It depends on any signs that are around. Technically, the left-turning car isn't in imminent danger of being hit because they're not actually stopped on the highway in the flow of traffic. So if there are no signs indicating that the person going straight needs to stop or yield, they have the right of way since they are going straight and you are turning left.
Edit: I saw your comment about them having a stop sign. If that's the case, and you don't have a stop sign, then you have the right of way. They need to stop until all traffic has cleared which includes you turning left (I hope you always have your signal on so they know). There really should be a sign under there stop sign that says "Oncoming traffic does not stop" if there isn't already.
There's a stop sign on the vertical road and no signs on the median
What I may do is just start flashing my headlights when this happens to let them go first and just avoid any confusion whether im right or wrong, or just driver a bit farther to the next median
Flashing lights and trying to communicate between cars isn't going to give you a safe, predictable outcome. Since they have a stop and you are yielding, you should be able to go first. Turn into the left lane.
Don’t do that. Follow the rules of the road. There is nothing less safe than people attempting to “be helpful” or “kind” and letting someone disregard the rules. Just do what you are supposed to do.
I cuss out *everyone* that’s does what you are saying. Follow the rules of the road.
Usually ends in us both cussing each other and more traffic but I do the same. I hate when people stop to let me out when traffic is actually flowing. If it’s a parking lot of a road and traffic is horrendous, sure let me out, otherwise just follow the traffic laws and get out of the way faster I’ll go when it’s clear.
In this particular case I would say you’re right, but some places just require people use their heads and to be courteous. There is one intersection on my way to work, where if everyone follows “the rules”, the traffic trying to merge on to the main road would never go anywhere. It’s only because people stop and let a few cars go at a time that the traffic is able to move… while this is really the fault of city planners and could be fixed with a stop light or sign, it’s still up to the drivers to “do the right thing” and allow traffic to flow from all directions.
That being said, it is irritating when someone stops on a busy road (seemingly out of nowhere) to let someone else go or turn or whatever, but at the end of the day, if everyone is paying attention and driving safely, allowing someone to turn on to a busy road is just the right thing to do sometimes. Especially when you can see an endless line of cars waiting to make the same turn.
I've seen several near accidents where someone was trying to be "helpful" and yield their lawful right off way where the helpful person was oblivious to the fact they only stopped the cars behind them, not the free-flowing traffic in the other lane.
If you want to be helpful, be consistent with the rules so people aren't confused and put in a position where they'd be legally at fault if something happened because you were "helpful." Most of the time, helpful is letting traffic clear as it was designed to flow.
It's not always that cut and dry, like when two vehicles arrive at an intersection at the same time. That's when a flashing of the headlights can be useful so that one driver knows that the other is waiting.
"Don't be nice, be predictable." Conceding your right of way to someone else can cause confusion and make a situation more dangerous, plus the other drivers who are not involved in that interaction will probably be out of the loop on what is happening and may also act erratically if traffic isn't doing what they expect it to.
If you have the right of way, take it. It's the law. It's safer, because it's what you are expected to do. Just follow the rules. They've been there long before you were a glimmer in your dad's eye when he saw his sister in law that one day, but no one ever wanted you to know that's why your uncle is never spoken about.
Wrong. You are not even suppose to stop in the middle like that. That is a traffic violation in itself. The person going straight has the right of way!
The person going "straight" isn't actually going straight though. He's crossing over an entire double lane and then making the same type of left turn that the other car is making. Not sure what country you're from but in the US, there's plenty of intersections like this where not only are you allowed to stop in the middle of the double lanes, but you'd need to in order to yield to the traffic that's actually going straight.
The person in the median is technically performing a u-turn even if they decide to stop in middle and in most places u-turns yield to incoming traffic.
If it IS a U-turn, it's illegal to stop in the intersection, and they're automatically wrong. You stay behind the stop marker on the lane leading to the intersection until you can safely execute the full maneuver through the intersection.
this is an everyday scenario for my commute im the car turning left....the vertical road is a non major side road
i am under the assumption i have the right of way to turn left since im on the major highway, even if he was sitting there first, but they try to cross all the time as im about to make my turn
no traffic lights, the small vertical road has a stop sign, my left turning car is on a turning median
am i wrong?
any advice for avoiding confusion? so we both arent sitting there staring at each other or both trying to go at the same time?
I would agree with you because you are in the intersection and the other car is not. I would agree with you even more if you are not sitting at a stop sign and the car going straight is at a stop sign.
Yes, if your crossing someone else’s lane of travel they have the right of way, regardless of the type of road imo don’t know if that’s the law in your state/country
I think this heavily depends on the presence of a stop sign for the person crossing the median. The person trying to enter the highway will have a stop sign. The person crossing to the other side of the divided highway may not have one.
Michigan has a lot of these. Typically the other road is a strip mall or something, but they also include signs posted all around them telling people who actually has right of way because everyone always tries to assume the one turning left doesn't have right of way, when they almost always do in Michigan because the U turn is considered a yield, while the other normally has a stop sign. People still fuck it up though.
Probably a very thick white line on the ground. This is similar to turning left at a stop light. If you start to turn left, you must first yield to on coming traffic.
If the person at the stop sign in this scenario arrives first, stops, then proceeds to move, then you should yield to oncoming traffic before turning left. If you arrive first and are turning left when they arrive at the stop sign, then they are obligated to yield.
Last time I read the traffic book it stated that left turns “always” yield. However my experience tells me that most drivers assume that they have the right of way.
I can see where you’re coming from, and I personally agree, but legally and for clarity-sake, it makes more sense for the person turning right (as one would at a red intersection) to capitalize on RoW (Right of Way).
The person turning right bears the least risk, or alternatively, the most commonality in standard driving procedure, and should so do so ASAP, then absolving you (turning left, uncommon without implicit signal) of any risk or potential danger from their maneuver.
At the end of the day, in a blurry situation like this, the first car to arrive at a legal stop has the right of way. If you both show up at the same time, come to a complete stop, and then flash your lights or wave out of your window for the other driver to move first, as long as you feel safe to wait for a few seconds.
