Can you cross the white line?

[Fether]

For whatever reason, this has been coming up more and more as I drive. Maybe it is just unique to my Utah city.

a solid white line marks the shoulder of the road where you aren’t suppose to drive. When making a right turn at a stop light where no right turn lane exists, do you remain in the lane you are in, or do you pull into the shoulder area, often times bypassing a line of people in your current lane.

This is very much a safety question, as everyone on the road seems to have a different opinion. Just today, I was waiting behind a car at a stop light to turn right. Then three cars drove into the shoulder area, passing me and the other cars, and turned right. Had I been first in line and turned right, those three cars would have hit me.

so in summary. While in line at a stop light, is it legal to leave your lane, drive on to the shoulder to bypass traffic and turn right?

Edited May 11, 2021 by Fether

[Vort]

I'm fairly sure that the answer is no, it's not legal. I'm also fairly sure that as long as there is sufficient room and no property damage takes place, most cops won't waste their time ticketing someone for doing so. Maybe @mirkwood can provide insight, or at least give an informed opinion.

[Fether]

5 minutes ago, Vort said:

I'm fairly sure that the answer is no, it's not legal. I'm also fairly sure that as long as there is sufficient room and no property damage takes place, most cops won't waste their time ticketing someone for doing so. Maybe @mirkwood can provide insight, or at least give an informed opinion.

I guess my real concern is if I am in the lane and I turn right from the lane and get hit by someone who is using g the shoulder as a right turn lane, is it considered my fault?

[mirkwood]

That is not a turn lane, so if you were makiing a proper right turn at the intersection and someone traveling in it as a turn lane  and hit you, they would be the violator. 

 

Vort is also right, no harm, no foul, probably no ticket/action taken.

Edited May 11, 2021 by mirkwood

[MrShorty]

Interesting.... I recall when I took my driving test (back when we stuck our feet through the floorboards for accelerator/brake functionality) specifically asking the examiner this question (because one of my friends had been dinged for one or the other of these practices (either using the shoulder as a right turn lane or not, I don't remember which). My examiner told me to move as far to the right as reasonably possible when making a right turn and included using the shoulder when no right turn lane was painted. If memory serves, he even mentioned that moving as far right as reasonably possible helps to prevent the scenario mentioned by @Fether where one driver stays in the main striped lane and another driver uses the shoulder and both want to turn right at the same time.

One of those things where the official traffic code is not consistently (if at all) enforced and maybe even inconsistently taught so that most of us don't really know and just do what we've always done??

[Fether]

59 minutes ago, MrShorty said:

Interesting.... I recall when I took my driving test (back when we stuck our feet through the floorboards for accelerator/brake functionality) specifically asking the examiner this question (because one of my friends had been dinged for one or the other of these practices (either using the shoulder as a right turn lane or not, I don't remember which). My examiner told me to move as far to the right as reasonably possible when making a right turn and included using the shoulder when no right turn lane was painted. If memory serves, he even mentioned that moving as far right as reasonably possible helps to prevent the scenario mentioned by @Fether where one driver stays in the main striped lane and another driver uses the shoulder and both want to turn right at the same time.

One of those things where the official traffic code is not consistently (if at all) enforced and maybe even inconsistently taught so that most of us don't really know and just do what we've always done??

The scenario I am asking about refers specifically to a stop light or stop sign. When driving on a road (particularly busy ones) and you need to make a right turn where there is no stop sign/light, then yes, I think it is appropriate to use the shoulder.

What I’m referencing is coming up to a red light. If there is no right turn lane, and there are three cars ahead of you that aren’t turning, can you use the shoulder as a path to turn right. 

[Fether]

1 hour ago, mirkwood said:

That is not a turn lane, so if you were makiing a proper right turn at the intersection and someone traveling in it as a turn lane  and hit you, they would be the violator. 

 

Vort is also right, no harm, no foul, probably no ticket/action taken.

Now... the spiteful side of fether wants to come out and start purposefully turning into these cars when they are violating this law and demand payment from them and their insurance companies.

Can one make a reasonable living doing this?

[MrShorty]

31 minutes ago, Fether said:

The scenario I am asking about refers specifically to a stop light or stop sign. When driving on a road (particularly busy ones) and you need to make a right turn where there is no stop sign/light, then yes, I think it is appropriate to use the shoulder.

What I’m referencing is coming up to a red light. If there is no right turn lane, and there are three cars ahead of you that aren’t turning, can you use the shoulder as a path to turn right. 

When I asked my DL examiner, I, asked specifically about the scenario at a stop light.