Right of Way for Left Turns

Much like asking out your crush, taking a left turn can be nerve-wracking -- and cause you to crash and burn if done improperly (yeah, we said it). But don’t worry -- with Aceable’s help, you’ll be the master of taking left turns. (We can’t, however, guarantee you’ll be the master of asking people out.) The most important thing you need to know about left turns is that you do NOT have the right of way. Here’s what we mean:

If you’re at a green light when taking a right turn, that means you can (duh) turn right. Such is not the case for left turns. Oh, left turns, why ya gotta be so rude? When at a green light sitting in the left turn lane, you must yield to oncoming traffic. That means two, three, five, 11, or 77 cars might go by before you can turn left. And you just gotta wait. *Grumble, grumble*

I Saw The Sign

You might see some signs on the road that politely remind you about right of way for left turns. They might look like this:

Left turn yield on green

You might also see this sign:

Left turn yield on flashing yellow arrow (Sean Pollock/USAToday)

Best of all, you might be at an intersection with this sign. That means go, go, go.

Green Arrow for left turn (FHSA.gov)

But what happens if you see this traffic signal?

Oh, look, we're in Drake's hood.

Hopefully, by now, you realize this bright red signal means stop. And you know to never, ever turn left on a red arrow. You would think it would be obvious, but guys ... the number of car crashes ... you wouldn't believe ...

Oh, and no matter what, please don't forget to use that left turn signal!

Everybody Look to the Left, Everybody Look to the Right

When turning left, you may have to cross multiple lanes with cars driving in both directions. That means you have to yield to the traffic moving to your right as well as the traffic moving to your left, to your left. Remember: The cars on the road with more lanes always have the right of way.

And now you know that left will never be right (of way).