What should you do if traffic lights are out at an intersection?

When traffic lights are out at an intersection, treating it as a four-way stop is the appropriate action to ensure safety and order for all road users. In this situation, all vehicles approaching the intersection must come to a complete stop, and then proceed according to the established right-of-way rules. This means that the first vehicle to arrive at the intersection has the right to go first, followed by any other vehicles in the order they arrived.

This approach helps to manage traffic flow effectively when the usual signals that guide drivers are not functioning. It reduces confusion and potential accidents by providing a clear protocol for drivers to follow. Ensuring that every driver stops and evaluates the environment before proceeding mitigates the risk of collisions and helps maintain safe traffic conditions at the intersection during the outage.