Do You Need to Wait for the Traffic Light When Turning Left?
2 Answers
You need to wait for the traffic light when turning left. During a red light, left turns are prohibited. Unless otherwise specified, U-turns are allowed. During a green light, if there is no sign prohibiting left turns, you can turn left, and the rules for U-turns are the same as for left turns. In the case of a circular traffic light, you can turn left during a green light, but you must yield to vehicles going straight. At intersections with arrow traffic lights, you should turn left when the left-turn arrow is green. If there is a sign prohibiting left turns at the intersection, left turns are not allowed at any time. According to the newly issued "Notice on Motor Vehicle Drivers Handling Traffic Accidents Quickly and Independently," drivers should resolve accidents quickly and move their vehicles to the roadside to prevent traffic congestion. If a driver fails to resolve an accident independently and causes traffic congestion, they will be fined and receive 3 penalty points. There are two rules for entering the left-turn waiting area: Generally, the first scenario occurs when the left-turn lane is mixed with the straight lane, while the second scenario is more common for independent left-turn lanes. Usually, there are clear signs on the traffic signal poles, so drivers just need to pay a little attention while driving. Vehicles can only enter the left-turn waiting area when the straight light is green and the electronic sign prompts "Please enter the waiting area." Otherwise, it will be considered running a red light, and the driver will be fined and receive 6 penalty points.
This depends on the specific situation. After years of driving, I've summarized several scenarios. First, if there's a dedicated left-turn arrow signal at the intersection, you must wait for it to turn green before proceeding. If there's no arrow signal, only a regular circular traffic light, you should turn left when the light is green, but you must yield to oncoming vehicles going straight. In some major cities, there are left-turn waiting zones at intersections where you can enter when the straight signal is green and wait until the left-turn signal turns green before proceeding. Remember, at intersections without special signs, you absolutely cannot turn left on a red light—it's both a traffic violation and highly likely to cause a collision with straight-moving vehicles. Additionally, during peak hours when traffic is heavy, it's especially important to patiently wait for signals, as rushing through lights is particularly dangerous.