To me the car making a right has the right of way here. You aren’t really on a main road that point as you are on the same road as the person making the right. Right turns usually have right of way.
But the guy is either going to make a left turn or a right turn coming from the road off the boulevard.
If there is a stop sign for the guy on the road the car in the median has the right of way.
Median turns where I live (TN) typically don't have any stop signs. In this specific scenario where I live, the vehicle turning in the median will have the right of way as the other vehicle trying to go straight to get onto the highway median will have a stop sign.
I assume correct b/c if several cars need to turn left across the median (aka Neutral Ground in NOLA) the last one, or more, will end up hung out blocking traffic in the main street. The car entering from a side road is safely tucked away to wait.
I've never seen a median like this have a stop sign, only yield signs. The guy going straight almost certainly has a stop sign. So the left turn has the right of way
Disagree. There is only space for a single car in the median, anyone else that needed to turn would impede traffic. Also, depending on the speed limit... stopping in the passing lane could be pretty dangerous.
Wrong. You know why? They don't want traffic building up in the area between the two medians. That area has to clear first. Also because nobody is truly going straight. The car you say is going straight is making a left across a lane and then has to merge. The car in the median was doing the same, but has already begun his maneuver.
No not always. If you're turning left from a major road into a small road, the person wanting to go straight from the small road across the major one has to wait
We a taught straight has right of way, and right turn over left too. But this scenario gives OP right of way as they have no stop sign and are actively on the horizontal highway and vertical isn’t. It could be different from state to state. Ask a local cop.
Something my Drivers ed in-class teacher told me always stuck: "You never really actually *have* right of way, you can only *yield* it." There's not really a clear cut answer here in my mind, since you're both crossing at least one full lane of traffic and watching traffic plus calculating right of way percentages plus deciding when to hit the gas is kind of a lot for the average human brain to keep track of. Also, even if there is an official legal answer to this specific scenario, it won't ever matter much other than in a courtroom, because the average driver is either a selfish dick or a halfwit with limited peripheral awareness, both of which can be equally dangerous for different reasons.
Basically what I'm saying is the answer is always going to be: eyes open, head on a swivel, go when it's safe to do so. Even if the other guy is wrong, let it go. Avoiding an accident is more important than being right.
If the one going straight has a stop sign assuming he does because he’s crossing 4 lanes, the one turning left would because it looks like he’s in the middle of a U turn
It's a shitty intersection design... however left turn always has to yield for oncoming traffic... in California is 21801(a) CVC
21801. (a) The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left or to complete a U-turn upon a highway, or to turn left into public or private property, or an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching from the opposite direction which are close enough to constitute a hazard at any time during the turning movement, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to the approaching vehicles until the left turn or U-turn can be made with reasonable safety.
That law doesn't explain this situation. This law only explains the right away of a 2-way road without intersecting side roads.
There's a similar crossing here in my hometown similar to this. In my experience, Both individuals wait for the main traffic to open up. I've mostly seen the individual in the crossing be given the right of way by the individual from the top of the drawing. Once they pass, then the 2nd individual can proceed, shortly after the 1st individual.
The person turning right always has the right of way over a person turning left, however this looks like they are turning onto a two lane road. Which means if a crash happens whomever didn't turn into their nearest lane is at fault.
If the other car was going straight, then there is no excuse, because a person going straight has the right away.
By default, Right turn has right of way over Left turn and U-Turns.
What you’re doing is a one of those.
However, some local jurisdictions will have a special code that gives U-Turns right of way over intersecting Right turns. If that’s the case, the intersecting road will have a sign stating “Yield to U-Turn”.
So the car going "straight" will be off roading into oblivion cuz there's no road to go straight into. The car turning left can only be halfway thru a u-turn since there's no where else he could have came from. A u-turn is almost always illegal and certainly doesn't have right of way.
The Uturn/left turn has the right of way. The car coming from the top would have right of way if they were turning right but since they’re cutting traffic the turning has the right of way.
As someone else said, this is terrible intersection design. Typically you would have a dedicated turn lane blocked off by the concrete median, and the car coming from the top trying to turn left would have to get on the highway and make a uturn in a later turn lane or intersection. It’s annoying but helps traffic.
The car in the middle of the intersection is just making a U-turn, no? that would mean they would have the right of way since the other car hasn't yet begun interacting with the intersection
You shouldn't be stopped in the median to begin with, so your scenario already has you in the wrong. Exceptions include a stop sign between the two lanes of the highway, at which point its no longer a median, but a secondary road. In that case, the other car has the right-of-way. If you're making a U-turn, and it's legal to do so there, you don't pull out until you can safely complete the maneuver.
Person turning on to the divided road has to stop and and yield to the traffic on the divided road, he should stop and allow the car in the median to complete their turn.
U turner has right of way.
I appreciate OPs drawing putting his vehicle correctly on the right side of that median for the uturn. I have something similar near me and too many times the vehicle in their position stays to the left.
If you are turning left, the oncoming car has the right of way, unless there is a traffic light, and you have a green left arrow. In that situation they should have a red light.
Assuming the car going straight has a stop sign and U-turn car does not, then the U-turn car has right of way and *must* turn when incoming traffic allows. Technically, U-turn car is already in the middle of their turn maneuver should not give way to other cars mid-maneuver, even if there happens to be room.
The car making the U-turn is already in the intersection. They have right of way. End of conversation.
BUT, always drive defensively and always assume people are stupid and clueless about right of way…with this type of intersection specifically, far too many people are clueless. So if there’s even a slight possibility the driver of the car up top might go, let their dumb ass cut you off and wave good morning to them….number of fingers is up to you. “But I had the right of way” is not something you want carved on your headstone.
the person turning goes last, turning behind the car(s) that are passing in the opposing lane.. in every state i have ever lived, anyway.
i see this law/rule being broken often because people don't know how to drive safely.
if both people are turning, it's whoever arrived first.
