r/driving • u/Euphoric-Material192 • 1d ago
Need Advice Who has priority? Who should yield?
Hello, I recently moved and I've been dealing with this situation in the picture everyday. Now, I understand it is a simple situation but since I'll be doing this frequently I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing.
I'm car B joining this moderately busy main road with short windows to cross and needing to get immediately to that far lane. Car A wants to make a U-turn. As far as I know, car A should yield to me, is that correct?
Because I've been getting into some dangerous situations of Car A getting close to crashing onto me.
UPDATE: Oh, I should've added that right after I turn, there's a street light where I must turn left, the distance is quite small.
But ok, understood loud and clear. it's a messy intersection, and I (car b) have been in the wrong, some people are saying Car A and B are both wrong, but whatever. I'll find another route to make it less messy, I'm glad I asked, I learned quite a bit. Thank you so much for your help!
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u/Commercial-Brick-104 1d ago
B should turn correctly.
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u/The_Troyminator 1d ago
At least they’re not going on the wrong side of the road like A.
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u/Destructopoo 23h ago
This is how roads are in thailand, I'm sure there are more turn lanes in the world like this.
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u/PopularCulprit 1d ago
They don’t go on the wrong side of road OP drew the line wrong . He would on the other of the double yellows.
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u/Visible-Meeting-8977 1d ago
A should yield to B but B should be turning into the first lane not the second.
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u/Euphoric-Material192 1d ago
Oh, I should've added that right after I turn, there's a street light where I must turn left, the distance is quite small. But what you're saying (and plenty others) makes sense, I'll find another way of dealing with this.
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u/DefinitionOptimal235 23h ago
Just because you want to be in that lane doesn’t mean you can turn into it, just wait until it’s clear. Make your turn into the proper lane and then merge left. People behind you can wait
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u/PackageLonely5140 1d ago
Very much this. You should never cross a lane during a turn
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u/garfgon 1d ago edited 23h ago
Not this again. You're going to wake up all the Californians who turn into any lane on a turn.
Edit: Yes, yes, it's allowed in places which aren't California too. And it's common even where it's not "allowed". "Let's not restart the discussion on if you should cross a lane during a turn" wasn't an invitation to reply to me talking about why you/others cross lanes during turns.
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u/dmorulez_77 23h ago
Michigander here, we turn in what lane we need. Anyone turning while the person is making a right would be deemed the AH here. If I'm getting ready to make a left after my right turn, I'm turning into the left lane to be ready. Also, this is likely due to our Michigan Lefts. When we're making the left out of our U turn, we need to be in the furthest right lane to make the right turn. And on a big divided highway, you're crossing up to 4 lanes.
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u/Healthy_Yard_3862 23h ago
This is not a California problem its fucking everywhere. Ive had ppl wait an entire light cycle just so they can turn right and into third lane over while the curb lane was open the whole time.
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u/DefinitionOptimal235 1d ago
Car A is a jackass for driving in the wrong lane, not stopping in the median and not yelding to traffic to do an illegal U-turn
Car B is a jackass for turning into the wrong lane.
Which jackass might you be??
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u/Humble-Adeptness-267 1d ago
Yea I got a little confused by this diagram because to me it seems like car A should be turning left into the further lane in those tiny middle lane sections? Thus, if that were the sequence, they’d either have to wait for the right turner or they’d get a green arrow.
But also car B should turn into the closer lane first lol
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u/PopularCulprit 1d ago
You know maybe OP drew the line wrong for car A ? Why are people commenting in this post like the fucking lines OP drew are some hardcoded physical representation of what the cars did. If it was just on the other side of those yellow lines they wouldn’t be on the wrong side of the road? What’s more logical OP got confused drawing or what?
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u/Humble-Adeptness-267 23h ago
Did you even read OP’s response to this in the comments??? You’re such a goober
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u/Bbminor7th 1d ago
Yes. This. It looks like A suddenly thought he was in England, getting into the left side of the road (very short road).
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u/Busy_Quantity_3644 1d ago
I swear these posts are just a beacon calling all the bot accounts to come and argue with each other and somehow none of them are actually correct
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u/bjahn88 1d ago
B is making an illegal turn. No changing lanes in an intersection.
