Q. Which driver has the right of way while turning at a traffic signal?
I live on Greenville Loop Rd and often have to go to the intersection with Oleander Drive and Greenville Avenue. When I have to turn right at the intersection (heading east towards Bradley Creek) there are drivers who are turning left from Greenville Avenue at the same time. I thought they should be yielding to me but they turn in front of me like they have the right of way. Which driver should yield to the other in this instance? And how do we get this enforced?
A. Right of way is dependent upon the light configuration at any given intersection.
The person who submitted this question asked specifically about which driver has the right of way when two cars each approach opposite sides of an intersection and one is turning left while the other is turning right.
According to Sgt. Mike Donelson, supervisor of the Wilmington Police Department’s traffic unit, the driver turning right has the right of way if both sides have a solid green light. However, the person turning left has the right of way in the event they have a green left arrow and the person turning right has a red light.
To better visualize this scenario, imagine that a pickup truck is turning right onto Oleander Drive from Greenville Avenue. At the same time, an SUV is turning left onto Oleander Drive from Greenville Loop Road. The pickup truck and the SUV would be facing each other at the intersection and each would have a solid green light. In this case, the SUV would have to yield to the pickup truck. However, if one day traffic officials decide to reconfigure the traffic light to include a green left turn arrow, then the pickup would have to yield to the SUV.
If you want to lodge a complaint about possible traffic law violations, call Donelson at 910-341-1607.
Date posted: April 23, 2012
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