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Ask Trooper Steve: What is abuse of right of way?

Trooper Steve answers viewer questions

ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions and shares tips about the rules of the road, helping Central Florida residents become better drivers by being better educated.

Tamiko asked, “Can you define what abuse of right away means? On the ticket, it was written that a car hit near the back tire on the driver’s side as she passed an intersection with stop.”

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Here’s how Trooper Steve addressed this question.

“Initially, I was a little confused when reading this, but after re-reading it a few times it’s clear we’re talking about a ticket that resulted from a crash,” he said.

Often. a ticket will be written at the conclusion of a crash investigation.

“A law enforcement officer will add visible notes to the front of that ticket to explain the circumstances just a little further,” Trooper Steve said. “In this case, they indicated that a violation of right away did occur and added some details pertaining to the crash.”

The notes are added for multiple reasons.

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“Of course, they are there for the person receiving the ticket, but also to inform a judge or hearing officer that this is more than just a simple traffic violation,” Trooper Steve said. “I have written a few citations like this and when indicating that a violation of right away did occur, it sometimes means that a driver may have taken initial steps to operate their car properly but forgot the second step.

“For example, when stopping at a stop sign, you are required to make a complete stop no matter what, but the second part is you must yield to any other traffic beyond that stop sign”

The notes on this traffic citation tell me that this may have been the situation at hand.


About the Authors
Daniel Dahm headshot

Daniel started with WKMG-TV in 2000 and became the digital content manager in 2009. When he's not working on ClickOrlando.com, Daniel likes to head to the beach or find a sporting event nearby.

Steve Montiero headshot

Steven Montiero, better known as “Trooper Steve," joined the News 6 morning team as its Traffic Safety Expert in October 2017. A Central Florida native and decorated combat veteran, Montiero comes to the station following an eight-year assignment with the Florida Highway Patrol.

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