You're waiting to make a left and the drivers behind you illegally pass you

[Kacie Jane]

Oh, I thought you were talking about passing on the left (in the oncoming lane) as you're getting ready to turn left. Is this legal (if passing is otherwise legal)?

Same here.  Any answers?

I think typically it's illegal to pass within X feet of an intersection, even if they can't be bothered to switch to double yellow stripes.  But that wouldn't apply to passing someone turning left into (for ex.) a private driveway.

[jeffandnicole]

It's illegal in NJ to pass on the shoulder, but yet, I've seen NJDOT design paperwork online which notes that, when possible, shoulders should be built wide enough for motorists to pass left-turning vehicles.

I've never found any language supporting it being illegal here, only supporting it being legal like you say. Also, my understanding is that the only time you get in real trouble for it is if you scrape something as you go by.

State Statute 39:4-85, the 3rd paragraph which states one cannot pass off the main traveled portion of the roadway.

[Mr. Matté]

Oh, I thought you were talking about passing on the left (in the oncoming lane) as you're getting ready to turn left. Is this legal (if passing is otherwise legal)?

It better be; my neighbor (more like her new minivan) was the victim of such an occurrence last summer when she was turning into her driveway. The pickup driver who caused this did get cited for reckless driving, IIRC, and speeding and distractions were involved too.

[corco]

I was thinking about this today and saw an interesting variation on US-95 in Boundary County, Idaho

[DaBigE]

I was thinking about this today and saw an interesting variation on US-95 in Boundary County, Idaho

Now that *should* just be common sense.   Then again, unless the plow is pushing the snow further off the road (cleaning the shoulder/making room for future storm accumulations), I've never understood why anyone in their right mind would want to pass an active snowplow.

[jp the roadgeek]

If this were illegal in CT, cops would be having an orgy handing out tickets.  So many of our roads are substandard without any left turn lanes and lack of left turn arrows that traffic would be backed up for miles.  I've done it thousands of times, even with a cruiser behind me, and never been stopped.

[vdeane]

It's generally not a good idea to pass someone turning right onto a side street without caution.  I once had the "pleasure" of nearly being T-boned crossing NY 310 by someone doing that.  I was on the side street waiting to cross and the car on NY 310 had his turn signal on and was slowing down.  By the time he was traveling very slowly, I decided that it was safe to cross.  Unknown to me, there was someone tailgating him doing 70 mph that decided to pass at the last second; I think I avoided impact by only a few inches,

That said, I have been known to pass people making right turns, but in those cases they're going into driveways and are the type of idiot that feels the need to make a complete stop before making their right turn even when they have the ROW.

Oh, I thought you were talking about passing on the left (in the oncoming lane) as you're getting ready to turn left. Is this legal (if passing is otherwise legal)?

Same here.  Any answers?

I think typically it's illegal to pass within X feet of an intersection, even if they can't be bothered to switch to double yellow stripes.  But that wouldn't apply to passing someone turning left into (for ex.) a private driveway.

In NY this is pretty much handled by "thou shalt not change lanes while inside an intersection".

[empirestate]

In NY this is pretty much handled by "thou shalt not change lanes while inside an intersection".

I think you'd tend to change lanes well before the intersection if you're planning to pass somebody who would be turning at that intersection. Now if the law prohibits already being across the center line while passing through an intersection, that would indeed cover it.

[realjd]

I had no clue this practice was illegal anywhere.

[StogieGuy7]

Is it really an inconvenience to wait a few seconds for someone to turn left, as opposed to rear-ending a car on the shoulder.

Yes, it very much is.  And passing to the right on the shoulder is a relatively low-risk proposition in most areas because there's little chance of conflict in such an area.  Not unless the dolt who's turning left decides to swing right first - or to *change his mind*.   Where there is conflict, then use your head and wait it out.  But if not, pass away.  Your description (and my experience) has me imagining a fairly straight stretch where there's a shoulder and no intersection imminent. 

By the way, just because YOU have to turn left at a location that is so obscure as to not warrant a left (or middle) turn lane doesn't mean that the rest of the world has to wait for you.    For this reason, I get as close to the middle line as is safe to do - because I am a thoughtful driver and try to leave room for others behind me to pass. 

