Making a left turn in Florida?

[Free4Life11]

Now I realized that most intersections here have a left turn arrow, but there are a few I use that don't have one or don't require you to wait for the green arrow. My question is...at these intersections, why don't drivers making a left turn pull into the intersection and then turn when there is a break in traffic? Is there a law against this?

I've also seen where people WILL pull into the intersection, but are too scares to turn and won't turn when the light turns yellow or red. Now I'm all for defensive driving, but when you've pulled into the intersetion you damn well better turn! And don't think about backing up, because there is no way that line of cars behind you is all going to back up!

I miss my northern, aggressive driving where left turn arrows are few and far between and when the light turns red, at least 2 people turn. It takes me forever to get anywhere here!

 

[Angelhalo]

Now I realized that most intersections here have a left turn arrow, but there are a few I use that don't have one or don't require you to wait for the green arrow. My question is...at these intersections, why don't drivers making a left turn pull into the intersection and then turn when there is a break in traffic? Is there a law against this?

I don't know about Jacksonville, but I know there is in Charlotte. No one really follows it but they did pass the law a few years ago that you aren't supposed to pull out into the intersection and wait. I think they must realize it's a dumb law because no one enforces it.

 

[joviroxx]

Now I realized that most intersections here have a left turn arrow, but there are a few I use that don't have one or don't require you to wait for the green arrow. My question is...at these intersections, why don't drivers making a left turn pull into the intersection and then turn when there is a break in traffic? Is there a law against this?

I've also seen where people WILL pull into the intersection, but are too scares to turn and won't turn when the light turns yellow or red. Now I'm all for defensive driving, but when you've pulled into the intersetion you damn well better turn! And don't think about backing up, because there is no way that line of cars behind you is all going to back up!

I miss my northern, aggressive driving where left turn arrows are few and far between and when the light turns red, at least 2 people turn. It takes me forever to get anywhere here!

Not sure what part of Florida you are in, but Ive lived here all my life and that's how I drive. There is no law about pulling into the intersection. In fact, it annoys me when people do NOT do it. Im in South Florida and people are pretty aggressive down here but we do have a large elderly population who are a bit more "careful" and many tourist.

I always joke with my Jersey friends that we are allowed to turn left when we need to go left instead of having to go right to go left LOL!

 

[MariDisney]

Just be careful when doing this. I used to do it all the time, but was hit and had considerable damage to my car in December. I was pulled into the intersection to make my left and started to go as the light turned red. The person coming in the other direction didn't stop and hit me as I was turning. Be darn sure all the traffic has stopped before you go. I'm finding myself almost never doing it now, and it's ticking off the people behind me at the light, but I'm going to be extra careful from now on.

 

[GeorgeG]

Down here we have rotaries and it seems everyone has their own interpretation of which lane you're supposed to turn from. The rules say if you're going to your left, which is 3/4 around the rotary, you should be in the the left lane and cross to your exit if and when the right lane is clear. At best, it's confusing, at worst, it causes accidents. No matter how you look at it, you can't get out of the rotary from the left lane without crossing through the right lane and the rotaries are relatively small so you get a lot of blind spots.

Entry into the rotary is always a yield with traffic already in the rotary having the right-of-way, but I've seen people blow right past the yield signs and cut others off.

If there's one thing I've learned about Florida driving, drive defensively... very defensively!

 

[Feralpeg]

I normally pull into the intersection and then make my turn when traffic clears. I will turn on a yellow light or red light, but I'm not crazy about doing so. Too many people here run red lights. Even after the light has changed, you'll often see one or two cars continue through the intersection, so turning is risky. There are some intersections that are so busy that I know I will never get through unless I have the green arrow. In those cases, I will not pull into the intersection.

 

[CruiserMom]

I thought it was OK everywhere to pull into the intersection for a left turn and wait for a break in traffic . Apparently I was mistaken!

