Left Turn When Light Turns, Before Letting Oncoming Traffic
With all the new talk about the racing provisions (s. 172 of the Highway Traffic Act defining speeding 50 or more over as a "stunt") many people haven't looked at some of the other less talked about definitions of stunts.
In particular, one definition that many people may not know is this scenario:
Let's say you're late for work, you have to turn left at the next intersection, you're hurrying but the car in front of you is a slow poke. The light turns yellow, and as it turns red, the slow-poke in front of you makes the left turn, but you can't make it. So you're pissed; you're waiting for the light to turn, and all of a sudden the oncoming lane starts to fill up with a dozen or more cars waiting to proceed. You know that will take even more time once the light turns green to let them pass.
So, you look left, you look right and see no cars. Just as that light turns yellow and you anticipate the green, you advance into the intersection and begin your turn just as the light turns green. You safely proceed in front of the oncoming cars. You get to work on time, and the other cars don't get inconvenienced.
Good idea, right?
WRONG!
So... "it's probably illegal" you're thinking, "but how bad could it be".
ANSWER: It's treated as badly as driving 50km/h over the limit. It's treated as badly as driving for a stake or wager or in a race. It's defined as a "stunt" pursuant to s.172 of the HTA. I've done it before, many of you have done it before and it came as a total surprise to think that this is treated so severely as it is.
For the law, consult the regulations of the Highway Traffic Act:
RACES, CONTESTS AND STUNTS, O. Reg. 455/07
Section 3 of the regulation says:
For the purposes of section 172 of the Act, "stunt" includes any activity where one or more persons engage in any of the following driving behaviours:
8. Driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention, without reasonable consideration for other persons using the highway or in a manner that may endanger any person by,
iv. making a left turn where,
(A) the driver is stopped at an intersection controlled by a traffic control signal system in response to a circular red indication;
(B) at least one vehicle facing the opposite direction is similarly stopped in response to a circular red indication; and
(C) the driver executes the left turn immediately before or after the system shows only a circular green indication in both directions and in a manner that indicates an intention to complete or attempt to complete the left turn before the vehicle facing the opposite direction is able to proceed straight through the intersection in response to the circular green indication facing that vehicle.
$2,000 fine, 6 demerit points, massive increases to insurance premiums, potential jail time.
All of this for something which, IMO is less dangerous than running a red light...