The aftermath hurricanes leave can be just as difficult to deal with as the actual storm.

Once a hurricane passes through, people are sometimes ready to leave their homes and roam streets littered with debris and filled with traffic lights that aren't working.

Too many people leaving their homes too soon can cause chaos and confusion at busy intersections without properly working traffic signals.

Although traffic lights make obeying the rules of the road easier, there are ways to drive during an emergency. Knowing the proper laws of a situation, such as one after a hurricane, can make getting around much easier.

When traffic signals stop working, the intersection automatically becomes a four-way stop. But that can be more dangerous than it sounds. After Hurricane Charley, people ignored the law and many just ran through intersections.

At a four-way stop, the driver who arrives first has the right of way. Florida law states that if two cars arrive at the same time, the driver on the right gets to go first.

The main thing to remember is that during a situation where the traffic signals are inoperable, everybody stops just as if it were a stop sign. Knowing that simple rule will help make driving the debris-filled roads safer this hurricane season.