street.

The problems with roundabouts and 4-way stops were mentioned. Yet that does not reveal a solution. Drivers should be safe, if each of them learns how to driver defensively.