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InvalidError
join:2008-02-03

InvalidError to wolfy339

Member

to wolfy339

Re: Hypothetical accident caused by third driver

said by wolfy339:

Driver in inside northbound lane (who waved the turning driver through) is at fault.

AFAIK, ensuring your own safe crossing is always your own responsibility regardless of any waving others may give you - you are the one making the decision to trust others' advice instead of verifying things for yourself.

At most, north inner might get cited for obstructing traffic since he is not supposed to stop on the left/fast lane unless he is either turning left or on a stop sign/light.

Blind left turns through oncoming traffic lanes are scary. One of my closest calls was when the driver behind a truck waiting on a left turn decided to change lanes in the middle of the intersection just as I was passing by the truck, half-way into my own left turn.
wolfy339
join:2005-04-30
Edmonds, WA

wolfy339

Member

said by InvalidError:

said by wolfy339:

Driver in inside northbound lane (who waved the turning driver through) is at fault.

AFAIK, ensuring your own safe crossing is always your own responsibility regardless of any waving others may give you - you are the one making the decision to trust others' advice instead of verifying things for yourself.

At most, north inner might get cited for obstructing traffic since he is not supposed to stop on the left/fast lane unless he is either turning left or on a stop sign/light.

Blind left turns through oncoming traffic lanes are scary. One of my closest calls was when the driver behind a truck waiting on a left turn decided to change lanes in the middle of the intersection just as I was passing by the truck, half-way into my own left turn.

Let me further clarify...the situation I described is something that happened. I happen to know one of the drivers involved and, as I remember, the way it was explained to her by the responding officer is that, while the turning driver was cited as being at fault, technically the driver in the NB inside lane was at fault for improperly signalling the SB inside driver to proceed with her turn.
InvalidError
join:2008-02-03

InvalidError

Member

said by wolfy339:

technically the driver in the NB inside lane was at fault for improperly signalling the SB inside driver to proceed with her turn.

"Technically", sure.

Legally and for insurance purposes? Most likely not.

Ensuring that following instructions or signalization can be done safely as far as one can reasonably be expected to from the driver's seat is always the drivers' responsibility.

As someone else said, the north-inner driver most likely waved only for himself. South should still have watched out for north-outer while on his way through north-inner's lane. Depending on how heavy traffic is, this could brew its own lot of embarrassing situations.