Do Construction Trucks Have The Right of Way

Posted by Extreme Tactical Dynamics on Dec 2nd 2019

As a construction truck driver or even as a regular driver, it’s vital to understand the right away and who holds it in various situations. Without understanding these concepts and how they should be applied to the real world, it’s impossible to operate on the road safely. For construction vehicle drivers and road construction workers, LED construction lights are a must.

Construction light bars and other safe working instruments and practices will ensure workers can work in safety and that everyone on the road can use it without unnecessary safety problems emerging. Understanding who has the right of way and why is an important part of that as well.

We’re going to discuss all of the most important issues around right of way where construction trucks are concerned, as well as covering vital information about construction lights that impact road safety. Read on to find out all about that.

What is the Right of Way and How Does it Work?

When we’re talking about the right of way and what it means in practice, we’re essentially talking about who has the right to move first through the street. It’s about who takes precedence over others on the road. It’s not as complicated as it might sound at first.

The law never directly grants the right of way, but it does state examples of when right of way must be yielded. For example, drivers must yield right of way at a yield sign, when pedestrians are using a crosswalk and at intersections that aren’t controlled and where vehicles are using the interaction already. T intersections require drivers to yield to vehicles on the through road.

If you’re turning left, you must yield to oncoming pedestrians and cars and you must also yield right of way when returning to the road from a parked position. You tend to yield the right of way to the driver on the right. If you follow that basic rule, you’ll get it right in most situations. But pedestrians, unlike bicycles which are considered vehicles too, must always be yielded the right of way.

If you’re driving on a steep and narrow road or track, it’s not always clear who should have the right of way. Generally speaking, the vehicle going uphill will have the right of way, meaning the vehicle going downhill should yield the right of way and pull to the side if necessary.

Of course, construction vehicles should always be yielded to, as should emergency services vehicles. They’ll use LED construction lights such as the strobe light bar and emergency vehicles obviously always use emergency vehicle lights. These warning light bars should immediately tell other road users to yield the right of way without question. These vehicles have to take priority for obvious reasons.

Flexibility and Cooperation on the Road

It’s important to consider how the concept of the right of way should be used flexibly. There’s no hard and fast rule when it comes to the right of way. There are examples and general rules that we’ve discussed above. But there are still situations in which it’s not entirely clear who the right of way should be yielded to, and this is what causes confusion for many people. And it can lead to unnecessary collisions and accidents on the road too, and nobody wants that.

Flexibility is about knowing the rules but not being so rigid about them that you put yourself or other road users in danger. Safety should always be the priority, even if you think you should be yielded to, you can’t make that assumption because you don’t know what’s going through the mind of the other driver. Cooperation is an important part of driving and sharing the road with others. Eye contact makes a big difference because it allows drivers to get a better understanding of the intentions of other drivers.

Insisting on the Right of Way

Insisting on the right of way is not a good idea for most ordinary road users. Of course, vehicles with emergency vehicle lights in place have a right to insist on the right of way because they’re not the same as other road users. The same applies to construction vehicles with construction lights. They can insist on the right of way in a safe way, but regular road users shouldn’t.

For regular road users, it’s actually very dangerous to assume another driver will yield the right of way without considering it and checking the reality of the situation. You need to be alert to the movements of other vehicles when making your own decisions. You should try to anticipate the actions of other road users before they make them. That can help you to avoid any unnecessary accidents taking place on the road.

Working on the Road

Construction lights tell you that there are people working on the road. These people do quite dangerous jobs but high-quality LED construction lights help show people on the road that they need to move over and be careful of what’s taking place on the road. It’s the responsibility of all road users to ensure they’re paying attention to these lights and warning signs.

For construction workers, and tow trucks equipped with a tow truck light bar they have an obligation to follow the guidelines and ensure that it’s clear to all other road users that they’re present on the road and are carrying out work. Without construction lights, that would be impossible so it’s clear just how important these things are to road safety when work is taking place.

The Importance of Lights

A good caution light bar has to be bright and easy to see. If they’re not, they won’t be able to do the job they’re intended for. There are lots of high-quality lights on the market that tell everyone nearby what’s happening and that they need to move out of a lane or do whatever the construction vehicle is needing them to do. The importance of these lights and their function in the real world can’t be overlooked though.

Signs alone are never enough, although they can be important when specific information needs to be relayed to other road users. Lights become vital when it’s dark and what’s happening on the road isn’t as clearly visible as it would be during the day. Construction vehicles would simply be hit by other vehicles without proper and highly visible construction lights in place.

Choosing the Right Construction Lights

If you’re operating a construction vehicle or run a company that has a fleet of vehicles that are often used when carrying work on the road, you’ll want to know how to find the right construction lights. These days, LED construction lights are very commonly used because of the power and efficiency they offer when you’re trying to light up the road and ensure safety for all road users.

Choosing the right construction lights is about ensuring your lights do what you need them to do. Those needs will depend on the specific requirements of the situation and the job that’s being completed. With the right lights, everyone on the road is able to stay safe and it’s clear to everyone that yours is a construction vehicle that should be yielded ton on the road.

Now that you understand more about whether construction trucks have the right of way and more about the concept of right of way in general, you can put it into practice in the real world and make your road use safer. And don’t ignore the importance of using the correct construction lights too.