Perhaps one of the most frustrating things we as adults have to deal with is driving. And, more specifically, driving through traffic. No matter what town you visit, including our own busy streets in Benton Harbor and St. Joseph, each one has a street that flows with so much quickly moving traffic that turns become almost impossible.
On more than one occasion, almost everyone I know, including myself, has used the Turn Lane in the middle of a road like M-63/Niles Ave in St. Joseph as a “merge lane.” I know you’ve probably innocently pulled into that lane trying to turn left somewhere, thinking if you can beat traffic on one side and wait for the other side to clear, you’ll be good.
In April, Michigan State Trooper Lt. Rob Davis told our friends at Mlive.com that using the turn lane on a busy street is actually illegal, citing state law that clearly says you should never leave the yellow line of a roadway except to make a left turn.
He says…
When you are driving on a five lane roadway containing a center turn lane you may only use the center lane for completing a left turn. The center lane may also not be used for passing. Also, the center lane may not be entered until the left turn is to be completed. Conversely, the center lane is not to be used as a merge lane for traffic entering the roadway.
Though Trooper Davis doesn’t give an opinion in the article about what to do to actually make your turn safely in the event of too much uncomfortable traffic, I personally suggest avoiding left turns all together. No, really! Go to the next street with a stop light. The wait time is almost the same, but you’ll probably be much safer than using the turn lane illegally or darting out into traffic hoping you won’t get hit. – Zack
Read more about this and other Ask a Trooper questions at Mlive.com.
