The shared center left-turn lane is only for left turns. Pull into it just before you turn left, or use it to wait before merging after a left turn out of a driveway. Never use it to drive along, to pass, or as a merge lane for more than a short distance.
You recognize it by the lines: a solid yellow line on the outside and a broken yellow line on the inside, on both sides, often with white left-turn arrows pointing in opposite directions.
How to use it
- Signal left and check your mirror.
- Move into the center lane just before the place you're turning into, not a block early.
- Stop in the center lane if you need to wait for oncoming traffic.
- Turn left when there's a safe gap.
Turning left out of a driveway onto a busy road? In most places you may turn into the center lane first, stop, and then merge into traffic going your way when there's a gap. This is called a two-stage turn.
How far can you drive in it?
States limit it. California allows at most 200 feet of driving in the center turn lane. Other states use different distances, or just say "the minimum distance necessary".
The dangerous part
Drivers from both directions use the same lane. Two cars can enter it at the same moment from opposite ends, heading toward each other. That is why you enter it close to your turn and look ahead before you move in: is someone coming the other way in the same lane?
| Allowed | Not allowed |
|---|---|
| Waiting to turn left into a driveway or side street | Driving along it to skip traffic |
| A left turn from a side street, as a waiting spot before merging (most states) | Passing a slow car |
| A U-turn, where U-turns are allowed | Using it as a lane to merge for a long distance |
Center turn lane or median?
Don't confuse the center turn lane with a painted median. A painted median has solid yellow lines on both edges and diagonal or chevron stripes inside, and you may not drive in it at all. A center turn lane has broken lines on the inside and usually turn arrows. If the lines inside are broken, it's a turn lane; if the area is striped, stay out.
The markings are unusual (a yellow line on each side), and the question almost always tests whether you think you may use it to pass. You may not.
Practice it
Try the center-lane question in Signal LabStart ›Rule and source: center left-turn lane. For the other center markings, see solid vs broken yellow line.
