Right of way
Turning left on a solid green light
You have a solid green light and want to turn left. Car B is coming straight toward you, also on green. What do you do?
You have a solid green light and want to turn left. Car B is coming straight toward you, also on green. What do you do?
Left turn on solid green: the rule
The rule
A solid green permits the turn but does not protect it. Oncoming traffic and pedestrians have the right of way.
The reasoning
A solid green means the intersection is open to you, not that it is yours alone. You may pull forward into it and wait, then complete the turn when a safe gap appears or the light changes and the intersection clears.
The usual mistake
Confusing a solid green with a green arrow. A green arrow is protected, which means conflicting traffic is being held by a red. A solid green holds nobody, and it is where a large share of intersection collisions happen.
What the state codes require
California
A driver turning left yields to oncoming vehicles close enough to be a hazard at any point during the turn, and keeps yielding until the turn can be made safely.
Practice the California testTexas
A driver turning left yields to a vehicle coming from the opposite direction that is in the intersection or close enough to be an immediate hazard.
Practice the Texas testNew York
A driver turning left yields to oncoming vehicles that are close enough to pose an immediate hazard.
Practice the New York test