Turning through an intersection...do you turn into the closest lane?

[TiGeo]

I was taught when making a left or right at an intersection onto a multi-lane road, you turn into the closest lane to you/same lane you are turning from. I'm not actually sure if there is a traffic law in VA to address this or if it's just best-practice. This allows others on the other side to make right on red/yeild (depending on the configuration of the intersection). I see many cut across the furthest lanes(s) in order to make a turn into a shopping center etc. when in fact they should have to turn into their lane, signal, get over if safe or if not, oh well, you have to go further down or make a u-turn or come at it from the other direction. We have a particularly bad intersection that is one of the most dangerous in the county partially for this reason...see below. Cyan left arrow driver goes into furthest lane to get to the shopping area on the right. Cars making the right at the yield (not a red light lane) go into the right most lane and wham-o! I asked a defensive driving instructor specifically about this one and he said the cyan driver should turn into his closest lane (left-most) first then signal over but here you really can't...you'd have to get it differently...bad situation. The county is actually making this whole intersection a funky new style thing (see below) to help with this. So BITOG...if there is a crash...is it the cyan or red driver's fault? Red has to yield to on-coming traffic (which is primarily coming straight through the intersection...but even then you have folks cut over to make that right to get their Walgreens fix hahaha. Cyan has to turn into the closest lane and signal over/yield. I was also told that you shouldn't change lanes within X feet of the intersection....so that handles some of this too. Seems like this could go either way! In before winter tires enter this dicussion.

Animation of above:

https://www.virginiadot.org/Projects/Richmond/easset_upload_file41527_177753_e.mp4

 

[Quattro Pete]

Turning through an intersection...do you turn into the closest lane?​

Absolutely.

 

[GSCJR]

Absolutely.

+1

 

[svtrit]

Yup, me too. Seems I’m the only one in Iowa that does. I think it’s just lazy driving by most drivers.

I’ve seen it even in Intersections where the furthest lane ends shortly after the intersection. I’ve seen wide lanes where it’s only one lane, but they head over to the furthest side. Lastly, I had a girl next to me at the light in a 2 left turn lane situation who drifted to the outer lane in front of me, cutting me off, then went BACK to the lane she started in. My Jeep was topless that day and her window was open, so we had a conversation. She played like she was totally oblivious to what she did.

Next you’ll ask about turn signals or driving in left lane!!!!

 

[TiGeo]

Yup, me too. Seems I’m the only one in Iowa that does. I think it’s just lazy driving by most drivers.

I’ve seen it even in Intersections where the furthest lane ends shortly after the intersection. I’ve seen wide lanes where it’s only one lane, but they head over to the furthest side. Lastly, I had a girl next to me at the light in a 2 left turn lane situation who drifted to the outer lane in front of me, cutting me off, then went BACK to the lane she started in. My Jeep was topless that day and her window was open, so we had a conversation. She played like she was totally oblivious to what she did.

Next you’ll ask about turn signals or driving in left lane!!!!

Turn signals has been addressed in the epic turn signal mega thread!

Left lane one isn't worth it...it will be shut down/modded into oblivion.

 

[MrQuackers]

Following the letter of the law can sometimes cause an accident

 

[eljefino]

Cyan should at most go for the middle lane. If they have to get into the 3rd (most-right) lane they should pause first, put their right blinker on and do a normal highway lane-change to get over.

If there are two left turn lanes, the innermost one should go for the innermost one.

The red arrow isn't (shouldn't be) a "yield", there is nothing to yield to. It's the birth of a new lane. If this intersection is a problem they should put some of those flexible reflective posts in the road to lengthen the divider and prevent such quick cross-overs to (or from) the rightmost lane.

 

[Pew]

I've driven down that once from a friend's wedding. That combined with the 50?MPH speed limit and no street lights can make things dicey.

I noticed the states that really only use those right-turn-continues-merge-into-traffic lanes are VA and CO. That could get super confusing for out of towners vs locals.

 

[paulo57509]

Always. Unless I'm in a multi-lane turn lane, then its either the inner, middle or outer lane from where I started. Typically, the turn radius (for lack of a better term) is marked with a dotted line thru the intersection.

 

[Bud]

That is how I was taught, but most folks where I live pay no attention to any rules or laws. It seems to be every man/woman for themselves.

 

[mk378]

Yes the right turners have their own lane, they don't have to yield jack. Anyone crossing into the lane has to yield like any other lane change.

When you have the green arrow of a single left turn lane going to a 4 lane road, you have the right to either of the straight through lanes (both of them have red lights from the right) but you can't sweep your way all the way into the shopping center.

Some states are stricter and you can only go into the far left lane but I think Virginia is not one of them.

 

[brianl703]

I noticed the states that really only use those right-turn-continues-merge-into-traffic lanes are VA and CO.

