Q: When driving on Meridian Street in the area of the mall, there are now those barriers keeping you from making a left turn. I see a lot of people making U-turns now when they get to the next intersection. Is this legal?
A: Before answering this question I took a drive down Meridian just to make sure I wasn’t failing to remember any “No U-Turn” signs. In Washington, U-turns are generally legal at intersections. The exception, and I’m stating the obvious here, is when there is a posted sign prohibiting U-turns.
I’d like to point out that even though U-turns are legal at most intersections, that doesn’t make them an inalienable right. In the Revised Code of Washington’s section on U-turns, the first point states that a driver shall not do a U-turn “unless such movement can be made safely and without interfering with other traffic.”
On a street like Meridian that has frequent heavy traffic, the question shifts from whether or not it is legal in that specific location to, “Can a U-turn be done safely and without interfering with other traffic?” I would guess that for much of the day, executing a U-turn would violate the “safely” and “interfering” parts of the law.
Consider also the practical matters of a U-turn. Depending on the size of the vehicle and the width of the road, it might be physically impossible to complete a proper U-turn. Attempting the maneuver with too big a car or too small a road converts a U-turn into a three-point turn. Or for the driver that really overestimated the road width or steering radius, a five- or seven-point turn. At the least it’s embarrassing for the person attempting the U-turn, and can easily get worse if an approaching driver isn’t alert to the hazard.
There is a U-turn dilemma that many drivers don’t think of, but probably should. Here’s the scenario: At an intersection that is controlled by a traffic light, a driver has a green light and wants to make a U-turn. Ninety degrees to that driver’s left, another driver, who has a red light, wants to make a right turn. If I’ve described the situation clearly, you see the problem (and in case I haven’t decscibed it clearly, see the diagram below): both drivers intend to enter the same lane. The driver making the U-turn has the green light and the right-of-way, while the driver making the right turn looks to the left to make sure no cars are coming and makes a “free right on red.”
I’d like to point out that a “free right” isn’t really free. The law doesn’t use that term; instead it has a few requirements that drivers must obey before making a right turn on a red light. The top two requirements are stopping for vehicles approaching the intersection and stopping for pedestrians. Before making a right turn, a driver needs to not only watch for pedestrians and look left for traffic, but also check the area from which another driver would make a U-turn.
While we’re on the topic of U-turns, the law has a few other rules. Don’t do a U-turn in or near a curve, or near the crest of a hill if you can’t be seen for more than 500 feet. That may seem obvious, but if you’ve ever come over a hill or through a curve to be surprised by a car that’s halfway through a U-turn, you know the danger of a poorly located U-turn. If it doesn’t result in a crash, it’ll probably at least require a change of shorts.
While U-turns are legal at most intersections, they are a somewhat risky maneuver because other drivers may not be expecting it. If you intend to perform a U-turn, make sure you have plenty of open space to complete the maneuver without interfering with other drivers. And U-turns or not, always be ready for the unexpected on the road.