It would not entirely be “your fault” if you turned and an accident ensued due to someone to your left changing lanes. (Because you’re not supposed to change lanes that close to an intersection; it’s something I’ve actually been pulled over for doing).
If the break in traffic in the far right lane (the one you want to turn into) is somewhat rare, I’d make the turn but I’d try to watch the other cars a bit while doing so and if they did change lanes would try to adjust (pull to the farthest right I could safely place my car, etc). If on the other hand there’s likely to be a better break in traffic if I just wait a moment or two, I’d wait. Also: how fast does my car accelerate? (It’s relevant)
I do this type of turn fairly regularly. Sometimes I won’t make the turn, depending on what I intuit cars A, B, and C doing. The way it’s drawn, I might not turn, as B, being so close to C, may decide to pull out to the right lane and try to overtake. It’s just one of those things that I would have to dynamically observe to say what I would definitively do, but it’s usual for me to turn in that type of situation.
Agree cars a,b,c are too close, unless they are moving very slow, so no turn. Though in very heavy traffic where that may be a golden opportunity I may be tempted, another factor is the shoulder lane, if one was available to use as a acceleration/ emergency avoidance lane, I may consider the turn a bit more.
If you put the same case in front of 100 different traffic court judges you could get 100 opinions about who has how much fault.
(Judge Judy was a judge in a family court. I would not cite her as an authority on traffic code.)
Here are two real cases that I believe could be found in different ways by different judges:
A friend of mine was turning right onto a main roadway. The rightmost lane was marked as “right turn only”, required to turn right into the road where my friend was emerging from. There was only one car coming, and it was in the right-turn lane with a right-turn signal on. My friend pulled out and was hit by this car who decided to go straight. My friend was found at fault by a judge for failing to yield to oncoming traffic.
Another friend was turning left at an intersection controlled by a light, no left-turn signal. He pulled into the intersection (legal in that state) and was waiting for oncoming traffic to clear. The light turned red so he completed his turn. An oncoming car ran the red light and broadsided him. The judge found him to be at fault for failing to yield to oncoming traffic.
Sorry, I was unclear in what I wrote. Since we don’t have an equivalent to the US “turn right on red” rule, I generalized it to an intersection that is not controlled by lights. I probably shouldn’t have confused the issue.
My point was not whether Judge Judy was right or wrong, but rather than other judges could rule that the red-light runner or the straight-in-a-turn-lane violators were at fault, or some combination. The answer is not black and white because in each case both drivers violated the law.
If you assume that other drivers obey the law, you wouldn’t last five minutes where I live. I seldom turn in this situation unless there is a very long line of cars in the left lane and no one in the right. All too often a car in the left decides it is too slow and will move to the right lane to pass the cars in front.
I’ve seen enough cars do this, in intersections, that I err on the side of caution.
Cars run red lights all the time, changing lanes in an intersection is nothing compared to that.
My morning commute involves a right turn at a stop light onto a six-lane road (3 lanes each way), so I deal with this on a regular basis. Just this morning actually, I had plenty of room in the right-hand lane, but the next lane in was quite busy. I didn’t turn until that lane cleared as well. It’s just not safe - they could change lanes any time, and I don’t relish the prospect of being abruptly rear-ended.
I come upon this all the time, albeit usually it on a 50-mph road. Often on a 35-mph road too tho. I never turn unless both of the lanes on my destination road are clear. I don’t trust other drivers.
If I’m A, B, or C, if that blue car starts turning I’m alert and ready to take action. I don’t know if they’re going to take that turn wide, or try to jump immediately into the left lane, so I’m going to slow down and see what they do.
If I’m the blue car, then, knowing that those 3 cars are likely trying to predict my move, I’d prefer to sit tight and wait for D to go. However, if there’s a huge line of cars after D and it’s now or never and I’m running late, yeah, I’ll go. But I hug the right side of the lane and try not to alarm anyone.
I face this every day on the way to work, and I do not make the turn till both lanes are empty or have cars far away. I figure I have to assume that any of those cars may choose to change lanes anytime.
I generally wait in those situations. not only because one of those cars might switch lanes, but do so w/o signaling. and if anyone behind me has a problem with that, I’ll just go ahead and let them know they’re #1.
This will surely make my family happy while they are scattering my ashes the following week.
If I’m the blue car, I’m not turning until both lanes are clear. Same applies for a left turn when the blue car has just a stop sign (and the green cars don’t).
When my light turns green, I can “commit” by getting well out into the intersection. This way, even if peds are initially blocking the crosswalk, I’ll get to go when my light turns red (because I’m already out there).