[Brandon]

There are rarely passing blisters in Illinois, and I'm not sure about the legality, but many folks, including cops, do this maneuver anyway, even on unpaved shoulders.

[Mdcastle]

Illegal in Minnesota, 169.18 subd 4 (4)

the driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass another vehicle upon the right only under conditions permitting such movement in safety. In no event shall such movement be made by driving onto the shoulder, whether paved or unpaved, or off the pavement or main-traveled portion of the roadway.

Despite fully paved shoulders being standard procedure on trunk highways with any amount of traffic.

"passing blisters" are called "bypass lanes" here.

[deathtopumpkins]

I'm not 100% certain, but I assume this is illegal in Massachusetts, based on the large number of "do not pass" and "driving on shoulder prohibited" (or similar language) and "no passing on right" signs posted all over the state, but everyone does it. If you didn't you'd never get anywhere. In fact I've been passed on the right while driving at speed before.

I'd never in my life seen anyone pass on the right before moving up here though. No one in Virginia ever did it.

[Alps]

In fact I've been passed on the right while driving at speed before.

If I knew that was you, I'd have waved!

[on_wisconsin]

They do the same thing in Wisconsin, except it is a striped white line.

Here is an classic example of a Wisconsin Turn-Passing lane: http://goo.gl/maps/XHSV6

[corco]

By the way, just because YOU have to turn left at a location that is so obscure as to not warrant a left (or middle) turn lane doesn't mean that the rest of the world has to wait for you.    For this reason, I get as close to the middle line as is safe to do - because I am a thoughtful driver and try to leave room for others behind me to pass.

I'm with you on that- if it's safe to do so I even typically get in the oncoming lane to brake and make my left turn, so the cars behind don't have to slow down. That seems to vary from state to state though- pretty  much everybody does it in Idaho and Montana, but pretty much nobody does it in Arizona or Nevada (surprisingly). Utah is hit or miss.

[BiggieJohn]

Every day as I turn onto the county road near my house.  Traffic passes in the right turn lane. 
I'm not sure if it's legal or not here in Texas, but it's extremely dangerous. 
The guardrail at the other side of the intersection gets replaced about once a month.

[roadfro]

I'm with you on that- if it's safe to do so I even typically get in the oncoming lane to brake and make my left turn, so the cars behind don't have to slow down. That seems to vary from state to state though- pretty  much everybody does it in Idaho and Montana, but pretty much nobody does it in Arizona or Nevada (surprisingly). Utah is hit or miss.

Such a maneuver would be illegal in Nevada, given that the approach to a side road along a 2-lane highway is usually striped as a no passing area.

[colinstu]

Here's one I don't get. http://goo.gl/maps/oeIpu

They (WisDOT) at least painted a line and cut out a spot in the median for a turn late, but requires drivers to turn left into 1 of those 2 driveways by going through a gore-point/double yellow to do it. There are no signs prohibiting it, and I see people do it all the time. Just seems odd that they wouldn't put a break in the yellow line if they're going to sanction such action with a left turn lane.

[kphoger]

I'm with you on that- if it's safe to do so I even typically get in the oncoming lane to brake and make my left turn, so the cars behind don't have to slow down. That seems to vary from state to state though- pretty  much everybody does it in Idaho and Montana, but pretty much nobody does it in Arizona or Nevada (surprisingly). Utah is hit or miss.

Such a maneuver would be illegal in Nevada, given that the approach to a side road along a 2-lane highway is usually striped as a no passing area.

I'm pretty sure it's illegal everywhere, since one is only permitted to drive in the oncoming lane when overtaking a vehicle.  But it's still a polite thing to do, and I do it on occasion.

[roadman65]

I had two people I have known who got told by law enforcement, that if the road is not striped for two lanes, then the road is one lane, despite plenty of room to go around.

The Glenside Avenue jughandle to US 22 in Scotch Plains, NJ is (or was) not striped, although could be two lanes as it is over 24 feet wide, while my friend was pulled  up alongside of a patrol car waiting for the light.  The officer rolled his window down and asked my friend if the road was two lanes.  Even though in theory it was, the officer was making clear that it was not in reality.

In Orlando, my dad got pulled over, but no citation, as he went passed a vehicle turning left on a two lane road (with wide lanes) that was not striped with an exclusive turn lane.  The officer told him, that it is the same as two vehicles trying to travel down one lane on a highway side by side and not to do it again.