They've redesigned a couple of intersections like that around here. I think it was originally cheaper than making a dedicated right-turn lane. It's completely pointless and does nothing to facilitate traffic flow if there's more than 3 cars waiting to go straight at the traffic light...(and most of them don't have a merge lane, either).

 

[brianl703]

It looks like the ONLY way to get into that shopping center is to make a left turn there and an immediate right.

If you go straight through the intersection, you can't make a left turn onto Brown's Way Rd, there's a median in the way.

I've never thought that Virginia's roads were designed with much thought or care.

 

[ecotourist]

When I was taking a company driving test (to permit me to drive company vehicles) I asked this very question.

The answer: It is acceptable to turn into the first or the second lane.

 

[samven]

If you go strictly by the law unless otherwise marked the vehicle on the right has the Right of Way. However if the Right turn lane is marked Yield then the Red track has to yield to all oncoming traffic even the left turn cyan. It was probably marked that way for the exact situation you show or for straight through drivers trying to turn into the shopping center rather than stopping all traffic on the main road waiting to merge over.

 

[paulri]

Where I live, there is a busy intersection, where one street has two turn lanes that turn onto a three lane thoroughfare. If I'm in the right lane, I turn onto the right-most of the three lanes, and conversely, if I'm in the left lane, I turn onto the left-most. I have seen cars from both lanes meander into the middle lane, and if I hadn't stayed in the far lane (but instead, chosen the middle lane) there would have been an accident.

 

[LDB]

I was taught when making a left or right at an intersection onto a multi-lane road, you turn into the closest lane to you/same lane you are turning from. I'm not actually sure if there is a traffic law in VA to address this or if it's just best-practice. This allows others on the other side to make right on red/yeild (depending on the configuration of the intersection). I see many cut across the furthest lanes(s) in order to make a turn into a shopping center etc. when in fact they should have to turn into their lane, signal, get over if safe or if not, oh well, you have to go further down or make a u-turn or come at it from the other direction. We have a particularly bad intersection that is one of the most dangerous in the county partially for this reason...see below. Cyan left arrow driver goes into furthest lane to get to the shopping area on the right. Cars making the right at the yield (not a red light lane) go into the right most lane and wham-o! I asked a defensive driving instructor specifically about this one and he said the cyan driver should turn into his closest lane (left-most) first then signal over but here you really can't...you'd have to get it differently...bad situation. The county is actually making this whole intersection a funky new style thing (see below) to help with this. So BITOG...if there is a crash...is it the cyan or red driver's fault? Red has to yield to on-coming traffic (which is primarily coming straight through the intersection...but even then you have folks cut over to make that right to get their Walgreens fix hahaha. Cyan has to turn into the closest lane and signal over/yield. I was also told that you shouldn't change lanes within X feet of the intersection....so that handles some of this too. Seems like this could go either way! In before winter tires enter this dicussion.

Yes always. And anyone who sits and sits waiting to turn across lanes while holding up others waiting to turn should get very expensive tickets.

 

[brianl703]

Cars making the right at the yield (not a red light lane) go into the right most lane and wham-o!

The available Google street images for that area show:

no yield sign on August 2012 or prior
yield sign on July 2015 through September 2019
no yield sign on September 2022. Not even the broken remains of one or even the stub of the post sticking out of the ground (EDIT: see below)

Is there actually a yield sign there today?

Oh wait, there it is:

(I guess the Google street view car just happened to drive by the same day it was broken off; because we'd know that the diligent, conscientious employees of VDOT would NEVER leave a Yield sign missing for days, because that's a safety hazard!)

 

[SC Maintenance]

I have been through 2 drivers schools - one was a corporate defensive driving school taught by former LEO's - required for the company to drive their vehicles. Everything I have been taught says you stay in your lane through an intersection.

As for how soon after the turn you can change lanes - well if their isn't a solid yellow, I think you can change whenever its safe to do so - once your through the intersection of course.

In practice, I just try to avoid all the other morons on the road at all costs and anticipate what stupid move they will make next. I will admit they get stupider daily, so its getting harder to anticipate. I drive like everyone is trying to run into me, because mostly it seems they are.

 

[paulri]

Defensive driving FTW.

I have been through 2 drivers schools - one was a corporate defensive driving school taught by former LEO's - required for the company to drive their vehicles. Everything I have been taught says you stay in your lane through an intersection.

As for how soon after the turn you can change lanes - well if their isn't a solid yellow, I think you can change whenever its safe to do so - once your through the intersection of course.

In practice, I just try to avoid all the other morons on the road at all costs and anticipate what stupid move they will make next. I will admit they get stupider daily, so its getting harder to anticipate. I drive like everyone is trying to run into me, because mostly it seems they are.