# Traffic Etiquette Question--What about Right Turn Lanes? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 2002, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155 "2002-09-29T22:37:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![mack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mack)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/21 "2002-09-30T18:37:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by voltaire \* > \*\*Though, I must admit that if I come up on a car sitting in the rightmost lane when all the other lanes are clear, I usually just go around them. I know this isn’t really legal… \*\* Sorry, but to me that’s just boneheaded impatience. You make right hand turns from the right hand lane or lanes that are designated as right hand turn lanes. Turning from the not-quite right hand lane is a bullshit move city drivers do all the time and not only does it create a hazardous situation but it tends to make bad traffic situations worse. I don’t care how dainty you are about it. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/22 "2002-09-30T18:52:51Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by muttrox \* > \*\*At least in the two major cites where I have spent most of my life driving, most intersections have a short area to the right of the right line specifically designed for just this situation. It is set up so any of the first 3 or so cars can get into this area and make a safe right turn. If there are two cars in this space, but the second one leaves 15 feet between them and the next car so no one can squeeze into this area, that is bad, they should pull up. If the first car is 15 feet behind the stop line, same story. If the third car is pulled far over to the right, when simply being in the middle of the lane would let cars get by, same story. In any of this situations, it is not the honker who is being rude, it is the cars in front. > > In Conceivable, My post was clear, if it dangerous to pull up, or if there isn’t room to do so, don’t do it. Just as clearly, if there is room, you should. \*\* Just because there is space to the right doesn’t mean that it is intended for there to be two cars side by side in the lane. A seperate right turn lane is marked by lines on the road. If there are no lines on the road then it is ONE lane there should only be ONE car at the intersection at a time. It is dangerous to have two cars in a lane intended for one. In my book the honker is always rude if they are honking at people who aren’t doing anything wrong. Isn’t it illegal to pass on the right anyway? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/23 "2002-09-30T19:16:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by In Conceivable \* > \*\*Isn’t it illegal to pass on the right anyway? \*\* It’s not illegal to pass on the right if there is a clearly marked lane. If it’s a 4-lane road, it’s perfectly legal to pass on the right, but the left lane is for passing only and if you have to pass on the right someone is in the left lane that should not be. ---
**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/24 "2002-09-30T19:18:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by In Conceivable \* > \*\*Isn’t it illegal to pass on the right anyway? \*\* “Passing on the right” is a concept that applies to driving on highways. It’s not applicable to city traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/25 "2002-09-30T19:30:54Z")
Look at it this way: when you suffer this jackass’s abuse by blocking his right turn on red, you’re saving the pedestrians who are crossing from right to left whom he’d plow into while his head is turned to the right, as if his collar bones were fused into place, looking for his opening. (that’s the unversal “he.” I’ve seen this collar-bone condition on a lot of suburban mom types, too) ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/26 "2002-09-30T19:57:19Z")
Thanks for the “passing on the right” info. Many years ago I was in a traffic accident caused by someone passing me on the right. It was a road with one lane of traffic moving in each direction and no turn lanes. The car in front of me stopped to make a left hand turn and had to wait about 30 seconds or so for traffic to clear. A car behind me decided to use the shoulder of the road and an indent from a driveway to pass us both on the right at the same time the car in front turned. A small fender bender resulted as I started to drive forward with out looking to my right to see if an idiot was trying to pass me. The police officer innovated gave him a ticket for “passing on the right” and filled out a report indicating that he caused the accident. This accident took place in the city, not on a highway. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/27 "2002-09-30T20:01:10Z")
innovated? That is the oddest spell check error I have ever had. The police officer involved… ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2002, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/28 "2002-09-30T20:08:49Z")
My mother once got a ticket for passing on the right in the city. She was passing a car waiting to turn left. IIRC, there was no collision, but a cop saw her. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/29 "2002-10-01T02:04:17Z")
You really have to check your state Motor Code, but generally speaking it makes no difference whether it’s on a city road or a highway. It is illegal to pass on the right unless the right lane is a clearly marked lane. Many people think it’s illegal to pass on the right period. That is not true. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/30 "2002-10-01T11:56:50Z")
