Show Courtesy When Turning From Left Lane

Dear Traffic Talk:

When I learned to drive, I was told that in order to make a left turn, I should move into the center of the intersection and then make a 90-degree turn into the center lane of the street.

But what I see happening all the time is that people start their turns from at or just beyond the crosswalk, and then they cut a diagonal into the street they’re turning into without moving into the center of the intersection.

This maneuver, which used to be called “cutting the button,” often means that the car behind them can’t get through on the same signal.

Is this legal?

If not, can a person be ticketed for making an improper left turn?

Harvey Feder

Encino

Dear Harvey:

First off, when you make a left turn into a street, you should turn into the left-hand lane, not the center lane or other lanes, unless it is safe to do so, according to Anne Richards, a public information officer for the California Highway Patrol’s Sacramento bureau. Turning left into a lane other than a left-hand lane could result in a citable offense if the motorist impedes a vehicle making a right turn into the same street, Richards said.

To answer your first question, “cutting the button” is legal, Richards said. The vehicle code doesn’t give an exact position within the intersection as far as making left turns are concerned.

Thus, the answer to your second question should be obvious. Richards explained that as long as the motorist is making a safe left turn that doesn’t impede oncoming traffic, the CHP cannot issue a violation.

However, Richards agrees with you that common courtesy would indicate that the motorist should move forward into the intersection in order to allow room for other vehicles to make their left turns on the same signal.

In a U-turn situation at a four-way intersection, the lead vehicle, assuming it’s a standard-sized passenger car, cannot move out to the center of the intersection, said Wendy Moore, a CHP spokeswoman in the Glendale headquarters. Large trucks, campers and other vehicles that make wide turns, however, should move out closer to the center of the intersection to safely make their U-turns, Moore added.

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Dear Traffic Talk:

On a road with only two marked lanes and an additional space at the curb for metered parking, when there are no parked cars (but not due to parking restrictions), is it legal for drivers to use that space as a third lane?

Thanks for your help.

Marc Jacobs

Burbank

Dear Marc:

As long as there is no solid white delineation that separates the parking area from the road, it’s okay to drive in the parking lane when there is enough lane width for two vehicles, said Officer Can Canalia of the California Highway Patrol’s Central office.

This rule also applies if the right-hand lane and the parking lane are separated by a dotted white line, Canalia said.

The bottom line is, you can drive along the parking lane at any time of the day, provided that it’s clear of parked cars.

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