Antique & Classic Cars Blog
Asserting the Wrong-of-Way
Friday, November 7th, 2008Whether the favor accorded right turns is perceived by the left-handed community as another in a string of indignities, I can’t say. But until lawmakers decide to make the two directions equal, right turns have priority. On a two-way road, the approaching car turning right has the right-of-way.
Unless there is a left-turn arrow, there is no left-of-way. Why? Because the left turner must cross in front of on-coming traffic, a potentially risky maneuver.
Many Twin Cities drivers assert the Wrong-of-Way, turning left along with right turners coming from the other direction. This is routine at places where a one-way road turns off a two-way one, like Park Avenue north or Portland Avenue south in Minneapolis at its junctions with any two-way cross street.
Left turners wade out into the left-most lane, assuming that the right turner will steer tight and stay right. But it’s not a foolproof prediction. The right turner may need to go left at the very next intersection or be heading to an address on the left side of the road. That driver needs to watch the road and parked cars and shouldn’t have to watch left turners barging into the way.
It’s clear why people do this–they’re in a rush, like we all seem to be–and they conclude that there’s plenty of room for them to sneak out too. Yet it’s still dangerous because it contradicts rule-abiding drivers’ expectations. Someone who lives here may anticipate left-turners plunging ahead, but what of the many visitors in rental cars or in from outlying areas for sporting events?
One bad habit breeds another. Because I don’t like to be crowded by a car not yielding the right-of-way to my turn, my inclination is to not signal, forcing the approach driver to stay put for fear I’ll drive straight into him or her.
Get lax with one rule and you start bending more of them. Pretty soon driving becomes a free-for-all and becomes more work than pleasure.
4 Responses to "Asserting the Wrong-of-Way"
Can’t help but throw my 2 cents in here Kris. Sorry to say, I think you’ve got this one all wrong. Going back to my driving test many years ago, lane discipline was required in Minnesota. By that I mean if you were turning right, you were required to be in the right lane and turn into the right lane on both streets. The same was true on left turns, you started left and stayed left. This was true whether you were one way or two way streets were involved. So if (assuming two lanes of traffic) you turned right from a two way street and went in to the left lane of a one way street, you lost points. Do it enough times, you failed. Right of way certainly is paramount when you have two cars going for the same space, but I think you’ve just argued that the right hand turner has right of way for all the space, even where he doesn’t belong. Your right hand turner example wants to do two things at once, when he should be doing two separate things, one after another: make the turn into the correct lane, then change lanes. Hmmmmmm must be in a rush. I just hate guys like that. 
Gary
Gary, I didn’t take driver’s ed here and I don’t recall the question being asked when I tested for my MN license 18 years ago. I’ll research the car question and post back.
I often ride my bicycle on local trips and the bike lane at the intersection that most troubles me is on the far left of one-way Park Avenue northbound. That’s where I’m supposed to ride and I have to cross all lanes to get there; I’m always hoping none of these aggressive left turners makes me a hood ornament.
I’ll call law enforcement tomorrow or Monday and get their answer. I can still keep the title of my post either way–just have to clarify that I’m the one asserting the wrong of way. I tell ya, these people from the East Coast act like they own the road. :^)
Thanks for your note. Kris
Oh jeez, now you tell me it involves a bike lane and a bike rider. All bets are off! That’s a real good question, especially if you’re going from one bike lane to another. Even if the bike had the right of way, I don’t know if I’d trust the drivers to honor it. Just because you’re paranoid, doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.
Gary
Hey Gary, let’s forget the bike lane for a second and look just at what your driving instructors taught you; that’s a great question.
I called the Third Precinct and talked with an officer. Here’s all that he told me, so let’s see if we can work it out. First, he said cars turning left must yield to right turners because they cross oncoming traffic. This is MN Stat 169.20 Subd. 2. “Left turn. The driver of a vehicle intending to turn to the left within an intersection or into an alley, private road, or driveway shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is within the intersection or so close thereto as to constitute an immediate hazard.”
But he also said that if a right turner and a left turner approach at the same time, at it appears safe to do so, the left turner may proceed to turn staying, as your driving instructor taught you, to the left of the road.
The right-of-way, according to the officer, depends on what the right-hand turner is doing. If he is already in the intersection and going, say, to the last house on the far side of the road, the left turner can’t go because it isn’t safe to proceed then. The officer noted, however, that the left turner probably isn’t expecting the right turner to come all the way over. So the safe route, if you wanted to get over to the far side after turning right, is to make sure it’s clear. If there’s already a left-turner there, the right-turner can’t slam into him making some righteous right-of-way claim.
The law looks to agree with what you were taught on right turns. MN stat 169.19(a) says both the approach for a right turn and a right turn should be made close to that side of the road. Curiously, for left turns from a two-way road onto a one-way road, the law says: “Approach for a left turn from a two-way roadway into a one-way roadway shall be made in that portion of the right half of the roadway nearest the centerline thereof and by passing to the right of such centerline where it enters the intersection.” 169.19(c).
That’s kinda confusing as it doesn’t specify into what lane on the one-way road the left-turner should go. If they mean, the left-hand turner should go to the far left of the one-way road into which he or she is turning, that would be a lot clearer….
Here’s a summary of what the officer told me:
1) Left-turners must yield because they cross oncoming traffic.
2) If it’s safe to do so, a left turner may turn left onto a one-way road at the same time a right-turner turns right onto it.
3) A right turner going to the far side of a one-way road has a right to do so without being hit by someone turning left, but if the left turner has already gone, the right turner must safely avoid that car. (Because of “2,” immediately above, this move (3) is a bit risky. The officer said it would be safer to make the turn, wait until the left lane is clear, and then go over to the far side.)
My conclusion from all of this is that even though they must yield the right-of-way, left-turners can go at the same time as right turners if it appears safe to do so. Because many drivers were taught that that’s OK, the logical and safe approach is for drivers to expect left-turners to do that, watch out for it, and respect the fact that many drivers are accustomed to this practice.
Thanks for your input, Gary. You’ve enlightened me on a confusing practice.
Here are the links mentioned above:
On rights and lefts, “a” and “c”: https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=169.19&year=2008
On right of way, “subd. 2″:
https://www.revisor.leg.state.mn.us/statutes/?id=169.20
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MotorMouth Kris Palmer, freelance auto writer and editor, blogs about vintage cars, the collectible auto scene and just about anything else that goes vroom.
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