Typical situation: you’re driving down some long two-lane no-shoulder country-type road and after passing through an intersection realize that you should have turned. Or you come to realize that you’ve basically passed your destination. Basic point is that you need to turn around and there doesn’t seem to be any intersections or commercial parking lots in the immediate vicinity. So instead you pull slightly into the nearest driveway, just enough to back out into a k-turn. Is this OK?
People do it in my driveway all the time, and I myself have done it to others as well. I do try to pull in as little as possible, and I’m also cognizant of the fact that on roads with no sidewalk etc. the first 10 feet or so generally belong to the county or township and not the homeowner, and this is usually more than enough space. But I couldn’t say I’ve never pulled into the privately owned part of someone’s driveway. Nonetheless, I’m a bit uneasy about it, and have a feeling that there are probably some people who are unhappy about it.
Sure, it’s okay in a “no harm, no foul” sort of way.
I have the first house on my block off a fairly busy street so it’s not uncommon to see people use my driveway to turn around when they pass their turn. Aside from the momentary “Hey, who’s tha— oh” when I see their headlights in the window, it’s no big deal.
I know of one person who’s not too happy about it. I pulled into a driveway to turn around, and as I drove about 3 feet into the property I saw a car backing out. Quick like. I jammed on the brakes, reversed and got the hell out of there. We were this close. You could have fit a cigarette paper between us. As I made my getaway I looked back, and this little old lady was looking at me like - just what the hell was that all about?
It’s “ok” but I irrationally dislike it anyway. Considering the location of my current driveway, people do this ALL THE TIME, and sometimes they just sit there. My irrational gut feeling is simply, “this place is mine, not yours, go around the block rather than turn here!”
So, for that same reason I try to avoid as much as possible doing it in other people’s driveways and would rather wait for another street. I feel it’s mildly rude (legitimately, as in not my irrational quirk) to do it at night if the lights from your car during the turn would end up going directly in their windows at some point.
I’ve seen some driveways with “no turns” signs and I’ll usually honor them. But other than that its often safer than trying to make a turn in the street alone and causes no harm to the owner or his/her property.
And stay off my lawn too you stinking rugrat little cookie-cruncher!
On the serious side of the answer, a lot of older people (sometimes it seems especially in rural/suburban areas) are seriously fearful of strangers or anything strange around their homes. And they tend to be the ones watching every movement around their homes. So if I do use a drive for a turn and some older-than-me person comes to the door or peaks out, I tend to give a wave like I’m just some neighbor and drive on.
I’d look for a side street or wider section of road first, but if those aren’t there I’m not going to hesitate to do it. It’s a driveway, put up no trespassing signs and/or a gate if it bothers you that much.
I did it the other night, in a subdivision with no commercial lots and curved streets without grids, so using a driveway was the only option. I did cut my lights as I was pointed at the house.
What’s fun is when you do that and the person who lives there is right behind you, trying to get home! :eek: So I make sure there’s no one driving nearby before I do it.
If you turn into a concrete driveway, you can leave a black, rubber marks if you turn the steering wheel when the car is stopped. I can understand homeowners not wanting to have the end of their driveway marred by these marks. If possible, you should try to avoid turning the wheels too much to avoid messing up their driveway.
I’ve done the same thing but have always wondered in my mind – does cutting the lights make it seem to the person inside that I may be up to no good? My thought has always been that if I’m prompt in getting out it seems polite but if I would linger it could seem bad.
What is this “block” you speak of? Here in the wilderness, where we have a lot more blank expanses of woods that meet the shoulder than side roads, we don’t have such a critter as a block and waiting until you find a road that’d let you circle back, or a side road that is wide enough and traffic light enough to make a U-turn in, or a parking lot to turn around in could mean driving ten miles or more out of your way.
So yes, if there’s no other option it’s okay to pull into people’s driveways to turn around. But it’s best if it’s a driveway you can see no obstructions in and has no tricky angles (what, you thought a place that lacks straight roads would have straight driveways? nah) so there’s no chance of damaging anything, and is preferably unoccupied by other cars so you’re not in danger of hitting the home owners’ car or otherwise bothering them.
Am I the only one who has never heard the term “k-turn”? It’s always been a “three-point turn” to me.
And while I try not to, I do it occasionally if I’m somewhere I can’t go around the block or otherwise turn elsewhere, and I try to pull in as little as necessary to make the turn. Get in, get out and go.
I grew up in the country so I’m very aware of this. You notice strangers, because there aren’t that many. ANYTHING different is easy to spot.
When someone with out of state plates turns around in your driveway, you wonder why. “You came all the way from Illinois to turn around in my driveway? You couldn’t go the extra half mile to the next intersection?” Durn city folk, and their strange ways.
So now when I, adapted city boy, am out in rural bumfuck and need to turn around, I really try not to use someone’s driveway. The order of preference is intersection, wide shoulder, farm field driveway, house driveway. And if I have no other choice but the house driveway, my wheels don’t go past the driveway culvert (city equivalent: past the sidewalk). I figure that’s “common space” and is reasonably OK. But do it quickly.
In my particular instance, they can literally go around a very small and square block to get back to the road. Since a majority who do this are taxi drivers I assume they would know this. But I digress.
Out in the wilderness, I often encounter no traffic for miles, so it’s often quick and safe to make the turn in the road (not that I have). I’ve also observed a fair amount of service turnoffs for the electric lines or state parks. And then there’s the amount of dirt shoulders available. And last of all, usually the driveways are so long, nobody from the camp, ranch, or house could view me using their driveway (which is where my main point of irrationality is diverted - what you can’t see in this case can’t annoy you). So I don’t feel particularly put-out in the boonies. Besides, another few miles to another road is no big deal for me. But all boonies are not created equal I suppose.
I mean, I did say it was an irrational quirk of mine, right? I mentally walk away and don’t do anything every time I see a driveway turn because I know it’s irrational. Using a driveway is not a “wrong” thing to do no matter what my gut says.
My logic is they are much less likely to notice you at all if you turn your headlights off, so if they don’t see you there is nothing to be suspicious of.
There are a couple houses around here that have “No turn-around private driveway” type signs. I don’t know exactly what they would do if you did turn around at the end of their driveway, mostly likely nothing because there is no law against it that I’m aware of.