What is so funny is, about 15 years ago, DH and I were in Florida, DH was driving, and he pulled into the intersection on a green light and was waiting for traffic to clear. Of course, he ended up having to make his turn when it was yellow turning red, because oncoming traffic decided to keep going after it turned yellow. We got pulled over, and were told that we should not have pulled into the intersection unless we were sure we could make it through BEFORE it turned yellow!

We laughed about this years (after we got over being mad about paying the ticket). We just figured the cop was being a meany, because we thought it was always OK to enter the intersection while it was green; just not OK to enter it after it turned yellow.

 

[sorcerormickey]

Down here we have rotaries and it seems everyone has their own interpretation of which lane you're supposed to turn from. The rules say if you're going to your left, which is 3/4 around the rotary, you should be in the the left lane and cross to your exit if and when the right lane is clear. At best, it's confusing, at worst, it causes accidents. No matter how you look at it, you can't get out of the rotary from the left lane without crossing through the right lane and the rotaries are relatively small so you get a lot of blind spots.

Entry into the rotary is always a yield with traffic already in the rotary having the right-of-way, but I've seen people blow right past the yield signs and cut others off.

If there's one thing I've learned about Florida driving, drive defensively... very defensively!

I HATE ROTARIES!!!! No one knows how to use them properly, yet they keep putting more and more of them in everywhere. Just put in a regular 4-way stop!!!

 

[kidshop]

I've also seen where people WILL pull into the intersection, but are too scares to turn and won't turn when the light turns yellow or red. Now I'm all for defensive driving, but when you've pulled into the intersetion you damn well better turn! And don't think about backing up, because there is no way that line of cars behind you is all going to back up!

I miss my northern, aggressive driving where left turn arrows are few and far between and when the light turns red, at least 2 people turn. It takes me forever to get anywhere here!

When the light turns red, the person making the turn runs the red light, so why would you assume the other people coming at you won't run the red light too?! I wait for the arrow most times, b/c I am not in that big of a hurry, and I don't think it worth it to hope the other guy won't run his light. I probably wouldn't pull out with no arrow, b/c then you are forced to make a decision and it may be a bad one. I just prefer to wait for a safe opening and then go. Sorry to you guys behind me, but I like to get where I'm going in one piece.

 

[JR6ooo4]

I believe in Illinois it is illegal to enter an intersection if you can not clear the intersection.

Many people get caught waiting to turn left. First they get the yellow, then the red light and people are still coming from the opposite drection! Nobody notices the huge signs that say "Oncoming Traffic has Longer Green"


Mikeeee

 

[Golf4food]

Now I realized that most intersections here have a left turn arrow, but there are a few I use that don't have one or don't require you to wait for the green arrow. My question is...at these intersections, why don't drivers making a left turn pull into the intersection and then turn when there is a break in traffic? Is there a law against this?

I miss my northern, aggressive driving where left turn arrows are few and far between and when the light turns red, at least 2 people turn. It takes me forever to get anywhere here!

Because our fair city is full or morons that don't know how to drive and don't know the traffic rules because if they ever did read the Florida Drivers' Handbook before they took their driving test to get a license they darn sure have forgetten everything they may have learned.

No, there is no law against pulling forward to turn left, and anyone in the intersection is supposed to be allowed to make their turn after the light changes before the opposite traffic begins moving. Only one car in the intersection at a time, however.

As for deliberately running lights, that is a no-no and a big cause of intersection accidents. Please don't. If you want to drive like a Yankee, go back north. As someone who has known more than a couple of people who died in car accidents brought on by speeding or reckless/aggressive driving, I can assure you that getting somewhere a couple of minutes sooner is not worth your life or someone else's life.

 

[ford family]

I have always been concerned that, having moved to the intersection, I can be marooned there if a gap does not materialise before the lights turn red. At that point I would be exposed to traffic from my right turning to their left.
So, if the roads are quiet I enter the intersection and wait, if they are busy I wait behind the line.
Roundabouts or rotaries are very, very common in the UK. When I come across one in Florida I assume that the other drivers will get it wrong and drive accordingly.

ford family

 

[mhsjax]

When the light turns red, the person making the turn runs the red light, so why would you assume the other people coming at you won't run the red light too?! I wait for the arrow most times, b/c I am not in that big of a hurry, and I don't think it worth it to hope the other guy won't run his light. I probably wouldn't pull out with no arrow, b/c then you are forced to make a decision and it may be a bad one. I just prefer to wait for a safe opening and then go. Sorry to you guys behind me, but I like to get where I'm going in one piece.