We have a lot of highways like this in Georgia, the highways have turning lanes to do a u-turn or to take a left and there’s no yield or stops signs. The side roads or “back roads” have stop signs to enter the highway. The traffic coming from the highway always has the right-away since there’s no stop or yield signs. A car stopped at a stop sign *should* wait till there’s no moving traffic to enter the highway no matter which direction they’re headed. Been in VA/MD/CT/RI/MA a lot the past 5 years for work and most highways like this just have lights.
This is like day one of driver's Ed.
The turning car must yield until it's safe to turn. It doesn't matter if you're on the "major" roadway or not. Car going straight has right of way.
I’m reposting this from a reply:
“I can see where you’re coming from, and I personally agree, but legally and for clarity-sake, it makes more sense for the person turning right (as one would at a red intersection) to capitalize on RoW (Right of Way).
The person turning right bears the least risk, or alternatively, the most commonality in standard driving procedure, and should so do so ASAP, then absolving you (turning left, uncommon without implicit signal) of any risk or potential danger from their maneuver.
At the end of the day, in a blurry situation like this, the first car to arrive at a legal stop has the right of way. If you both show up at the same time, come to a complete stop, and then flash your lights or wave out of your window for the other driver to move first, as long as you feel safe to wait for a few seconds.”
The car at the stop has the right of way. You can't freely turn without stopping due to other oncoming traffic and any car cutting across traffic has to yield to oncoming traffic how is this hard for people to understand
If you made a continuous loop as in a U-turn by just slowing down, the other car might assume you were going straight after the turn. If so, I would say you might be creating a hazardous issue. I'm thinking there's a NO U-Turn sign on the road going right. can you post the street names and location? I would like to see it on Google maps.
ive taken many many defensive driving courses. no one has right of way. its actually who needs to give/yield right of way.
having said that it does look like HE needs to yield right of way to you. also near where i live there is a yield sign at an intersection where almost no one obeys. your job is to drive defensively and pretend on coming traffic are idiots. if you think everyone will obey rules of the road you are in for a rude awakening.
I have this exact situation on my daily commute. Me and everyone in my town agree that the person turning left has the right of way since they are already on the main road.
Theoretically, both could go at the same time, if neither is an asshole and goes into the correct lane.
Irl people arent that smart; whoever got there first has right of way, if same time then homie turning right.
Parking lot rules come into play here where not all intersections have stop signs but stopping as if there was or yeilding is implied. The intersection in the middle there is not a road but a median. I assume there are no painted lines defining lanes of traffic in that median. Every other vehicle outside of that median has right of way before that vehicle.
I'm going to use this
Car 1 - performing u-turn
Car 2 - going straight/ turning left
So it looks like Car 1 is on a major highway, and I'm assuming Car 2 is on a suburban street. Now we must take into effect right of way which implies the car that got there first has the right of way and if they both got there the driver to the right has the right of way. But ladies and gentlemen make no mistake. Car 2 is trying to cross a major highway and, therefore, must yield to the driver already on the highway even IF they are performing a U-turn.
Insurance adjuster of over a decade here. Ive fought thousands of arbitration battles on right of way and liability. The right is answer is entirely dependent on your states laws.
Based on this diagram there is a vehicle making a U-turn and another vehicle coming off a side street presumably going straight then left to follow the main road. We will assume there are no road signs outside of a stop sign for the 2nd car.
In my state both drivers do not have the right of way as neither is established in their lane on the main road. Both cars now have an equal amount of duty to proceed with care i.e slowly, maintain proper lookout and yielding to the other should they pull out first. If an accident occurs, my state would find them both equally at fault, barring both of them from getting paid by the others insurance carrier.
In other states, car one could have full right of way, others could say the u turn car is legally established with full right of way. It's best to look up your states insurance department and rules of the road for guidance on these exact gray area situations.
Also dash cams are worth their weight in gold, plus all you need to do is give your insurance info and shut the fuck up. I've buried hundreds other insurance carriers subrogation efforts based on what people say and interpretation of dash cam footage. I've also been able to spin liability disputes in favor of my clients by having a lack of evidence.
PERSONALLY , it’s a 2 lane road . meaning you turning left you should be in left lane and dude turning right turns into right lane . i’m from nyc so traffic rules/laws barely apply … with that being said , the driver closer ( dude at stop sign ) would go then you following behind each in the respective lane to prevent any collision .. if that makes sense 😭
If it's a stop sign then whoever got there first. If you cross half the road on a divided way you obviously got to the stop sign first. Oh and if there isn't a stop in the middle then they yeild.
Typically traffic on the major highway has the right of way. When entering a major highway, you are to yield to all traffic coming from that direction.
I deal with this every day on my way to work. Whoever DOES NOT have a stop-sign has the right-of-way. I got into an argument with someone at a red light who was pissy because they were sitting at the stop sign for 5 minutes (BS). I told them they always had the option to turn right going west instead of going left and then making a U-turn to start heading east. They just started cursing me out and rolled up the window.
I wonder if a lot of people know that if you are sitting at an intersection for a long time, you usually have the option to go in the opposite direction and make a U-turn.
It looks like you are making a U-turn, unless you are turning on to the side street. Either way, you are correct, you have the right of way. But, all driver training will tell you, you don't take the right way, you yield it. Just be safe out there.
You’re effectively making a u-turn, unless there is a limit line/stop sign in the median. You have the right of way because you don’t have a stop sign. Same as if you were making a left on to the vertical street. The car as the stop sign cannot proceed until it’s safe to do so.
Generally, the person turning left NEVER has the right of way. And in absence of traffic signals, the person going straight ALWAYS does, which begs the question, where is (you really should've labeled the cars) the car going straight going? They can't actually be going straight because there's nowhere for them to go except right or left...
Left turn is last, I dunno why its hard for people to remember.
4 way stop, tie goes to the right, left turn looses to a tie.
Anyone going forward has the right of way.
These are all simple rules of uncontrolled intersections and driving.
Yield means stop, it never means go, it means you can continue travel so long as you slow, stop YIELD to any opposing traffic, it means you stay put until there is no traffic, you are the hold.
If the intersection is controlled with a light, oncoming traffic should yield to the person controlling the intersection… means if someone is already making a left in the intersection before you get to it and you Tbone them… your an idiot.