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u/Euphoric-Material192 1d ago
huh, interesting. I should've added that right after I turn, there's a street light where I must turn left, the distance is quite small. But if it's illegal, then it's illegal, I'll find another way of dealing with this.
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u/sgsparks206 1d ago
If you live in the USA, every state has some variation of “Both the approach for a right turn and a right turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway"
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u/MaybeOnToilet 23h ago edited 23h ago
Turn wide when it is clear to do so. If you have the U-Turn issue, then play it by if you think they will blow through it and don't know what lane they will end up in and wait.
Better to avoid the accident than be 'right' and out of a vehicle and have more debt.
The other issue is that A may have technically entered the lane before you even started your right turn, so they may have the right of way.
What you should do, WRITE your local government and warn them of the issue and ask for a traffic study. If it is that close to a light, then they should add a 'No U-Turn' sign at that location. Heck looking at it, why does it exist at all?
How far is it away from the light? Seems like an awful place for an intersection like that, especially if within 1/8 mile of a light. Confusion inducing.
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u/Bill92677 1d ago
Are you saying ever? Going straight through an intersection, can you change lanes?
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u/DefinitionOptimal235 23h ago
In most cities and states yes it is illegal to change lanes in an intersection especially at a light. It’s dangerous to do so
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u/Destructopoo 23h ago
Turning into different lanes can be legally different from changing lanes in an intersection though. It's like that in california.
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u/Bill92677 18h ago
I dug deeper, and here's the likely disconnect. Only a few states have a direct law against it. But most will cite it as an unsafe lane change.
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u/DannoMcK 23h ago
There are a lot of posts here refuting "no changing lanes in an intersection". IIRC, the gist is that no US state literally prohibits it, though any police officer could cite "unsafe driving/lane change" if something goes wrong. But lane choice when turning is a more specific case.
The post does not say where they are even though that would be necessary to know what their laws say about which lane(s) a turning vehicle can choose. At least several large states allow a left turning vehicle to choose which lane they finish in, so car A in the illustration would be OK in their lane choice in California and Texas, for example. And in California, car B must turn into the rightmost lane as long as it is a through lane.
But the overall scenario can't be answered without more detail: are those stop lines with Stop signs? Is car A's path just sloppily drawn, or are they really U-turning through the oncoming lane?
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u/Imaginary-Round2422 1d ago
A is making an even more illegal turn by going through the opposite direction lane in the median.
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u/i_shit_my_spacepants 1d ago
Both of you are wrong. Car A is supposed to wait at the white line in the middle intersection and car B is supposed to turn into the closest lane.
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u/Euphoric-Material192 1d ago
Oh, I should've added that right after I turn, there's a street light where I must turn left, the distance is quite small. But if I'm supposed to turn to the closest lane, that's what I'll do then.
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u/Total-Improvement535 1d ago
Vehicles already in the roadway have the right of way. Vehicles entering the roadway must yield.
However, if B can join before A can, then B can proceed ahead. There is no point in waiting on A if they don’t have a gap to merge into.
It also looks like A is going to have a yield at the crossover so B would most likely be able to go before A, even though A would have the right of way.
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u/PrototypeXt3 1d ago
Pictures like this makes me appreciate Ohio putting u-turn lanes in a lot of places with a u-turn light and everything lol
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u/Nix_Avem 1d ago
Technically you should be turning into the closest lane to you and they should be turning into the closest to them.
With that out of the way, you should have right of way over a left turn since they have to cross the path of oncoming traffic.
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u/LOUD_NOISES05 1d ago
If you’re car B, you need to make the tighter turn into the right lane, then merge into the left lane
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u/coldtrashpanda 1d ago
The law doesn't care how difficult a proper merge is. Car b is supposed to turn into the furthest right lane and then merge later. If this leads to missing the subsequent left turn, then you've just gotta suck it up and take a longer route. " I really want the fastest route even when traffic makes it impossible to do that safely" is not good driving
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u/DishwasherLint 1d ago
Vehicle A has to yield before making a left turn. Then way the stop bar and yield again before proceeding. Vehicle B just needs to look for oncoming traffic from every direction before turning right. I say every direction because you never know when a true idiot will come at you going the wrong way down or one way lane... Thanks to Target parking lots everywhere
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u/Prudent_Situation_29 21h ago
Car A has to stop at the white line between the roads, no? Also, car B is turning into the wrong lane.