Nonetheless,  in basic situations where I encounter a left turning vehicle on a single lane roadway,I still go around as gas is expensive and our country's motto these days seem to be "Go Green" so unless I get confronted by a peace officer about this matter, if it is safe I will  continue to do so.  On roads with shoulders, I am hesitant about as it would be most obvious that it should not be attempted to drive on.  Although, plenty of people pass on the right  I see everyplace  even on grass, I occasionally see these days as well.

Then again, I see people misuse a center turn lane as merging areas and that is not legal, unless it was changed on paper, but then again it would be a might make right situation and then it would still be technically illegal.  Plus, I see people use the part of a center turn lane that is striped for one way left turns with a double line and white single line where they cross the  doulble yellow line to the other side of the road's left turn lane, that definetly is illegal if you cross that yellow line.  Double lines are forbidden to cross in every state and in many other nations.

[kphoger]

A half mile from my house is a road that "narrows" from four lanes to two lanes, but the actual pavement width hardly narrows at all (Edgemoor north of Kellogg, for you Wichitans).  Some people treat it as a two-lane street and drive down the middle of the lane, some people treat it as a four-lane street and form two lanes (which gets interesting due to on-street parking), some people waffle between the two as they go.  Nearly everybody forms two lanes at the Douglas stoplight, including police officers.  Not being 100% certain of the legality, I typically treat it as a four-lane section when a cop is not nearby, and as a two-lane section when there is.

If it's supposed to function as a two-lane street, then they should paint edge lines and consider the rest "parking".  If it's supposed to function as a four-lane street, then they shouldn't have put a W4-2 sign where the lane striping ends.

[texaskdog]

I do it all the time. Most people make little effort to help other drivers out in general, and they don't build the roads to alleviate problems (no left turn lanes etc)

[colinstu]

A half mile from my house is a road that "narrows" from four lanes to two lanes, but the actual pavement width hardly narrows at all (Edgemoor north of Kellogg, for you Wichitans). 

Google maps link to what you're talking about?

Don't understand why people are vague to visually show what's going on. I want to see!

[1995hoo]

Similar scenario: A few years ago I was going over to my parents' house for dinner and I wanted to make a left turn at a light with a green arrow, but the traffic was backed up past the end of the turn lane. I could access the turn lane if I drove on the paved shoulder (which, to be clear, was marked with a yellow edge line) for about two car lengths. So I did. What I did not know was that one of the cars waiting ahead of me was an unmarked cop car. He saw me access the turn lane in that fashion, pulled in behind me, and then, after I went on green, he put on his lights and stopped me for illegally driving on the shoulder. I played dumb and he let me off with a warning and a bit of a lecture about how if I'm illegally using the shoulder and someone ahead of me legally pulls into the turn lane without looking, I'm at fault in the accident because I wasn't supposed to be there. (I knew this but pretended to be properly chastised. In the case of that particular left turn there was little chance of a last-minute lane-changer like that because that left turn serves a very limited area, a community with no outlet.)

The frustrating thing in that sort of situation is, as "texaskdog" says, people don't pay attention to the traffic behind them and a lot of them leave WAY too much space between cars when waiting at a red light. If the people ahead of me hadn't left so much space I'd have had no problem accessing the turn lane.

....

Then again, I see people misuse a center turn lane as merging areas and that is not legal ....

When I'm leaving the bank near our neighborhood I usually want to turn left and I routinely have to turn into the center left turn lane and then stop with my right-turn blinker on to wait for a break in the traffic. Cops have seen me do it and I've never been hassled, I think because the cops recognize that if you don't do it that way, you'll never be able to turn because there's almost never a gap in traffic on both sides of the road at the same time. As long as you don't use the center left turn lane to accelerate, they seem not to mind.

Google maps link to what you're talking about?

Don't understand why people are vague to visually show what's going on. I want to see!

In the case of my example above, if I posted a Google image I'd be essentially showing what community my parents live in and I just don't like giving that sort of detail. Wouldn't help to post an image anyway because the turn lane has been slightly reconfigured since then–it now has a curb after they re-graded the road there, so I wouldn't be able to drive on the shoulder today.