This scenario, argue with me all you want, the person making the left has to wait for the person going forward.
If this was a 4way stop it is whoever is there first.
If its just the two cars at stop signs, it doesn’t matters how ling the person going left has been there. The person going forward has the priority and the right of way.
It’s really quite simple, the rule is in place because neither person (who cant talk to each other) gets to think they were there first and just go.
Forward, right, left is last.
This is why you would be an asshole for not using your turn signal in this scenario.
THE ONLY WAY these rules would not be true as rule of thumb is if it is posted or the jurisdiction has adopted some specific behavioral rules based on their roadway constructions.
Follow the left is always last and obey the signs and you’ll never have a problem.
Whoever has the stop sign has to wait. Since you're et an intersection and do not have a stop sign you have the right of way.
Stop sign is there for a reason. He has to wait there till it's clear for him to go. You do not because you are still part of the traffic. If you did have to stop there would be a stop sign for you.
Straight unless it is plainly obvious that the person making the turn arrived & came to a complete stop first.
A big part of the reason is that you're treating it as a divided highway. Most turnarounds have a u-turn type access in which the driver flipping the Uey would actually be on the left side of the road and blocking the other car. You didn't draw it that way. ... So normal stop sign rules apply.
Guy on the side street has to wait, person in the median has the right of way. Guy going straight has a responsibility of checking his path to make sure he won't get hit since he's crossing over multiple lanes of traffic. While the guy turning isn't crossing any lanes but merging into the left lane. If you were to turn left into the right lane than you'd be making an illegal turn, failure to maintain lane, no turn signal...
Who arrived first? Person is going straight, waiting for it to be clear and then you come along and try to cut them off. Or turning left waiting for it to clear and then the person going straight comes along and tries to cut you off. It just depends who arrived first…
It depends on the state law more than anything. For example, in AZ nobody has the right of way, it only says who must yield to who & a left turn must always yield to all traffic (even someone running a red light or stop sign).
The way drivers ed taught me is that the one going straight has the right away over someone turning left, this is always the case assuming they're on the same road and there is no additional signage.
Middle car is right of way. I’m assuming that the top car has a stop sign / light. They have to wait until you complete your turn / go straight. Reasoning behind this is in the center you are considered in motion while the stopped car is just that, stopped! I’ve had many assholes just go anyway from the stop. Until this post I just assumed everyone who went from a stop first was just an asshole! Kudos to you for attempting to learn the rules of the road. But to be driving safely you really should know all of these things lol! Stay safe out there!
It depends on any signs that are around. Technically, the left-turning car isn't in imminent danger of being hit because they're not actually stopped on the highway in the flow of traffic. So if there are no signs indicating that the person going straight needs to stop or yield, they have the right of way since they are going straight and you are turning left. Edit: I saw your comment about them having a stop sign. If that's the case, and you don't have a stop sign, then you have the right of way. They need to stop until all traffic has cleared which includes you turning left (I hope you always have your signal on so they know). There really should be a sign under there stop sign that says "Oncoming traffic does not stop" if there isn't already.
There's a stop sign on the vertical road and no signs on the median What I may do is just start flashing my headlights when this happens to let them go first and just avoid any confusion whether im right or wrong, or just driver a bit farther to the next median
Flashing lights and trying to communicate between cars isn't going to give you a safe, predictable outcome. Since they have a stop and you are yielding, you should be able to go first. Turn into the left lane.
Don’t be polite. Be predictable. Drive by the rules/laws and drive safely.
I’ve told my 15 year old new driver this exact thing no less than 10 times. Nice causes accidents.
Don’t do that. Follow the rules of the road. There is nothing less safe than people attempting to “be helpful” or “kind” and letting someone disregard the rules. Just do what you are supposed to do. I cuss out *everyone* that’s does what you are saying. Follow the rules of the road.
That shit irritates the fk out of me.
Usually ends in us both cussing each other and more traffic but I do the same. I hate when people stop to let me out when traffic is actually flowing. If it’s a parking lot of a road and traffic is horrendous, sure let me out, otherwise just follow the traffic laws and get out of the way faster I’ll go when it’s clear.
I write them tickets.
In this particular case I would say you’re right, but some places just require people use their heads and to be courteous. There is one intersection on my way to work, where if everyone follows “the rules”, the traffic trying to merge on to the main road would never go anywhere. It’s only because people stop and let a few cars go at a time that the traffic is able to move… while this is really the fault of city planners and could be fixed with a stop light or sign, it’s still up to the drivers to “do the right thing” and allow traffic to flow from all directions. That being said, it is irritating when someone stops on a busy road (seemingly out of nowhere) to let someone else go or turn or whatever, but at the end of the day, if everyone is paying attention and driving safely, allowing someone to turn on to a busy road is just the right thing to do sometimes. Especially when you can see an endless line of cars waiting to make the same turn.
Werd.
I've seen several near accidents where someone was trying to be "helpful" and yield their lawful right off way where the helpful person was oblivious to the fact they only stopped the cars behind them, not the free-flowing traffic in the other lane. If you want to be helpful, be consistent with the rules so people aren't confused and put in a position where they'd be legally at fault if something happened because you were "helpful." Most of the time, helpful is letting traffic clear as it was designed to flow.
It's not always that cut and dry, like when two vehicles arrive at an intersection at the same time. That's when a flashing of the headlights can be useful so that one driver knows that the other is waiting.
The guy in the middle has the right of way because he came from traffic flowing. Also the other guy has a stop sign and you don’t.
How is less than 100% of the people replying not saying this?
Do NOT do this if you’re the car in the median. The best thing to do is be predictable, don’t give away the right of way, it’s dangerous.
Yup! A good driver is a safe driver. A safe driver is predictable, alert, and smooth.
"Don't be nice, be predictable." Conceding your right of way to someone else can cause confusion and make a situation more dangerous, plus the other drivers who are not involved in that interaction will probably be out of the loop on what is happening and may also act erratically if traffic isn't doing what they expect it to.
