Q: Did something change for left hand turners at a signal? I have noticed that a growing number of drivers in Bellingham have decided that pulling into the intersection at a traffic light when turning left is no longer a practice. These drivers are waiting behind the line and then right as the signal is turning from yellow to red make the left turn. What’s up with this?
A: In heavy traffic, trying to make a left turn can result in a lot of frustration. However, pulling into the intersection and waiting for an opportunity to turn is a less-than-ideal solution to a congested traffic problem. Whether it’s a legal solution depends on your interpretation of the law. RCW 46.61.202, edited for brevity, states, “No driver shall enter an intersection unless there is sufficient space on the other side to accommodate the vehicle he or she is operating without obstructing the passage of other vehicles.” We can clearly understand that this law applies when driving straight into an intersection, where backed up cars in congested traffic prevent a driver from making it all the way through. But does it apply to making a left turn? Here’s how the Department of Licensing interprets the law in the Driver Guide : “Drivers must not enter an intersection unless they can get through it without having to stop.” That would seem to mean that even for left turns you shouldn’t pull into the intersection and wait for a gap. But then is goes on to say, “You should wait until traffic ahead clears so you are not blocking the intersection.” Are they only referring to going straight or does this include left turns? Referring again to the RCW, in the section on traffic signals, the law states that on a green light, a driver turning left “shall stop to allow other vehicles lawfully within the intersection to complete their movements.” It doesn’t specify that the driver must stop at the stop line, but I think it would be reasonable to reach that conclusion. Finally, let’s consider how driving instructors teach their students. In a conversation with a local instructor, he said that he and the other instructors he works with teach their driving students only to pull into the intersection to make a left turn if there is a clear path all the way through the intersection. Otherwise, students are directed to wait at the stop line until the road is clear to make a left turn.
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