How Four-Way Stops Work in Ontario (and Who Goes First)

Few things fluster a new driver like pulling up to a four-way stop with three other cars already there. Who goes? The good news is that four-way stops run on two simple rules, plus a bit of courtesy. Learn them and you will move through confidently instead of doing the nervous little wave everyone recognizes. Here is how they work.

First: everyone stops, completely

Every driver at a four-way stop must come to a full stop behind the line or crosswalk, not a slow roll. The order of who goes next only makes sense once everyone has actually stopped, and a rolling stop is both a ticket and the fastest way to cause confusion.

Rule one: first to stop, first to go

The driver who comes to a complete stop first has the right to go first. If you clearly arrived and stopped before the others, proceed when it is safe. If you were clearly second or third, wait your turn. Most four-way stops sort themselves out entirely on this one rule.

Rule two: a tie goes to the right

When two vehicles stop at about the same time, the driver on the right goes first. So if you and another car reach the stop together and that car is on your right, you yield and let them go. This is the same yield-to-the-right idea that governs uncontrolled intersections, and it settles almost every tie.

Straight through beats turning across

One more situation: if two vehicles are facing each other and stop at the same time, and one is going straight or turning right while the other wants to turn left across traffic, the straight-through or right-turning driver goes first. The left-turner yields, because they are the one crossing the other’s path.

Then go one at a time, and communicate

Four-way stops work best when drivers take turns one at a time and make it obvious what they are doing. A little eye contact, a clear move when it is your turn, and patience when it is not, keep everyone safe. If two drivers both hesitate, someone has to go, but never assume: only move when you can see the other driver is actually waiting.

When in doubt, yield

If you genuinely cannot tell who arrived first, yield. It costs you a couple of seconds and removes all the risk. Four-way stops and right of way show up often on the G1, and to drill them with real questions, FreeG1 is free and covers the whole test with practice questions and mock exams.

Keep reading: the full right-of-way rules and how roundabouts work.

Based on the Official MTO Driver’s Handbook. Last reviewed July 2026.