“U-turns Vs. Right-turners Collisions: Who Has The Right Of Way?”

Hey everyone,

Just had this question on my mind and I didn't really get the best answers from the internet.

Say you go to a traffic light and you have two lanes, with a protected left-lane and a protected right. You are planning on taking a U-Turn at the light (and it is permissible).

It's green, and you are ready to go - it is safe to clear from the opposing traffic.

But wait! You can't help notice that someone is trying to take a right turn from the perpendicular side of traffic. They don't see you, or won't be able to see that you are making a u-turn.

Who should wait, at least according to the law or maybe how insurance assigns faults? Personally I think U-tuners, out of common sense, should always let the right-lane turners complete their turn because no thinks of U-turners.

If you modify the scenario, say, someone at a U-Turn is unfortunately stuck at the green light and has to wait until a red light - does that change anything?

When in doubt, I'll always stop. I'd rather be wrong or let someone else be wrong and not have an accident than be right and wind up with a dented car.

When a U-turn is permitted in an intersection with a protected left turn arrow (a situation that is now very common in my area with the installation over the past few years of bus lanes down the middle), the person making the U-turn has the right of way. Anyone turning right on a red must make sure it is safe to turn. Keep in mind these intersections generally occur on multi-lane roads, in which case the U-turner must turn into the leftmost lane and the right turner should turn into the curb lane. As long as everyone is being diligent, there should be no (or, at most, minimal) risk of a collision.