**barbitu8** (love your name by the way) That is exactly what I was thinking. That it is illegal to pass on the right if there isn’t a lane for it. It doesn’t matter if the lane gets bigger at the intersection and people think there is room for a car to pull up and turn right like **muttrox** is talking about. Off to check my state Motor Code… ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/31 "2002-10-01T12:03:22Z")
It’s probably illegal regardless, but I think when most people do it is when the road is rural. The car in front of them is making a left turn into a parking lot or a road (a road onto which one cannot turn right), so they just pass the car on the right. This isn’t particularly dangerous - no car would be coming from the other direction and turning left there, so there’s no car to look out for. The only problem is if a car is coming out of the parking lot and turning left onto the main road - that’s the only car one would need to look out for, in this situation. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/32 "2002-10-01T17:36:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by barbitu8 \* > \*\*You really have to check your state Motor Code, but generally speaking it makes no difference whether it’s on a city road or a highway. It is illegal to pass on the right unless the right lane is a clearly marked lane. Many people think it’s illegal to pass on the right period. That is not true. \*\* Concur. I can’t quote code chapter and verse but I have been licensed in three states plus DC and the code prohibits driving off the “traveled portion of the road”, i.e., the shoulder. Even though passing on the right shoulder is a common practice to get by a stopped car, I knew one guy who was ticketed for it (in Michigan, IIRC). But I still think citing people for it is very rare. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/33 "2002-10-01T17:41:48Z")
> [@](#): > > It doesn’t matter if the lane gets bigger at the intersection and people think there is room for a car to pull up and turn right like **muttrox** is talking about. > > Off to check my state Motor Code… I’m going to back up **muttrox**. When I lived in California, at many intersections (I particularly remember ones with bike lanes), the lane got wider, and the bike lane markings became dashed. Why are the markings and width changing, if not to allow cars to make right turns on red? The CA DMV has an online booklet, and [this page](http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/pgs22thru25.htm#through) comes closest to discussing the situation: > [@](#): > > Don’t drive in a bike lane unless you are within 200 feet of making a right turn at a corner or other entrance, such as a driveway. Do not drive into the bike lane to pass traffic ahead of you preparing to turn. Watch for bikes before entering the bike lane. I think they’d mention it explicitly if you weren’t allowed to pass traffic going straight in order to make your right turn. A couple other things California allows, that I don’t think most states do: It is legal to change lanes in an intersection. It is legal for motorcycles to “thread the needle”, i.e. drive _on_ the white dashed lane markers to pass cars. Passing stopped cars to make a turn is kid’s stuff compared to that last one. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Conceivable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4bbf92/32.png) [@In\_Conceivable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Conceivable)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/34 "2002-10-01T17:49:00Z")
Yeah, but in your example there are markings on the road **ZenBeam**. Perhaps that is the case in California. Here (south east) there are usually no marking on the road when cars do this. They just double up in one lane at the intersection. I don’t think that I have ever even seen a bike lane in my state. ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/35 "2002-10-01T19:52:23Z")
The SC Code provides as follows: > [@](#): > > SECTION 56-5-1850. When passing on the right is permitted. > > (a) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass upon the right of another vehicle only under the following conditions: > > 1. When the vehicle overtaken is making or about to make a left turn. > > 2. Upon a roadway with unobstructed pavement of sufficient width for two or more lines of vehicles moving lawfully in the direction being travelled by the overtaking vehicle. > > (b) The driver of a vehicle may overtake and pass another vehicle upon the right only under conditions permitting such movement in safety. Such movement shall not be made by driving off the roadway. This is the Uniform Motor Code so it has been adopted in most states, except for some weird states such as California. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2002, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/36 "2002-10-01T22:42:28Z")
Wow! Thanks everyone for your responses. I feel vindicated that waiting is the right thing to do. I’d like to clarify a few points that were made. I don’t wait in a right turn only lane so that I can bypass the correct left lane. When I’m in the right lane, it’s because I’m going to turn right into a driveway as soon as I clear the intersection. Also, if I can pull up a few feet, but stay out of the pedestrian crosswalk, I will do so. I just didn’t like it when a driver behind me would honk incessantly for me to drive into the intersection just to suit his/her schedule. I try to be a considerate driver and frequently let other drivers ahead of me. I’m never in too big of a hurry to piss off any other driver intentionally. ---
**Author:** ![mapsmith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/848f3c/32.png) [@mapsmith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mapsmith)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2002, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155/37 "2002-10-02T04:16:17Z")
And you must remember that it is “You MAY make a right turn on Red AFTER Stop, if it is clear and safe to do so”!!! In the OP, since there was a car in front of him, it was definitely not clear and safe. So the OP was completely in the right. That is why our creator has given us a finger that is longer than the rest. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/traffic-etiquette-question-what-about-right-turn-lanes/130155.md?page=1)