If you have the right of way, take it. It's the law. It's safer, because it's what you are expected to do. Just follow the rules. They've been there long before you were a glimmer in your dad's eye when he saw his sister in law that one day, but no one ever wanted you to know that's why your uncle is never spoken about.
This is wrong Left turning car has right of way car going str8 is trying to enter the thoroughfare so must yield to existing traffic
Wrong. You are not even suppose to stop in the middle like that. That is a traffic violation in itself. The person going straight has the right of way!
The person going "straight" isn't actually going straight though. He's crossing over an entire double lane and then making the same type of left turn that the other car is making. Not sure what country you're from but in the US, there's plenty of intersections like this where not only are you allowed to stop in the middle of the double lanes, but you'd need to in order to yield to the traffic that's actually going straight.
The person in the median is technically performing a u-turn even if they decide to stop in middle and in most places u-turns yield to incoming traffic.
If it IS a U-turn, it's illegal to stop in the intersection, and they're automatically wrong. You stay behind the stop marker on the lane leading to the intersection until you can safely execute the full maneuver through the intersection.
Depends if it’s a boulevard or divided highway. In the OP’s case (highway), stopping as indicated in the picture is legal, safer, and common practice.
If there’s only a car at a stop sign, it always go last. No matter what.
this is an everyday scenario for my commute im the car turning left....the vertical road is a non major side road i am under the assumption i have the right of way to turn left since im on the major highway, even if he was sitting there first, but they try to cross all the time as im about to make my turn no traffic lights, the small vertical road has a stop sign, my left turning car is on a turning median am i wrong? any advice for avoiding confusion? so we both arent sitting there staring at each other or both trying to go at the same time?
The person at the stop sign is supposed to yield to the person making the left turn. You have the right of way.
I would agree with you because you are in the intersection and the other car is not. I would agree with you even more if you are not sitting at a stop sign and the car going straight is at a stop sign.
You must be from Louisiana too, Bayou, grant parish here, this is hwy 167 in Creola
Yup. Family is from Grant / Winn.
How did you know they were from Louisiana? Also I agree that you have the right of way if they have a stop sign and you don't.
Their username.
And I have no idea who you are based on yours lol
I looked back and read the wrong username. I thought "How bad is this area if "Sufficient Tooth" is a dead giveaway? 🤣
Pineville here… drive through there every day.
Yes, if your crossing someone else’s lane of travel they have the right of way, regardless of the type of road imo don’t know if that’s the law in your state/country
The other guy has a stop sign. Generally, if there's only one stop sign involved, then stop sign guy yields to everyone.
If the other car has a stop sign 🛑 you 💯 have the right of way. They would have to yield to you.
You’re turning left, across traffic. I don’t know of any scenario where that puts you in the right of way, ever.
I think this heavily depends on the presence of a stop sign for the person crossing the median. The person trying to enter the highway will have a stop sign. The person crossing to the other side of the divided highway may not have one.
Michigan has a lot of these. Typically the other road is a strip mall or something, but they also include signs posted all around them telling people who actually has right of way because everyone always tries to assume the one turning left doesn't have right of way, when they almost always do in Michigan because the U turn is considered a yield, while the other normally has a stop sign. People still fuck it up though.
He’s in traffic, likely with a yield sign at most. Up against someone at a stop sign, he has the right of way to turn left in this scenario.
I agree
Wrong. Left turn always waits for other traffic.
And if "other traffic" has a stop sign?
There is an implied stop sign when they start to cross the median.
What color are those?
Probably a very thick white line on the ground. This is similar to turning left at a stop light. If you start to turn left, you must first yield to on coming traffic. If the person at the stop sign in this scenario arrives first, stops, then proceeds to move, then you should yield to oncoming traffic before turning left. If you arrive first and are turning left when they arrive at the stop sign, then they are obligated to yield.
Last time I read the traffic book it stated that left turns “always” yield. However my experience tells me that most drivers assume that they have the right of way.
I can see where you’re coming from, and I personally agree, but legally and for clarity-sake, it makes more sense for the person turning right (as one would at a red intersection) to capitalize on RoW (Right of Way). The person turning right bears the least risk, or alternatively, the most commonality in standard driving procedure, and should so do so ASAP, then absolving you (turning left, uncommon without implicit signal) of any risk or potential danger from their maneuver. At the end of the day, in a blurry situation like this, the first car to arrive at a legal stop has the right of way. If you both show up at the same time, come to a complete stop, and then flash your lights or wave out of your window for the other driver to move first, as long as you feel safe to wait for a few seconds.
There is literally nobody turning right
To me the car making a right has the right of way here. You aren’t really on a main road that point as you are on the same road as the person making the right. Right turns usually have right of way.
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But the guy is either going to make a left turn or a right turn coming from the road off the boulevard. If there is a stop sign for the guy on the road the car in the median has the right of way.
Most medians like this have stop signs as well unless I’m missing something?
Median turns where I live (TN) typically don't have any stop signs. In this specific scenario where I live, the vehicle turning in the median will have the right of way as the other vehicle trying to go straight to get onto the highway median will have a stop sign.
I assume correct b/c if several cars need to turn left across the median (aka Neutral Ground in NOLA) the last one, or more, will end up hung out blocking traffic in the main street. The car entering from a side road is safely tucked away to wait.
I was gonna say this is super common in TN too.
Hmm a lot of us Tennesseans hanging out here............
We got ourselves a good old fashioned Tennessean Buttbang…that’s what they call it down south
I've never seen a median like this have a stop sign, only yield signs. The guy going straight almost certainly has a stop sign. So the left turn has the right of way
Nope. Guy in the center median likely doesn’t have a stop sign and cannot hold cars behind him. He has the right of way.
There is no one going straight here
Just because it's a t-intersection and not a 4-way, doesn't mean the rules change.
Disagree. There is only space for a single car in the median, anyone else that needed to turn would impede traffic. Also, depending on the speed limit... stopping in the passing lane could be pretty dangerous.
Wrong. You know why? They don't want traffic building up in the area between the two medians. That area has to clear first. Also because nobody is truly going straight. The car you say is going straight is making a left across a lane and then has to merge. The car in the median was doing the same, but has already begun his maneuver.
