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Different Types of Failure to Yield
There are many different types of “failure to yield” tickets in Chicago and the surrounding suburbs. Some of the “failure to yield” tickets that drivers may receive are:
- Failure to yield to avoid an accident
- Failure to yield to another vehicle in front of you
- Failure to yield to another vehicle that has the right of way
- Failure to yield to an emergency vehicle, such as a police car, fire truck, or ambulance
- Failure to yield to a pedestrian
- Failure to yield while entering an intersection
- Failure to yield to a stoplight or stop sign
- Failure to yield to a funeral procession
- Failure to yield to children in a school zone
- Failure to yield to a bicyclist
- Failure to yield to a Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) bus
Nearly all of these tickets are considered non-criminal petty offenses. They are punishable by a fine only. However, some are more serious than others. And they all have the potential to add points to your driver’s license and increase your insurance rates.
Most drivers associate these tickets with an accident. It is true that when two or more vehicles are involved in a collision, someone is often cited for “failure to yield to avoid an accident.”
However, an officer can also issue the ticket without there being an accident if they observe a driver committing the offense.
Two of these common tickets for “failure to yield” are:
- 625 ILCS 5/11-904. Vehicle entering stop or yield intersection.
- 625 ILCS 5/11-1002. Pedestrians’ right-of-way at crosswalks.
Vehicle Entering an Intersection
This law requires drivers to stop at the stop line before entering an intersection. If there is no stop line, the driver can enter the intersection only after determining it is safe to do so.
Additionally, when a driver is approaching a yield sign, they must slow down to a reasonable speed before entering the intersection. The driver shall view approaching traffic, stop if required, and enter the intersection only after determining it is safe to do so.
Pedestrians’ Right-of-Way at Crosswalks
Most drivers know that pedestrians have the right of way. The law specifically requires any driver to yield the right of way to a pedestrian whenever there are stop signs or flashing red signals at an intersection.
The driver shall yield the right of way to a pedestrian crossing the roadway at a crosswalk when the pedestrian is already halfway through the roadway on either side.
