Must You Stop in the Left-Turn Waiting Area When Turning Left While Driving?

[DeSophie]

When the left-turn light is green and you have already crossed the stop line into the waiting area, even if the left-turn signal turns red at this point, you can still make a normal left turn without it being considered a violation. Even stopping is not a violation. However, if you stop and opposing vehicles are already in a state of being allowed to proceed, then making a left turn at this point would be a violation. More details are as follows: 1. The so-called "waiting area" is, as the name suggests, an area for waiting to turn. For example, when preparing to make a left turn, if the left-turn signal is red but the straight signal turns green, you can then enter the waiting area (but you must not go beyond the waiting area indicator line) and wait until the left-turn signal turns green before making the left turn. 2. This method is designed to improve road traffic capacity. Each left-turn signal can allow three to four more vehicles to pass, depending on the size of the waiting area, possibly even more. At intersections with traffic police directing traffic, even if there is no marked waiting area, the traffic police may gesture to direct vehicles preparing to turn left to move forward and wait to turn based on traffic congestion conditions.

[DiAriana]

After driving for over a decade, I've noticed that left-turn waiting areas aren't mandatory at all intersections. You can only enter and wait when the straight-going traffic light is green; if it's red and you force your way in, it's an immediate 6-point deduction without question! The main purpose is to improve turning efficiency—during peak hours, five or six more cars can get through per light cycle. But you have to check if the road markings are clear; last night in the rain, I almost overshot it. Remember, your car's front mustn't cross the white pedestrian line, or it's also a violation. New drivers should pay attention to navigation prompts, as some older urban areas don't have this zone at all.

[Alexandra]

When I first started driving, I was also confused about this. Traffic regulations clearly state that you must follow the signal lights: you're only allowed to move into the waiting zone when the straight-ahead light turns green, at which point cross traffic is still stopped and it's safe. What if the left-turn light turns green directly? Then you don't need to enter the waiting zone, just turn the steering wheel and go. The worst is when people mistake the crosswalk for the waiting zone and stop on it—my colleague got points deducted for that last year. My advice is to observe the arrow markings 50 meters in advance and pay extra attention to reflective markers when the road is wet.

[DiPenelope]

The utilization rate of the waiting area is actually less than 30%. I've identified three key points: First, the principle of right-of-way transition—you can only enter the waiting area when straight-going vehicles have priority. Second, pay attention to the position of the solid lane line—you must stop if your rear wheels cross the stop line. Lastly, handle special weather conditions appropriately; in heavy fog when lane markings are unclear, stay in your original lane. Last week in the development zone, two cars squeezed into the waiting area and scraped each other, which ended up blocking the entire intersection.

[VanIsaac]

Learned some tricks from a friend in the accident department. When entering the waiting area, remember not to slam on the accelerator—recently handled a rear-end collision case caused by sudden braking. Start moving only when the straight-going traffic light turns green. If the yellow light is flashing and your vehicle hasn't completely crossed the line, stop immediately. At 2 a.m. with an empty intersection? Stopping is optional, but you'll still get fined if caught crossing the line. Nowadays, many new smart traffic lights automatically sense traffic flow to adjust the opening time of the waiting area.