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Traffic right-of-way question: what do you guys think?

F

Fausto

Elite Member
Okay, so my route to work requires that I take a left at a somewhat wonky intersection. When I get the green light (there's no "left turn" light), I wait for the cars coming straight at me to clear and then turn left. About half the time I do this, I end up nose to nose with someone trying to take a right coming from the other direction. Ordinarily, they would have the right-of-way, but the small "right-hand-turn" lane they shoot through to make the right has a Yield sign planted in it. I was under the impression that "Yield" meant that you yield to everyone one else, all the time, regardless of what they're doing (including making a left). Are these people all idiots for them blasting their horns at me as if I were in the wrong, or am I actually wrong about this?

Here's a diagram of the setup, my path is indicated by the blue line, right-turners indicated by the red line.
 
Wow.....that is weird. The right turning guy has a yield, but turning left on a green is an automatic yield to right turning traffic.

I would have to say the Yield guy has the right of way. The yield sign might be only for traffic coming from his left and not traffic coming from in front of him.

Oh, BTW: Nice drawing..... we NEVER would have figured it out by a description alone.
 
Originally posted by: edro13
Wow.....that is weird. The right turning guy has a yield, but turning left on a green is an automatic yield to right turning traffic.

I would have to say the Yield guy has the right of way. The yield sign might be only for traffic coming from his left and not traffic coming from in front of him.
Click to expand...

That's the thing tho, I wasn't under the impression that Yield signs were conditional depending on where the traffic's coming from. This is all compounded by the fact that I have to get over into the right lane of the road I'm turing onto since I make an immediate right onto a sidestreet about 50 yards later.
 
If you're going left on a green and the other guy is turning right on a red (forcing him to yield), IMHO you have precendence.

-PAB
 
That looks like an only in the east coast intersection.

But anyways, I say the guy in the yield making right should stay in far right when turning and you stay in far left. At least thats how I do it, not squirt over an extra lane on these kinds of turns.
 
Originally posted by: TranceNation
the guy turning right has the right of way, he could change his mind and go straight.
Click to expand...
No, he can't. The little right-turn lane is separated from the go-straight-or-left lane by an island. He'd almost have to do a 180 to change his mind.

 
First off, when making a left hand turn onto a multi laned road you are supposed to turn into the appropriate lane CLOSEST to you, not the furthest one. You are both in the wrong for crossing each others lane. but yes.. the right turning should have yielded.
 
Yield means yield in my book. The sign doesn't say Yield unless you feel like not yielding. They are in the wrong.

There is a right turn near my house that has the same type Yield sign. I consider it stupid, but if I were to continue and have an accident, I would be at fault.
 
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
If you're going left on a green and the other guy is turning right on a red (forcing him to yield), IMHO you have precendence.

-PAB
Click to expand...

What? The Other guy is turing right on GREEN. That Trumps all!
 
Originally posted by: TwinkleToes77
First off, when making a left hand turn onto a multi laned road you are supposed to turn into the appropriate lane CLOSEST to you, not the furthest one. You are both in the wrong for crossing each others lane. but yes.. the right turning should have yielded.
Click to expand...

Explained above. The side street comes up literally 50 yards or so after I make the turn, plus I'm on my bicycle most of the time so I have to get over to the curb anyway.
 
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
If you're going left on a green and the other guy is turning right on a red (forcing him to yield), IMHO you have precendence.

-PAB
Click to expand...
That's all well and good, but not the case here...

Can't you ask a local cop?
 
Hmmm. Hard to say. I remember a few years ago when I was learning to drive, something similiar happened to me, except I was the guy making the right turn and there wasn't a yield. My dad kindly informed me (heh) that the other guy had the right-of-way in that situation.

In this case, though, I think I would say that you had the right-of-way. It's all dependent on how the Yield works, though. The way I would interpret it is that he would have to yield to whatever is on the road (or might be turning onto the road) since he doesn't technically have a green light, like you do. If the number of lanes is accurate, though, and people drive the way they should (make a right turn, turn into the rightmost lane, make a left turn, turn into the leftmost lane), it shouldn't be a problem with three or even two lanes.
 
Originally posted by: edro13
Originally posted by: PsychoAndy
If you're going left on a green and the other guy is turning right on a red (forcing him to yield), IMHO you have precendence.

-PAB
Click to expand...

What? The Other guy is turing right on GREEN. That Trumps all!
Click to expand...
Right, but he's got a Yield sign that is only for his little right-turn lane. They should just make it a damn stop sign and end the confusion. There are constantly fender-benders there since there's a busy gas station that shares its entrance lane with the little merging lane the right-turners have. It's a mess.

 
Similar type of setup in a place near my old town. The police told me the person turning left had the right of way. At the yield sign you must yield to all oncoming traffic.
 
The answer is that normally the car turning right has precidence except where traffic signs indicate otherwise. The yield sign means the operator MUST give right of way to ALL other paths of traffic.
 
Here is a spin on it: The Blue car DOESN'T KNOW that he has a yield sign....(unless they are from around there) Therefore they must ASSUME that they are a normal right turning on GREEN driver. Thus, waiting in the middle of the intersection to turn left.

Ask a Cop.
 
Originally posted by: edro13
Here is a spin on it: The Blue car DOESN'T KNOW that he has a yield sign....(unless they are from around there) Therefore they must ASSUME that they are a normal right turning on GREEN driver. Thus, waiting in the middle of the intersection to turn left. Ask a Cop.
Click to expand...

Whoa I have to remember this when I run a stop sign I didnt see. Whoopee!! They cant give me a ticket!! 😛
 
Originally posted by: Fausto1
Okay, so my route to work requires that I take a left at a somewhat wonky intersection. When I get the green light (there's no "left turn" light), I wait for the cars coming straight at me to clear and then turn left. About half the time I do this, I end up nose to nose with someone trying to take a right coming from the other direction. Ordinarily, they would have the right-of-way, but the small "right-hand-turn" lane they shoot through to make the right has a Yield sign planted in it. I was under the impression that "Yield" meant that you yield to everyone one else, all the time, regardless of what they're doing (including making a left). Are these people all idiots for them blasting their horns at me as if I were in the wrong, or am I actually wrong about this?

Here's a diagram of the setup, my path is indicated by the blue line, right-turners indicated by the red line.
Click to expand...

Based on the diagram, I think you are fine. You wouldn't be liable in an accident.

HOWEVER, when tuning left, you are suppose to use the left most lane that you are turning into, so even if someone went through te yield sign, you shouldn't be getting in an accident.
 
Originally posted by: edro13
Here is a spin on it: The Blue car DOESN'T KNOW that he has a yield sign....(unless they are from around there) Therefore they must ASSUME that they are a normal right turning on GREEN driver. Thus, waiting in the middle of the intersection to turn left.

Ask a Cop.
Click to expand...
How could they not know they have a yield sign? There's a bigass red triangular sign with the letters Y-I-E-L-D printed on it. Perhaps I wasn't clear that there's an actual sign there.

 
Originally posted by: brtspears2
That looks like an only in the east coast intersection.

But anyways, I say the guy in the yield making right should stay in far right when turning and you stay in far left. At least thats how I do it, not squirt over an extra lane on these kinds of turns.
Click to expand...

This is what I was trying to say in my previous post before this one.
I think doing anything otherwise is actually a viiolation in some states.
 
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