I agree about pulling into the intersection and people running red lights, I have 3 kids and I don't care about how you drive up north, I don't want my kids to get killed by someone who runs a red light. However, I do know that there are some intersections where I can just about be guaranteed that I will have a clear spot and one those I do sometimes pull out into the intersection, it just depends on what part of town I am in. I just get so tired of hearing how they do things up north, sorry but it is a sore spot, it you don't like the way we do things down here, get thee back up north.

 

[Angelhalo]

I HATE ROTARIES!!!! No one knows how to use them properly, yet they keep putting more and more of them in everywhere. Just put in a regular 4-way stop!!!

I am the opposite! I LOVE roundabouts! I HATE 4 way stops. 4 way stops are the easiest thing in the world and everyone should know how to use one, but apparently no one does. I can't remember the last time I was at a 4 way stop where everyone at it used it properly, but I've never had a problem at a roundabout.

 

[rparmfamily]

Ditto---so many people run red lights that there is no way I'm pulling into the intersection (sticking out!) and then I'm having to turn on the red light after I'm sure the oncoming traffic stops. Then I have to deal with turning traffic.

What is the point in trying to kill yourself LOL?

 

[mickeymedic]

When the light turns red, the person making the turn runs the red light, so why would you assume the other people coming at you won't run the red light too?! I wait for the arrow most times, b/c I am not in that big of a hurry, and I don't think it worth it to hope the other guy won't run his light. I probably wouldn't pull out with no arrow, b/c then you are forced to make a decision and it may be a bad one. I just prefer to wait for a safe opening and then go. Sorry to you guys behind me, but I like to get where I'm going in one piece.

If you enter the intersection on a green light and are waiting for traffic to clear so that you can turn left, you are not "running a red light" when you turn. Cars in the intersection (including those waiting to turn left) have the right of way over cars that are not in the intersection (even if their light just turned green.) Now, if you enter the intersection after the light has turned red, then you are running a red light.

 

[KAMLEM]

No, there is no law against pulling forward to turn left, and anyone in the intersection is supposed to be allowed to make their turn after the light changes before the opposite traffic begins moving.

I just saw a situation like this on one of the court shows, and this is exactly what the judge said. I don't know if the law is different depending on the state, but according to this judge you are right.

 

[Angelhalo]

If you enter the intersection on a green light and are waiting for traffic to clear so that you can turn left, you are not "running a red light" when you turn. Cars in the intersection (including those waiting to turn left) have the right of way over cars that are not in the intersection (even if their light just turned green.) Now, if you enter the intersection after the light has turned red, then you are running a red light.

That may be true in some places but not everywhere. Here, it is legal to be in the intersection when it is green. If you pull out when its green but can't turn until it's red, you can be ticketed for running the light.

 

[moburg]

Just be careful when doing this. I used to do it all the time, but was hit and had considerable damage to my car in December. I was pulled into the intersection to make my left and started to go as the light turned red. The person coming in the other direction didn't stop and hit me as I was turning. Be darn sure all the traffic has stopped before you go. I'm finding myself almost never doing it now, and it's ticking off the people behind me at the light, but I'm going to be extra careful from now on.

The problem wasn't that you pulled into the intersection, but that you turned before all oncoming traffic had stopped.

I always pull into the intersection, especially at very busy intersections without a green arrow (just general green). If you don't and then do not make the turn after the light changes and after all oncoming traffic stops, you will be sitting there a very long time!

 

[MICKEY88]

if you pull into the intersection to wait to make a left turn, wouldn't you be blocking traffic if anyone coming the other way wanted to turn left...

and regardless of whether or not that is legal, it's pretty standard nationwide, that if you are in the intersection when the light turns red, it is a ticketable offense..., why risk it...