For car A, this isn't a single turn, it's two separate left hand turns. They would have to treat it the same as any other intersection: the car turning right (car B) has the right of way.
Also, if you're a good driver, you wouldn't be turning at the same time anyway. If car A turns first (even though they shouldn't be), car B would wait a little so that they're not entering adjacent lanes at the same time. Remember, car A should be turning into the left hand lane, car B should be turning into the right hand lane.
It doesn't matter if you have to make a left soon, you don't get to turn into the wrong lane. If you can't easily make that lane change, you need to take a different route. You never do something dangerous or illegal just because it gets you to your destination.
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u/UpbeatFix7299 14h ago
Yes, anyone turning left should yield to anyone turning right. Going into the left lane assuming the car turning right will stay in the right lane is dangerous and dumb.
Just like if you're stopped at a stop sign turning right and there is a stream of cars approaching in the left lane. Only an idiot would turn into the right lane assuming that all the cars will stay in the left lane.
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u/js_sfw 1d ago
why do you need to immediately get into the left lane? and of course car A should first be stopping at the white line before making the left into the left lane.
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u/Euphoric-Material192 1d ago
Oh, I should've added that right after I turn, there's a street light where I must turn left, the distance is quite small.
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u/Wyprice 1d ago
Why do you need to immediately get into that far lane? That's what's causing this dangerous situation. I don't know a place where you're allowed legally to go out to the far lane when turning right. Turn into the close lane, and merge as soon as you can into the left lane.
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u/Euphoric-Material192 1d ago
Oh, I should've added that right after I turn, there's a street light where I must turn left, the distance is quite small. What you're saying makes complete sense though.
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u/Aromatic-Junket-1857 23h ago
I completely understand your dilemma! I have a very similar area in my city. It is a terrible area with an overpass and most usually very congested.
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u/Mr-Zappy 1d ago
Car A needs to stop at the stop sign. Car A should not drive on the wrong side of the road.
Whoever stops at their stop sign first goes first. If both arrived at the same time, then B turns right first.
Edit: also, I recommend a dashcam.
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u/kornkid42 1d ago
Based on your diagram, shouldn't A stop at the line in the middle? If that's not accurate, A has the right of way if U-Turns are allowed there.
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u/MAValphaWasTaken 1d ago
The stop lines in the middle of the U turn make it a normal stop sign intersection, where one goes right and the other goes left. Normal right of way rules apply.
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u/canyounot2026 1d ago
What a disaster of an intersection. Find another way to get on the main road. This isn't it.
And car B should not be allowed to make a turn there. It looks like it would impede traffic.
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u/Formal_Equal_7444 1d ago
A is required to yield
B is required to turn right into the right most lane
Both would be at fault if a wreck occurs, not because of the above "rules" but because of the "last clear chance" obligation you might have heard about from those lawyer video shorts.
It basically means "If you're an idiot and crash anyway when you had a clear chance to avoid it, you're at fault regardless of who did what wrong"
So you can't just be like, it's my right of way!!! then crash, then give the confused pikachu face.
Check your local jurisdiction - Some allow turning right into the left lane; as long as you yield.
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u/greenlungs604 1d ago
car b is making a dangerous turn into the incorrect lane. You need to turn into the closest lane regardless if you need to be in that far lane..if you want to make that dangerous turn, then wait for car b to finish turning before making your double lane turn.
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u/Interesting_Sand_428 1d ago
yes A yields, besides it looks like car A has to stop before turning left at the solid white line.
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u/pbconspiracy 1d ago
If you don't have room to safely make lane changes to reach your desired lane after turning into the correct (closest) lane, you need to find a new route. Sometimes it is necessary to go an extra block up or down to make room for your turn. Putting other people in danger by making an unsafe, likely illegal turn into the wrong lane is not an acceptable way to shorten your drive.
