“Turning Left Using Centre Lanes On 5 Lane Roads”

I am hoping this is the right place to post this question. I am very fortunate that I was not in an accident today-but it was very close and I am still a little shaky about it. Here is what happened:

I was driving on Yonge Street in Thornhill, which has 2 lanes for southbound traffic and 2 lanes for northbound traffic with a centre turn lane in the middle. I was travelling southbound and got into the centre lane to make a left turn onto a street (no traffic lights) to go east bound. All of a sudden a car pulled into the centre turn lane from the west, attempting to turn left and go north bound on Yonge Street. The traffic was heavy going south bound and I guess there as a little gap, so this person went from a plaza through the two lanes of stopped traffic to go into the centre lane and then merge into the left northbound lane. I could not see him as I am in a small car and there were SUVs and vans as he whipped into the centre lane. This sort of thing happens a lot...where people will stop and leave a gap for someone to turn left, which I think is very dangerous. I am just curious as to whether the turn the person was making would be deemed an illegal left turn? If we did collide would he be 100% at fault? (I was going slow as I NEVER speed down centre lanes when I am going to turn, and I always scan traffic for potential people cutting in front of me). I had no way of seeing him and he obviously didn't see me...if traffic had been coming northbound as well, one of those cars in the left lane could have hit us...he came out fast because there was no one coming northbound at the time.

Thanks for your help-I am just curious and really would like to see this stopped as I have had a few near misses in heavy traffic and can't see why this would be legal!

What's the name of the side street? Maybe using Streetview will help us better visualize this intersection.

You can also look at fault determination rules and see if your scenario is there: http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/e ... 0668_e.htm

I am not sure if this diagram will work or not. I am the red car, and the person in the other car is blue. The purple cars are stopped from a traffic light up ahead. I could not see the person coming out, I barely even saw a gap in the cars where he pulled out from. He was going to use the centre turn lane to merge into the left northbound lane.

Again, take a look at the fault determination rules. It seems that if a collision does occur you will not be found at-fault. Having said that, you should exercise a lot of caution when using the centre lane.

Vehicles should never block intersections/driveways/entrances/exits, especially because you never know when emergency vehicles need to enter/exit. It could be the difference between life and death, I wouldn't be surprised if the vehicle blocking the driveway is held responsible.

http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/regs/e ... [quote](5) If automobile "B" turns left into the path of automobile "A", the driver of automobile "A" is not at fault and the driver of automobile "B" is 100 per cent at fault for the incident.

[/quote]

(6) If automobile "B" is leaving a parking place or is entering the road from a private road or driveway, and if automobile "A" is overtaking to pass another automobile when the incident occurs, the driver of automobile "A" is not at fault and the driver of automobile "B" is 100 per cent at fault for the incident.

You're not supposed to travel in the suicide lane.

Blue car = fail to yield to traffic on a thru highway

Red car = would consider distance travelled, such as drove over more than one turn arrow painted on area, then would consider - improper use of centre turn lane