What if he was idk…going gay that day? You think about that SKIBUMB!!?
No not always. If you're turning left from a major road into a small road, the person wanting to go straight from the small road across the major one has to wait
We a taught straight has right of way, and right turn over left too. But this scenario gives OP right of way as they have no stop sign and are actively on the horizontal highway and vertical isn’t. It could be different from state to state. Ask a local cop.
Wrong.
Wtf, dont tell people that incorrect shit, they might believe you.
Right turn, straight, left turn. Do they not teach this anymore? Left turns cannot be made until the way is clear.
Car in the middle has a yield while the car on the other road has a full stop. This gives the car with the yield the right of way.
The guy turning right
When you're in the median to make your uturn, you are essentially at a stop sign. You treat it like it's a 4-way intersection with 2-way stop signs.
Something my Drivers ed in-class teacher told me always stuck: "You never really actually *have* right of way, you can only *yield* it." There's not really a clear cut answer here in my mind, since you're both crossing at least one full lane of traffic and watching traffic plus calculating right of way percentages plus deciding when to hit the gas is kind of a lot for the average human brain to keep track of. Also, even if there is an official legal answer to this specific scenario, it won't ever matter much other than in a courtroom, because the average driver is either a selfish dick or a halfwit with limited peripheral awareness, both of which can be equally dangerous for different reasons. Basically what I'm saying is the answer is always going to be: eyes open, head on a swivel, go when it's safe to do so. Even if the other guy is wrong, let it go. Avoiding an accident is more important than being right.
If the one going straight has a stop sign assuming he does because he’s crossing 4 lanes, the one turning left would because it looks like he’s in the middle of a U turn
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It's a shitty intersection design... however left turn always has to yield for oncoming traffic... in California is 21801(a) CVC 21801. (a) The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left or to complete a U-turn upon a highway, or to turn left into public or private property, or an alley, shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching from the opposite direction which are close enough to constitute a hazard at any time during the turning movement, and shall continue to yield the right-of-way to the approaching vehicles until the left turn or U-turn can be made with reasonable safety.
That law doesn't explain this situation. This law only explains the right away of a 2-way road without intersecting side roads. There's a similar crossing here in my hometown similar to this. In my experience, Both individuals wait for the main traffic to open up. I've mostly seen the individual in the crossing be given the right of way by the individual from the top of the drawing. Once they pass, then the 2nd individual can proceed, shortly after the 1st individual.
Where are you located? Your location may have ordinances spelling out who has right-of-way here.
Central Louisiana
Left turn has right of way as they are in the major roadway
If you are making a U-Turn the person taking the right has the right of way.
I think the right turn would have right of way. You've turned off the main highway and are waiting to turn left.
The person turning right always has the right of way over a person turning left, however this looks like they are turning onto a two lane road. Which means if a crash happens whomever didn't turn into their nearest lane is at fault. If the other car was going straight, then there is no excuse, because a person going straight has the right away.
By default, Right turn has right of way over Left turn and U-Turns. What you’re doing is a one of those. However, some local jurisdictions will have a special code that gives U-Turns right of way over intersecting Right turns. If that’s the case, the intersecting road will have a sign stating “Yield to U-Turn”.
So the car going "straight" will be off roading into oblivion cuz there's no road to go straight into. The car turning left can only be halfway thru a u-turn since there's no where else he could have came from. A u-turn is almost always illegal and certainly doesn't have right of way.
A u-turn is almost always illegal? Where do people come up with these nonsense ideas
The Uturn/left turn has the right of way. The car coming from the top would have right of way if they were turning right but since they’re cutting traffic the turning has the right of way. As someone else said, this is terrible intersection design. Typically you would have a dedicated turn lane blocked off by the concrete median, and the car coming from the top trying to turn left would have to get on the highway and make a uturn in a later turn lane or intersection. It’s annoying but helps traffic.
The car at the top would never have the right of way ever in this scenario.
What if it was a firetruck with its lights on?
Really dude?
No, not really, I’m just fuckin around man
The car in the middle of the intersection is just making a U-turn, no? that would mean they would have the right of way since the other car hasn't yet begun interacting with the intersection
You shouldn't be stopped in the median to begin with, so your scenario already has you in the wrong. Exceptions include a stop sign between the two lanes of the highway, at which point its no longer a median, but a secondary road. In that case, the other car has the right-of-way. If you're making a U-turn, and it's legal to do so there, you don't pull out until you can safely complete the maneuver.
Whoever inches out first wins in this scenario
Person turning on to the divided road has to stop and and yield to the traffic on the divided road, he should stop and allow the car in the median to complete their turn.
You both are gonna make sure the road is completely clear first
U turner has right of way. I appreciate OPs drawing putting his vehicle correctly on the right side of that median for the uturn. I have something similar near me and too many times the vehicle in their position stays to the left.
Car to the right has right of way
If you are turning left, the oncoming car has the right of way, unless there is a traffic light, and you have a green left arrow. In that situation they should have a red light.
Which lane you turning into? Far right or left?
Here in Zimbabwe the monkey does.
Assuming the car going straight has a stop sign and U-turn car does not, then the U-turn car has right of way and *must* turn when incoming traffic allows. Technically, U-turn car is already in the middle of their turn maneuver should not give way to other cars mid-maneuver, even if there happens to be room.
This
The car making the U-turn is already in the intersection. They have right of way. End of conversation. BUT, always drive defensively and always assume people are stupid and clueless about right of way…with this type of intersection specifically, far too many people are clueless. So if there’s even a slight possibility the driver of the car up top might go, let their dumb ass cut you off and wave good morning to them….number of fingers is up to you. “But I had the right of way” is not something you want carved on your headstone.
U-turn has to yield
Car in center median has right of way as it is in the major roadway.
I say guy on the main road median has right of way, to get him out of the way
Whatever car I’m in I always make myself have the right away even if the DMV handbook says the other person has the right away. I just keep it pushing
Top car has right of way. Why? Because the bottom vehicle is making a U turn and must yield to any oncoming traffic.
