There are many "Rules of the Road" that will determine liability in most automobile accident cases. Some are commonly known while others might surprise you. Maryland law looks to which vehicle had the right-of-way at the time of the accident.

First, a car going straight through a solid green light has the right-of-way over a vehicle making a left turn going in the opposite direction. It does not matter if the car going straight was speeding in almost all cases.

If there is a four way stop, the car that arrives first at the intersection has the right-of-way and can go first. If two cars arrive at the same time, the car to the right has the right to proceed.

A car proceeding straight on a main throughfare without a stop sign has the right-of-way over the car with a stop sign. Once again, even if the car without the stop sign is speeding, it does not make a difference. The car with the stop sign will be deemed at fault.

It is a common misconception that a rear end collision means that the car that rear ends someone is automatically is fault. This is not true in every case. If a car is rear ended and forced into the car in front, they are not at fault. If there was a sudden emergency such as a heart attack or brake failure, they are not at fault unless they knew or should have known of the problem. The case turns on the facts.

A car on a road that ends at a "T" intersection must stop and yield the right-of-way to vehicles that are proceeding straight.

A vehicle may enter a yellow light with caution and has the right to clear the intersection even after the light turns red. Any car on an intersecting road must yield to the vehicle that entered on the yellow light.

A vehicle must yield the right-of-way to a pedestrian in a crosswalk OR to a pedestrian crossing a street where there is a contiguous sidewalk on either side of the road. There are many occasions where people do not pay attention to pedestrians.

Bicycles must obey all traffic laws. This means that they have the same rights and obligations as motorists. They should be on the right side of the road and obey all traffic control signals.

The rules of the road will determine liability in almost every single case. The facts can be disputed, but the law will determine who had the right-of-way.