Should Left Turn Yield to Right Turn or Vice Versa?

[DeMason]

Right turn should yield to left turn because right turns sometimes can proceed without waiting for traffic lights, offering more opportunities. According to the Regulations for the Implementation of the Road Traffic Safety Law: When motor vehicles pass through intersections without traffic signal control or traffic police direction, vehicles turning right should yield to vehicles turning left from the opposite direction. When encountering traffic congestion at an intersection ahead, motor vehicles should wait in line outside the intersection and must not enter it. When facing queued or slow-moving vehicles ahead, motor vehicles should line up in order and must not weave through or overtake from either side of the vehicles ahead, nor should they wait on pedestrian crossings or within grid-marked areas.

[StAlex]

I've been driving for fifteen years and often encounter this situation. The key is to look at the type of intersection. At an intersection without traffic lights or signs, left-turning vehicles usually need to yield to oncoming vehicles going straight or turning right, because your left turn will cross their lane. However, at a T-junction, the left-turning vehicle effectively has the right-of-way as if going straight, so right-turning vehicles must yield to you. With traffic lights, it's simpler: if there's no dedicated arrow light, right-turning vehicles on green must yield to left-turning vehicles and pedestrians. There's a saying, 'Turning vehicles yield to those going straight, and right-turning vehicles yield to left-turning ones.' But in actual driving, you also need to anticipate the movements of surrounding vehicles—safety is the top priority.

[McSteven]

When learning to drive, the instructor taught that the yielding principle can be divided into three scenarios. First, when both vehicles are going straight, the vehicle coming from the right has the right of way—this is the 'yield to the right' principle. Second, if there are yield signs or markings at the intersection, such as an inverted triangle sign or dashed lines on the road, you must proactively slow down and yield. Third, in special road conditions, such as when you are making a left turn on a narrow road without a centerline and an oncoming vehicle takes up almost the entire lane, you must stop and wait for the other vehicle to pass. Especially when driving at night with poor visibility, do not turn hastily at unlit intersections. It is safer to flash your headlights twice to confirm the other vehicle slows down before turning.

[JeffreyLee]

As a new driver, I just figured out this rule: at a regular intersection, if you're turning left and the oncoming car is turning right, theoretically your car would block their path, so you should let them go first. However, if it's a two-way two-lane road, and the car on your right is turning right to the opposite side of the street while you're turning left into the same-direction lane, the two cars actually don't conflict and can turn simultaneously. The key is to observe the direction of the car's front—my brother taught me a simple way to remember: imagine yourself as the center point of the intersection; whichever car's front is heading west should yield to cars heading east. Remember to leave an extra half-meter safety distance when turning in the rain and brake more gently.

[Jon]

Traffic regulations vary across countries. Article 52 of China's traffic rules clearly states that turning vehicles must yield to straight-moving vehicles and pedestrians. When left-turning and right-turning vehicles intersect, the right-turning vehicle should yield to the left-turning one. However, at uncontrolled T-intersections, left-turning vehicles on the main road have priority over right-turning vehicles on the branch road. A special case is roundabouts - entering vehicles must yield to all vehicles already in the circle, regardless of turning direction. The yielding principle essentially follows risk control logic - the longer your maneuver takes and the more intersection space you occupy, the more you should yield to more agile vehicles.

[VonBella]

From an automotive engineer's perspective, right-of-way rules correlate with vehicle body structure. Left-turning vehicles have larger A-pillar blind spots, requiring drivers to turn their heads over 60 degrees to check traffic conditions, resulting in a 0.3-second longer reaction time compared to right turns. Moreover, left-turn trajectories must cross opposing lanes, taking an average of 3.5 seconds longer than right turns. Ministry of Transport data also shows that left turns cause 2.7 times more sideswipe accidents than right turns. Therefore, regulations prioritize right-turning vehicles as their operational path is shorter and safer. Of course, actual execution depends on road signs and conditions - maintaining a 3-second following distance is the safest practice.