The Left Turn Across Multiple Lanes
You are stopped at a red light in the left-turn lane of a busy four-lane road, waiting to turn left onto a cross street. Your light turns green-a solid green circle, not a green arrow. Across the intersection, two oncoming lanes of traffic face you: the near lane has a line of cars, and the far lane has a gap. A pedestrian is walking in the crosswalk on your left, moving toward your path. A car behind you honks as the light turns green. You intend to turn left onto the cross street.
1. What does a solid green circle allow you to do here, and who must you yield to?
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A solid green means you may proceed if the intersection is clear, but a left turn is not protected-you must yield to:
- Oncoming traffic going straight or turning right. Both oncoming lanes must be clear of conflicting vehicles before you commit.
- Pedestrians in the crosswalk. The pedestrian on your left is in your path; you must wait for them to clear your lane.
- Vehicles and pedestrians lawfully in the intersection.
You may enter the intersection on green and wait for a gap, but you must not block it if traffic is backed up. You only turn when you can complete the turn without forcing anyone to brake.
2. The driver behind honks. The near oncoming lane is stopped but the far lane has a gap. Should you turn now?
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No. The honk is not a reason to move, and a gap in only one oncoming lane is not enough.
- The near lane is stopped, but a stopped car can still be a hazard-and more importantly, a vehicle in the far lane may be approaching in the gap you think you see, hidden behind the stopped cars.
- A left turn must clear all oncoming lanes. Turning into the far lane's gap while the near lane is occupied risks a collision with a car in the far lane that you cannot fully see.
- The pedestrian is still a factor if they have not cleared your path.
Wait until you can see that both oncoming lanes are clear and the pedestrian has passed your path. Ignore the honk; the driver behind cannot see what you see and bears no legal responsibility for your turn.
3. The light turns yellow while you are waiting in the intersection for a gap. What now?
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You are already lawfully in the intersection, so you should complete your turn when it is safe rather than stopping in the middle of the intersection. Specifically:
- Do not reverse or stop in the box; that blocks cross traffic and is dangerous.
- Continue to yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians, but clear the intersection as soon as a safe gap exists-cross traffic will soon have a green.
- If you cannot clear safely before cross traffic starts, you are in a vulnerable position; watch for cross traffic that may jump the light and be prepared to wait for a clear moment.
The lesson: only enter the intersection to wait for a left turn if you are confident you can clear it. If you are unsure a gap will come, it is better to wait behind the stop line on green than to be caught in the box on yellow.