Navigating a Five-Way Intersection

Standard driver's education does not cover how to safely cross a 5-way intersection, because those intersections are thankfully not very common. In cities like Kingston, New York, where such an intersection may be used frequently, a driver must understand right-of-way rules, psychology, and common courtesy to avoid accidents consistently.

Five Ways to Die

In Kingston, NY, a nightmarish intersection called "Five Ways to Die" by the locals is formed when 2 one-way streets, Wall and Fair, merge at the intersection of Greenkill Avenue and Boulevard. Drivers taking NY Route 32 northbound enter the intersection on Boulevard and must continue on Wall Street, requiring them to take the unusual step of bearing to the left as they drive through the intersection. Turns onto and off of Greenkill Avenue are at peculiar angles, and it is difficult to tell a driver's intentions from turn signals alone.

Right of Way Rules Are a Good Start

The rules of determining who has the right of way at an intersection are mostly the same throughout the United States, and likely they do not vary significantly in countries with automotive traffic on the right side of the road. The New York State Driver's Manual has a section on right of way at intersections. They can be summarized by some common sense rules:

• Do not enter an intersection if your path will make you hit another car.
• Be aware of other cars and make educated guesses about where their drivers wish to go.
• Pedestrians, even careless ones, do not deserve to be hit by a car.

To achieve these, drivers must yield to cars already in an intersection, hold off on making left turns when others are driving straight across, and allow the driver to the right to go first. This is often enough to avoid accidents at 4-way intersections.

Five-Way Intersections Require Better Driving Skills

When approaching an intersection like Five Ways to Die, especially for the first time, a driver must be prepared for unpredictable behavior as other automobile operators also determine how best to proceed. It is best to take such a situation and parse it into smaller steps.

1. Determine how many of the incoming roads have stops signs, so as to determine if any cars will not be stopping. In the example there are stop signs in all five directions.
2. Identify cars entering the intersection first, as they have de facto right of way.
3. Make eye contact with any other approaching drivers, if possible.
4. Use gestures to indicate the intended path across the intersection.
5. Determine which driver should proceed first based on the information shared.

Eye contact is not a common element in driver interactions in the United States today. However, it is a common element in any course on industrial safety, and it could be argued that automobiles are no less dangerous than any other heavy machinery.

Be prepared to stop at all intersections

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