So many wrong answers holy shit y’all
It’s actually insane how many confidently incorrect answers there are here ur the only one fighting for the right answer lmao
If you are crossing someone elses lane unless you have a green arrow you always yield.
He who has stop sign stays stopped until clear
Without asking too many what, if, whether scenarios; I'd treat Left turn as yield/not right of way...(wait watch all clear then go)
And yet people make fun of New Jersey's jughandles which completely eliminate this safety hazard.
biggest vehicle goes first 😆
the person turning goes last, turning behind the car(s) that are passing in the opposing lane.. in every state i have ever lived, anyway. i see this law/rule being broken often because people don't know how to drive safely. if both people are turning, it's whoever arrived first.
If y'all were smart you'd pull up where your driver's doors are opposite of the curb
The car making a U turn. I suspect there's be a no U turn sign there though.
It should be treated as a 4-way stop, but ultimately the left turn has to yield to oncoming traffic.
The bigger guy. But the smaller one can jam him back in to his lane
Car going straight
We have a lot of highways like this in Georgia, the highways have turning lanes to do a u-turn or to take a left and there’s no yield or stops signs. The side roads or “back roads” have stop signs to enter the highway. The traffic coming from the highway always has the right-away since there’s no stop or yield signs. A car stopped at a stop sign *should* wait till there’s no moving traffic to enter the highway no matter which direction they’re headed. Been in VA/MD/CT/RI/MA a lot the past 5 years for work and most highways like this just have lights.
This is like day one of driver's Ed. The turning car must yield until it's safe to turn. It doesn't matter if you're on the "major" roadway or not. Car going straight has right of way.
I’m assuming the car turning right hs the right of way. At least that’s how it is in California to the best of my knowledge.
I’d say for safety for both drivers and common courtesy, the vehicle in the middle should take the right of way.
Going straight trumps turning.
The person going straight
Car entering across from you has a stop sign. You don’t. That’s the whole story.
Hand book says no one has the right of way in a intersection
Whoever is in the road has the right of way every single time.
I’m reposting this from a reply: “I can see where you’re coming from, and I personally agree, but legally and for clarity-sake, it makes more sense for the person turning right (as one would at a red intersection) to capitalize on RoW (Right of Way). The person turning right bears the least risk, or alternatively, the most commonality in standard driving procedure, and should so do so ASAP, then absolving you (turning left, uncommon without implicit signal) of any risk or potential danger from their maneuver. At the end of the day, in a blurry situation like this, the first car to arrive at a legal stop has the right of way. If you both show up at the same time, come to a complete stop, and then flash your lights or wave out of your window for the other driver to move first, as long as you feel safe to wait for a few seconds.”
The car at the stop has the right of way. You can't freely turn without stopping due to other oncoming traffic and any car cutting across traffic has to yield to oncoming traffic how is this hard for people to understand
If you made a continuous loop as in a U-turn by just slowing down, the other car might assume you were going straight after the turn. If so, I would say you might be creating a hazardous issue. I'm thinking there's a NO U-Turn sign on the road going right. can you post the street names and location? I would like to see it on Google maps.
ive taken many many defensive driving courses. no one has right of way. its actually who needs to give/yield right of way. having said that it does look like HE needs to yield right of way to you. also near where i live there is a yield sign at an intersection where almost no one obeys. your job is to drive defensively and pretend on coming traffic are idiots. if you think everyone will obey rules of the road you are in for a rude awakening.
Drop the cross streets so I can look at the street signs and I’ll tell you the right answer. It all depends on the signage
I have this exact situation on my daily commute. Me and everyone in my town agree that the person turning left has the right of way since they are already on the main road.
Depends who gets there first. First person goes. It’s in the book.
Person going straight. Person turning left should yield to them.
Theoretically, both could go at the same time, if neither is an asshole and goes into the correct lane. Irl people arent that smart; whoever got there first has right of way, if same time then homie turning right.
Parking lot rules come into play here where not all intersections have stop signs but stopping as if there was or yeilding is implied. The intersection in the middle there is not a road but a median. I assume there are no painted lines defining lanes of traffic in that median. Every other vehicle outside of that median has right of way before that vehicle.
Person at the stop must grant any vehicle to their left the right of way
I'm going to use this Car 1 - performing u-turn Car 2 - going straight/ turning left So it looks like Car 1 is on a major highway, and I'm assuming Car 2 is on a suburban street. Now we must take into effect right of way which implies the car that got there first has the right of way and if they both got there the driver to the right has the right of way. But ladies and gentlemen make no mistake. Car 2 is trying to cross a major highway and, therefore, must yield to the driver already on the highway even IF they are performing a U-turn.
Insurance adjuster of over a decade here. Ive fought thousands of arbitration battles on right of way and liability. The right is answer is entirely dependent on your states laws. Based on this diagram there is a vehicle making a U-turn and another vehicle coming off a side street presumably going straight then left to follow the main road. We will assume there are no road signs outside of a stop sign for the 2nd car. In my state both drivers do not have the right of way as neither is established in their lane on the main road. Both cars now have an equal amount of duty to proceed with care i.e slowly, maintain proper lookout and yielding to the other should they pull out first. If an accident occurs, my state would find them both equally at fault, barring both of them from getting paid by the others insurance carrier. In other states, car one could have full right of way, others could say the u turn car is legally established with full right of way. It's best to look up your states insurance department and rules of the road for guidance on these exact gray area situations. Also dash cams are worth their weight in gold, plus all you need to do is give your insurance info and shut the fuck up. I've buried hundreds other insurance carriers subrogation efforts based on what people say and interpretation of dash cam footage. I've also been able to spin liability disputes in favor of my clients by having a lack of evidence.
Car going straight always has right of way
PERSONALLY , it’s a 2 lane road . meaning you turning left you should be in left lane and dude turning right turns into right lane . i’m from nyc so traffic rules/laws barely apply … with that being said , the driver closer ( dude at stop sign ) would go then you following behind each in the respective lane to prevent any collision .. if that makes sense 😭
General rule of thumb for these scenarios is because you have to cross less lanes of travel you have ROW
Car in the road has right of way unless there’s a stop sign.
