The Left Turn Across Two Lanes at a Green Light
You are stopped in a dedicated left-turn lane at a signalized intersection, waiting for a green arrow. The light is a solid green circle, not an arrow. Oncoming traffic is heavy and moving at about 40 mph. A pedestrian is waiting on the far corner. Your view of the oncoming left lane is partly blocked by a large SUV in the oncoming right lane. You have been waiting through most of the green. A driver behind you honks. You intend to turn left onto a road with two lanes in each direction.
1. May you turn on the solid green, and what must you do before turning?
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A solid green circle permits a left turn only after you yield to oncoming traffic and to pedestrians in the crosswalk. You do not have a protected right of way without a green arrow. So you may turn, but only when it is safe.
Before turning:
- Yield to all oncoming vehicles close enough to be a hazard. With traffic at 40 mph and your view of the left oncoming lane blocked by the SUV, you cannot assume that lane is clear - a smaller vehicle may be hidden behind it.
- Yield to the pedestrian if they enter the crosswalk.
- Creep forward only enough to improve your view, keeping your wheels straight until you actually begin the turn, so a rear-end push would not shove you into oncoming traffic.
If the light turns yellow while you are in the intersection waiting, complete your turn when safe rather than stopping in the intersection.
2. How should you respond to the honking driver and the blocked sight line?
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Ignore the horn as pressure. The driver behind cannot see what you see, and their impatience does not make the turn safe. The blocked sight line is the decisive fact: when a large vehicle hides part of the oncoming lanes, you must wait for a gap you can actually verify, not one you assume. Edge forward slowly to peek past the SUV, re-check both oncoming lanes, and turn only into the correct lane (the nearest available lane unless markings or signs direct otherwise). If the light changes before a safe gap appears, you may complete the turn after yielding, but never turn blindly into a lane you could not see.