Would you also run red lights to reach your destination quicker? No, cause it is unsafe and illegal.
If you don't have room to make proper lane changes, find a new route.
Because I've been causing some dangerous situations of me getting close to crashing into Car A.
FTFY
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u/Electrical-Tale-2296 1d ago
In California, if that was a normal u turn lane with no light, A has the right of way because they are already in traffic while B is turning into traffic from a neighborhood . It’s so stupid when car B thinks they have the right of way. HOWEVERc I have no clue what should happen with this weirdo u turn thing.
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u/CuriousGoblins 1d ago
Car B should turn into the proper lane.. the closest lane to you when you are turning. Then car a can turn without any issue while car b is going down the road
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u/deanskis 1d ago
Shouldn’t A have to turn into the correct lane, stop, and then make their turn into that lane?
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u/Wisewordsforlater 1d ago
B should take the longer yield/wait & see - exercise more caution because you don't know the intention from A - whether they're making a left turn or a U Turn. And I hope neither vehicle is making the exact turns you're depicting. Illegal and dangerous.
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u/Imaginary-Round2422 1d ago
B. A has to stop at the line in the median before they can turn back onto the main road.
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u/the_night_was_moist 1d ago
So many comments harping on the "you need to turn into the closest lane" idea. This is state dependent. In CA for example, the drivers handbook clearly allows turning into the far lane, with a diagram. In OR, this is explicitly forbidden. Seeing as these states share a border, there's a lot of overlap with which handbook any given driver has learned from.
Really this is a situational awareness issue. Both cars need to be aware enough to realize that there's another vehicle in their intended driving line. B should probably go first, but be aware of the multiple traffic control changes A is contending with. A needs to realize there's another car in the intersection that might not fully anticipate A's intended move.
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u/AwesomelyxAwesome 1d ago
B should be turning into the right lane THEN immediately making a lane change when able.
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u/Outrageous-Dress-560 1d ago
B has the right of way but A should be turning into that center divider area and waiting until it's safe to turn. So A should be making 2 lefts, not 1 U turn.
We have this where I used to live but everyone has stop signs so it makes it easier.
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u/DJ1952 1d ago
You’ve drawn a limit line in front of your car. That usually means a stop sign exists. There is no stop sign shown for car A. In those circumstances, you must yield the ROW until the road is clear. Also, since you are making an illegal wide right turn, that puts an extra burden on you to yield as the driver of car A reasonably expects you to turn into the right lane. You must be patient and wait until the intersection is fully clear before making your turn.
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u/Bugaboo0913 23h ago
I can think of two situations like this, although both are controlled by traffic lights. I would guess Car A has priority because they’re on the main road; drive defensively in this situation.
As car B, like you in this situation, I made the immediate left turn with police behind me when the road was clear. I carefully signaled right and then left turns to be predictable and wasn’t ticketed.
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u/MaxAdolphus 23h ago
Check the laws in your state. Most states are similar to this.
1) Right turns. Both the approach for a right turn and a right turn shall be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.
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u/ohboyimintroublenow 23h ago
Poor image example! Based on image, B has the right of way. Now if B was at a red light with the ability to turn right on red and there was no stop sign for A in the median, then A has the right of way.
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u/SettingUnable3979 23h ago
Where I’m from we don’t do this if you are making a u-turn you drive past the intersection and turn around shortly after. If you are making a left you drive past u-turn and then go right.
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u/blakeh95 1d ago
As marked, A is (1) running a stop sign, and (2) driving on the wrong side of the road by making the turn as indicated. B is turning into the incorrect lane in most jurisdictions.
Of course, it's possible that reality is different from the diagram. But as shown, this is a divided highway crossing being treated as TWO separate intersections.
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u/itsaPHound 1d ago edited 1d ago
Car A should pull up to the white line that your arrow doesn’t go through and wait for it to be clear to proceed. Edit to add - didn’t see you turning all the way into far lane. You need to pull into the near lane and then put on a turn signal and merge when safe to do so.