U-turns can provide you with a great opportunity to correct a navigational error, to get where you need to be when the location is inconveniently situated, or to help in any number of ways. All told, U-turns can serve an important purpose, and while they are generally safe – when the appropriate caution is exercised – this isn’t always the case. Car accidents can result when a driver makes a U-turn.
When U-Turns Are Decidedly Illegal
The State of Georgia places limitations on when you can legally make U-turns on its roads, and knowing when it’s legal to proceed with a U-turn and when it isn’t can help you make our roads safer for everyone, including yourself.
On Curves
When you’re traveling into a curve, it is impossible to see what’s coming your way, which makes pulling a U-turn in order to change directions exceptionally dangerous. The same is true when you’re traveling out of a curve – in relation to what’s coming up from behind. It is only safe to use a U-turn to change directions when you have a clear view of the traffic all around you – taking curves off the list of places where it’s legal to do so.
On Hills
As you travel toward the top of a hill, you can’t see other vehicles coming toward you, and they can’t see you. Once you’ve crested the hill’s top, you don’t know what’s coming from behind you. When you’re on a hill or incline, visibility is reduced, which makes U-turns completely unsafe – as well as illegal.
Where U-Turns Are Prohibited
There are certain driving situations that don’t fall into the other categories but that, nevertheless, don’t lend themselves to safe U-turns. When you see a sign prohibiting U-turns, it’s the state’s way of letting you know – in no uncertain terms – that it’s unsafe and illegal to proceed with such a turn.
Where It Isn’t Safe to Make a U-Turn
Just because you aren’t on a curve or incline does not mean that a U-turn is necessarily legal. If a driver can’t make the U-turn safely or if proceeding with the turn interferes with oncoming traffic, it’s an illegal U-turn. As such, if a driver causes an accident in the course of making a U-turn, the argument can be made that the turn was illegal, to begin with.
Driver Negligence
Drivers are responsible for following the rules of the road and for allowing the safe passage of everyone with whom they share the road. Motorists who recklessly engage in U-turns in order to make things more convenient for themselves often cause dangerous accidents. When other forms of driver negligence – such as the following – are involved, it increases the risk that drivers will proceed with dangerous U-turns and cause serious accidents in the process:
- Distracted drivers
- Drivers who speed excessively
- Drivers who are impaired
- Drivers who are drowsy
- Drivers who are aggressive
Other drivers owe you a duty of care that includes proceeding safely in accordance with the situation at hand, which often means foregoing U-turns.
Reach Out to an Experienced Georgia Car Accident Attorney Today
If you’ve been injured by a negligent motorist making a U-turn, an experienced Georgia car accident attorney is standing by to help.
If someone making a dangerous or outright illegal U-turn causes you or someone you love to be injured, the focused Georgia car accident attorneys at Spaulding Injury Law have a wealth of experience guiding complex cases like yours toward advantageous outcomes that support our clients’ rights and best interests. Your claim is important, so please don’t put off scheduling your free case evaluation by contacting or calling us at 770-744-0890 today.
