To Yield or Not

[dave1949]

As someone said, the left turn is immaterial. That has already happened and has no bearing on who has the right-of-way where those roads merge together. The driver turning left has an obligation to yield to on-coming traffic--which has nothing to do with someone turning right. You have the YIELD sign in your lane. End of story.

Beyond red-green lights traffic controls (signs) rarely are used to tell a driver they have the right-of-way. They are used to tell drivers when they DO NOT have the right-of-way. I wouldn't expect the left turning driver to see a sign saying they have the right-of-way and the fact that there is none makes no difference.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

A yield in that situation is common and appropriate with the way the road is built. If there was no right turn lane from the right side, and people had to turn right from a single lane that was either straight or right turn, then the person from the right would have the right of way. The way it is, the person from the right is yielding to a shopping center bound car, that has already completed their left hand turn across the straight thru lane.

guess it was already said....

What if the right hand turn lane from the right, had it's own lane going towards the shopping center, and there was still a yield sign. We have a lot of that here. Now you yield to the cars that are going to the shopping center that want to come into the right hand lane from the left hand lane.

 

[jlgurr]

A yield in that situation is common and appropriate with the way the road is built. If there was no right turn lane from the right side, and people had to turn right from a single lane that was either straight or right turn, then the person from the right would have the right of way. The way it is, the person from the right is yielding to a shopping center bound car, that has already completed their left hand turn across the straight thru lane.

guess it was already said....

What if the right hand turn lane from the right, had it's own lane going towards the shopping center, and there was still a yield sign. We have a lot of that here. Now you yield to the cars that are going to the shopping center that want to come into the right hand lane from the left hand lane.

I guess we are just a bunch of hickbillies that don't appreciate these new ways to side step plain old stop and go rules. Heck most folks here can't get a 4-way stop correct.

 

[buckeyefarmer]

I guess we are just a bunch of hickbillies that don't appreciate these new ways to side step plain old stop and go rules. Heck most folks here can't get a 4-way stop correct.

Same here. dont get me started on merging.

 

[Egon]

Back fifty or more years ago in backwards Canahodia the drivers exam would have covered this type of very typical intersection.

Just looking at it it's an easy to understand type of intersection that's been around since the age of driver regulations began!!

 

[teg]

Forget stop signs... how about traffic circles? Seen a few times people IN the circle stop to let others in. Combine that with a traffic light a block way which backs up into the circle... and you have a mess.

 

[jlgurr]

Back fifty or more years ago in backwards Canahodia the drivers exam would have covered this type of very typical intersection.

Just looking at it it's an easy to understand type of intersection that's been around since the age of driver regulations began!!

Beginning this afternoon I am going to approach that intersection from the left at least once EVERY DAY and be sure to honk my horn at every driver turning right that does not yield to my left turn. I wonder how long it will take for my horn relay switch to fail. LOL! It may be common or typical but that sure doesn't mean it makes sense.

 

[Dr_Zinj]

From your description, I see the yield sign on the right is only for drivers turning into the mall, because the left turn from the main highway must immediately clear the intersection as they are the greater hazard. The left turn from the highway has the right of way over the right turn with the yield sign.

Now in your case, you were going straight through from the right. The yield sign doesn't apply to you since it only applies to the right hand turning lane. For both you and her, you have an unsigned, uncontrolled intersection. With intersections, the person in the intersection always has the right of way over traffic that hasn't entered the intersection yet, provided they entered the intersection legally (e.g. they entered while a light was green and weren't able to exit until after it turned red.) She was in it first, she has right of way (barely.) It would be different if she was making a left hand turn off the road, to say a driveway, in which case she's required to yield to the oncoming cars and only turn when safe.

From a traffic engineering standpoint, that left hand turn lane needs to terminate with a yield. There's enough space from the photo to back up several cars waiting to turn without interfering with normal traffic flow on the highway.

We have a similar intersection in Keene, NH where Route 9 T's into Route 101. But that intersection has traffic lights controlling the straight and left turn lanes.

 

[turnkey4099]

I think this is the most appropriate forum because if we weren't rural there would be a traffic signaling light here instead of the mess I found today. Actually curious on two counts, first is if anyone else seen this scenario of traffic flow and signage and second, what is the lawful way to navigate the situation I faced today.

Referencing the attached image:
View attachment 414769

No traffic signals, only signs. The primary road is running left to right here and the top to bottom is actually the entrance to a local strip mall. Traffic leaving the mall approaches the main road with a stop sign. On the road everything appears normal to the birds eye. When a driver approaches the intersection from the right side of the image S/he can turn right into the mall drive or proceed straight through without stopping. From the left approach a driver must indicate and complete left turn to enter the mall entrance. Other traffic approaching from the left may proceed straight through the intersection without stopping (No signal lights.)

Sounds simple doesn't it. Ok, now the exception. Driver approaching from the right wants to make a right turn into the mall. S/He has a YIELD sign and an approaching driver with a left turn signal blinking. Which driver is expected to yield the right of way? What were you taught? Have you ever seen this silliness before?

So what happened today is the second vehicle turned left into my path which I thought was my right of way. When I confronted her she said the Yield sign on my side of the intersection gives HER the right of way. But I thought left hand turns always yielded to oncoming traffic except in the case of left turn green arrow. What gives?

It has probably alredy been answered but...

We have a similar case here exceptd the main street also has a stop sign. People turn right into that DOES have to yield. You are no longer on the main road but on a side street.

Harry K

 

[turnkey4099]

I agree with you there -- if I was coming from the left, how would I know people in the other direction were yielding? If there was a green left turn arrow, that would be one thing (that's pretty much an unconditional left turn) but there isn't.

Basicallyi if there is no singnage indicating otherwise, i.e., no sign at all, you have the right of way.

Harry K