Question

Difficulty: MediumPedestrians and Crosswalk Safety

You are driving on a multi-lane city street approaching an intersection with a solid green traffic light. You intend to make a left turn onto a cross street, where a pedestrian has already stepped into the marked crosswalk to cross the street you are turning onto. Which of the following actions is legally required?

  1. Yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian and wait until they have safely crossed your intended path before completing the turn.Answer
  2. B
    Complete the left turn immediately because a solid green light grants turning vehicles right-of-way over pedestrians.
  3. C
    Steer around the pedestrian by overtaking in the adjacent travel lane while they remain inside the crosswalk area.
  4. D
    Proceed with the turn after coming to a complete stop, regardless of whether the pedestrian has cleared your path.

Answer

The driver must yield the right-of-way to the pedestrian in the crosswalk and wait until they have safely cleared the vehicle's path before completing the left turn.
When executing an unprotected left turn on a solid green signal, traffic law mandates that drivers yield the right-of-way to any oncoming vehicles and pedestrians actively using the crosswalk. The driver must remain stopped or yield until the pedestrian has safely crossed out of the vehicle's path.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the signal type and intersection movement.
The signal is a solid green light (unprotected left turn condition).
An unprotected green light requires yielding to oncoming hazards, including pedestrians.
2
Evaluate pedestrian presence in the crosswalk.
A pedestrian is lawfully crossing within the marked crosswalk of the target road.
Pedestrians inside a marked crosswalk have the right-of-way.
3
Determine the proper driver action.
Yield and wait until the pedestrian safely clears the turning path before proceeding.
Traffic laws mandate full yielding to pedestrians lawfully in crosswalks prior to completing turns.

Key Concept

Left turn yielding rules for pedestrians in marked crosswalks
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