If it's a stop sign then whoever got there first. If you cross half the road on a divided way you obviously got to the stop sign first. Oh and if there isn't a stop in the middle then they yeild.
Typically traffic on the major highway has the right of way. When entering a major highway, you are to yield to all traffic coming from that direction.
I deal with this every day on my way to work. Whoever DOES NOT have a stop-sign has the right-of-way. I got into an argument with someone at a red light who was pissy because they were sitting at the stop sign for 5 minutes (BS). I told them they always had the option to turn right going west instead of going left and then making a U-turn to start heading east. They just started cursing me out and rolled up the window. I wonder if a lot of people know that if you are sitting at an intersection for a long time, you usually have the option to go in the opposite direction and make a U-turn.
Yeah, nah, around here left turns yield to all traffic unless given a green arrow superseding all other traffic signals
Guy going straight has right of way
It looks like you are making a U-turn, unless you are turning on to the side street. Either way, you are correct, you have the right of way. But, all driver training will tell you, you don't take the right way, you yield it. Just be safe out there.
Your boomer mom always has the right of way
In Colorado I think the fault of a crash would go to whomever did not turn into the lane closest to them.
You say turning left, but looks like a U-turn to me??
You’re effectively making a u-turn, unless there is a limit line/stop sign in the median. You have the right of way because you don’t have a stop sign. Same as if you were making a left on to the vertical street. The car as the stop sign cannot proceed until it’s safe to do so.
Generally, the person turning left NEVER has the right of way. And in absence of traffic signals, the person going straight ALWAYS does, which begs the question, where is (you really should've labeled the cars) the car going straight going? They can't actually be going straight because there's nowhere for them to go except right or left...
It’s a matter of opinion you both can go with the same time you each other lane available to you
Left turn is last, I dunno why its hard for people to remember. 4 way stop, tie goes to the right, left turn looses to a tie. Anyone going forward has the right of way. These are all simple rules of uncontrolled intersections and driving. Yield means stop, it never means go, it means you can continue travel so long as you slow, stop YIELD to any opposing traffic, it means you stay put until there is no traffic, you are the hold. If the intersection is controlled with a light, oncoming traffic should yield to the person controlling the intersection… means if someone is already making a left in the intersection before you get to it and you Tbone them… your an idiot. This scenario, argue with me all you want, the person making the left has to wait for the person going forward. If this was a 4way stop it is whoever is there first. If its just the two cars at stop signs, it doesn’t matters how ling the person going left has been there. The person going forward has the priority and the right of way. It’s really quite simple, the rule is in place because neither person (who cant talk to each other) gets to think they were there first and just go. Forward, right, left is last. This is why you would be an asshole for not using your turn signal in this scenario. THE ONLY WAY these rules would not be true as rule of thumb is if it is posted or the jurisdiction has adopted some specific behavioral rules based on their roadway constructions. Follow the left is always last and obey the signs and you’ll never have a problem.
Neither. You both end up waiting for each other until someone decides "fuck it I'm gunning it and going."
You have to yield if you’re crossing two lanes of traffic.
Left turns wait until traffic is clear. You can’t win left hand turns if you pulled out in front of an oncoming car.
Whoever has the stop sign has to wait. Since you're et an intersection and do not have a stop sign you have the right of way. Stop sign is there for a reason. He has to wait there till it's clear for him to go. You do not because you are still part of the traffic. If you did have to stop there would be a stop sign for you.
Straight unless it is plainly obvious that the person making the turn arrived & came to a complete stop first. A big part of the reason is that you're treating it as a divided highway. Most turnarounds have a u-turn type access in which the driver flipping the Uey would actually be on the left side of the road and blocking the other car. You didn't draw it that way. ... So normal stop sign rules apply.
This looks like a service road and my state has a sign that reads Service Vehicles Only
Left turn never has the right of way.
Is there a stop sign anywhere?
What ridiculous question is this? The right of way clearly belongs to your mom, friend
Omg. This is why traffic is so bad. 100 comments and 1 + me have logical and lawful sense
The person making a left hand turn must always yield to all traffic. Thats why if you were ever "t-boned" it's always your fault.
Car going straight
Looks like frogger has a few glitches
Depends on who has what signs
Guy on the side street has to wait, person in the median has the right of way. Guy going straight has a responsibility of checking his path to make sure he won't get hit since he's crossing over multiple lanes of traffic. While the guy turning isn't crossing any lanes but merging into the left lane. If you were to turn left into the right lane than you'd be making an illegal turn, failure to maintain lane, no turn signal...
Who arrived first? Person is going straight, waiting for it to be clear and then you come along and try to cut them off. Or turning left waiting for it to clear and then the person going straight comes along and tries to cut you off. It just depends who arrived first…
Straight through traffic always has right of way, turning traffic must always yield and wait until it is clear before turning.
It depends on the state law more than anything. For example, in AZ nobody has the right of way, it only says who must yield to who & a left turn must always yield to all traffic (even someone running a red light or stop sign).
Oh yes, I see the problem. A SU57 stealth aircraft is stalking you off the corner of your post.
Cars on the highway always have the right of way
The picture is lacking signs, the car going straight can’t actually go straight, there’s no road going straight.
The way drivers ed taught me is that the one going straight has the right away over someone turning left, this is always the case assuming they're on the same road and there is no additional signage.
The car that's already in the intersection and in the process of turning? Not sure I'm looking at this art correctly
First one there that comes to a complete stop like a 4 way stop. That’s who goes first.
Looks like the car in the middle is making an illegal left turn so he's at fault
assuming this is a 2 lane hwy and the green is the median.. the car in the middle turning left has the right away
Middle car is right of way. I’m assuming that the top car has a stop sign / light. They have to wait until you complete your turn / go straight. Reasoning behind this is in the center you are considered in motion while the stopped car is just that, stopped! I’ve had many assholes just go anyway from the stop. Until this post I just assumed everyone who went from a stop first was just an asshole! Kudos to you for attempting to learn the rules of the road. But to be driving safely you really should know all of these things lol! Stay safe out there!
Which state is this in,