The Left-Turn Bay With Traffic Closing Behind
You are riding a 2018 650cc standard motorcycle southbound on a four-lane Oklahoma City arterial at 40 mph in the right lane. Ahead, a raised median opens into a left-turn bay for a shopping center. You want to turn left. A silver SUV is about three seconds behind you in the same lane and closing. Across the intersection, a northbound pickup approaches at roughly 45 mph; its right turn signal is not on. Your signal is green, but there is no protected left-turn arrow. The left-turn bay is 60 feet long and already holds one car at the front, waiting for a gap. You must decide whether to pull into the bay behind that car, stop in the through lane to wait, or continue past and turn around. The SUV behind is now about two seconds back. The pickup is 250 feet away and not slowing.
1. Where should you position the motorcycle while waiting to turn, and what should you do about the SUV closing behind you?
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Pull into the left-turn bay and stop behind the car already waiting. Do not wait in the through lane: that blocks traffic and invites the SUV to try to pass you on the right, which is exactly the conflict you want to avoid.
In the bay, stop slightly right of the lane center so you are visible in the waiting car's left mirror and leave yourself an escape path to the right if the SUV fails to stop. Keep the motorcycle in gear, hold the rear brake, and flash the brake light as the SUV approaches. Check the mirror repeatedly. If the SUV does not slow, move right within the bay and prepare to release the brake and move forward or to the right shoulder, but do not enter the intersection until you have a safe gap.
2. The pickup is 250 feet away at 45 mph. Estimate whether you have a safe gap to complete the turn, and state the right-of-way rule that controls the decision.
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At 45 mph the pickup covers about 66 feet per second. A 250-foot gap is therefore only about 3.8 seconds. From a stop, you need time to release the brake, accelerate, cross the oncoming lane, and clear it. A 3.8-second gap is marginal at best, and the pickup is not slowing.
Oklahoma left-turn rules require you to yield to oncoming traffic. The pickup's lack of a turn signal does not give you the right of way; it may be going straight. Do not turn just because the car ahead turns. Wait for a gap of roughly 5 or more seconds, or for the pickup to clearly commit to a turn or stop. If you cannot judge the gap confidently, let the vehicle pass.
3. The light turns yellow while you are waiting in the bay behind the car. The car ahead completes the turn. What do you do?
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Do not automatically follow the car ahead. If you are still behind the stop line or outside the intersection, stop and wait for the next green. A yellow light does not create a safe gap, and the oncoming pickup still has the right of way if it is proceeding.
If you have already moved into the intersection and are legally waiting to complete your turn, clear the intersection when it is safe rather than stopping in it. In this setup you are waiting in the turn bay, so the conservative and lawful choice is to remain stopped unless you are already committed. Recheck the pickup, the SUV behind, and the signal before moving.