Yester-year’s car accident debris deposited in its center,
twelve lanes serving impatient drivers,
and a green light that never seems to come soon enough.
Behold, the intersection.
Many competing interests simultaneously meet their fates at the heart of the intersection. It is enough to stress any driver out. Add the possibility of a car crash, or traffic-ticket, and it makes Texas drivers wish they could avoid intersections all together.
Let us not dismiss intersections, though, since they can be great assets to our commute. Today, you can learn the appropriate rules and techniques to hopefully make accidents and traffic-tickets resulting from erroneous turns at an intersection a thing of the past!
RIGHT-HAND TURNS
A right turn at an intersection may seem like something a seasoned driver cannot get wrong.
“Okay, I make a complete stop. If there’s a stop sign or red light, then I turn right, right? What’s the big deal?”
Receiving a ticket for turning inappropriately can be a big deal ($$$), or it can result in an accident deemed your fault by the police, which is ABSOLUTELY a big deal!
So, what is the rule when turning right? In Texas, when you attempt to make a right turn into a street that exhibits two lanes or more, heading the same direction, ALWAYS turn into the right-most lane. Making a wide-turn into any lane left of the right-most lane is AGAINST. THE. LAW. PERIOD. Sorry, Charlie!
The law states: “Texas Transportation Code Sec. 545.101 (a) To make a right turn at an intersection, an operator shall make both the approach and the turn as closely as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.”
LEFT-HAND TURNS
The clear-cut characteristic of the right-hand turn law is in contrast to the not-so-clear left-hand turn law in a multi-lane intersection.
The left-hand turn law states: “Transportation Code Sec. 545.101 (b) To make a left turn at an intersection, an operator shall:
(1) approach the intersection in the extreme left-hand lane lawfully available to a vehicle moving in the direction of the vehicle; and
(2) after entering the intersection, turn left, leaving the intersection so as to arrive in a lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the direction of the vehicle on the roadway being entered.
(c) On a street or roadway designated for two-way traffic, the operator turning left shall, to the extent practicable, turn in the portion of the intersection to the left of the center of the intersection.
(d) To turn left, an operator who is approaching an intersection having a roadway designated for one-way traffic and for which signs are posted from a roadway designated for one-way traffic and for which signs are posted shall make the turn as closely as practicable to the left-hand curb or edge of the roadway.”
So, the code leads us to believe the “right-hand turn rule” – turning “as close as practicable” into the inner most lane – does not apply to a left turn.
When turning left into a street with two or more lanes, heading in the same direction, you can turn into any lane. The code states, “as to arrive in a lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the direction of the vehicle on the roadway being entered.”
It is only when the you are turning left into a one-way, multi-lane street that you should apply the “right-hand turn” rule, where the operator of the vehicle shall make the approach and the turn “as closely as practicable” to the left-hand curb.
Although the police might not be willing to ticket for this infraction, it does not mean ignoring the rule will result in zero liability for an accident resulting from your erroneous right or left turn.
So, let us not dismiss intersections, but rather, use them to get home safely without a defense attorney.
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My daughter was involved in a car accident.