Eli_Damon

I'm at a red light, in the left turn lane, intending to turn left, with two cars in front of me. The light turns green but we have to wait for the cars opposite us who are going straight through to pass. Then I follow the two cars into the intersection. But when I'm in the middle of the intersection, another car approaches from what was the opposite side of the intersection and it looks like it is not planning on stopping. It looks like it's going to try to break through the line of left-turning vehicles by cutting me off. I brake hard, hoping the car will get around me. Instead, the car stops about three feet away from me. I try to resume my left turn but as I start moving, so does the car. I brake again and so does the car. Then the car honks at me. I complete my left turn and leave the intersection.

What was with this car? Why was it playing this game with me? Also, I'm pretty sure that I had the right of way since I entered the intersection first. Isn't that right?

_dhan_

If you are making a left turn and the other car is trying to go straight, then you do not have the right of way. You cut them off and they were trying not to run you over. Be thankful and more careful in the future.

twahl

Exactly. Who entered the intersection first is irrelevant if one of those involved had the right-of-way to begin with.

As a side note, I doubt the driver intended to "play games" with you. He braked to avoid an accident. You stopped, so he thought you were (correctly) yielding the right of way, so he starts to go...at the same time you did. So he hit the brakes again. Finally he gave up and honked his horn, probably while frantically waving for you to go ahead and go and get the hell out of the middle of the intersection.

Each vehicle making a left of green without arrow has to yield to traffic coming straight. You don't get to go because the car in front of you went.

Eli_Damon

I know, but I thought that there was a superceding rule saying that a vehicle that is already in an intersection has the right of way over a vehicle that is trying to enter the intersection.

jim24

That only applies if the light turns red while you are in the intersection. If it had turned red while you were in the intersection waiting to turn, you have the right of way in order to clear the intersection. Otherwise, traffic going straight ALWAYS has the right of way (assuming you both have green lights).

ryanparrish

if it is a 4 directional light the cars coming toward you you have to wait for them to get out of the way unless green light like another posters says if you just have a green wait for intersection to clear and go BUT if it turns red and cars on the left and right of you are the ones that have to wait till the intersection is clear from left turning people. Even if you are going straight green doesn't mean go you still have to look for the crackheads with to much junk in their system that might blow the stops or some salesman that is holding conference in his car while trying to turn right on red and turns into you or some truck driver that isn't paying attention and buzzes through the intersection cause he has over 60 tons of weight behind him ( yes I defend my dad as a truck driver but there is some bad apples I don't like blanket accusations against people unless they are true) and cannot stop

_dhan_

It's technically even more complex than that, legally. You are not supposed to enter the intersection unless you can clear it. If you are making a left turn and pull into the intersection to wait, technically you can be given a ticket, though it never happens. Also, if you are in the intersection when the light turns red, you have an obligation to clear it though technically you can be given a ticket for either running a red light, failure to clear the intersection, or obstruction of traffic (or some combination thereof). This was relayed to me by a friend who had just taken a defensive driving course, so I hope that I got it right.

Long story short, watch out for cars!

Eli_Damon

I stand corrected.

ryanparrish

I don't find it a matter of right or wrong any one on a bicycle is a friend and I dont let friends get splattered on the road by a cager just keeping you safe

Eli_Damon

I know of several intersections where this doesn't make sense. There is a left turn I have to make when I go home where the road ahead is curved. The time it would take me to get through the intersection is greater than the time it would take a car to come around the curve. The only way to do it is to go as far in as you can and then wait for an opening. There are even intersections where a car could not ensure a clear path through the intersection.

mac

There is no other way to make a left turn but to enter the intersection once the light turns green, then wait for oncoming traffic to clear, usually as the light turns from yellow-to-red or even after it has turned red. If you wait behind the line (i.e. not in the intersection), you'll never make a left turn. But since you are alread in the intersection when the light turns red, you can complete your turn.

FWIW - do you use hand signals and keep your arm extended out until ready to turn? If I'm the first vehicle in line, I keep the arm out for the whole duration that I'm standing in the intersection waiting for traffic to clear.

sggoodri

I see a lot of cyclists who try to make a "train" through intersections, expecting other traffic to let them proceed with the rest of the group, even though the individual cyclists are supposed to yield when the conflicting traffic arrives. Drivers invariably yield to them, just like they let slow tractor-trailers finish crossing an intersection when they see them ahead well in advance. However, like others have posted, it isn't legal to enter the path of a through driver in this situation. Attempting to remain in a group in conflict with the rules of the road makes you a "procession", and there are special rules for processions, be they funeral processions or parades regulated by the local authorities.

sgtsmile

You may enter an intersection with the purpose of making a left hand turn but only may complete the turn when oncoming traffic has a big enough gap for you to proceed safely and if there are no peds in the crosswalk to your left. Once the light changes to amber, creep forward, and complete the turn EVEN if the light goes red once the oncoming traffic clears/stops. You have the right and obligation to complete your turn even after the light goes red. In rare cases where completing the turn after the light changes, consider bailing and going straight. This is a better alternative to being struck.

Entering the intersection without being able to clear it has more to do with going straight through, although it can be, I believe, applied to left turns IF there is no room for you on the new street (which is something that you can see before entering in the first place.)