Yes, U-turns are allowed at the new Northway Exit 3

I use the new I-87 Exit 3 ramp on my morning commute and was wondering if U-turns were illegal for cars at the new light. I noticed that when a person driving from the airport enters the right turn lane to enter the ramp going south on the Northway has a green arrow and those turning right or left onto Route 155 have a green light, if someone is making a U-turn from the off-ramp to the on-ramp, there is a potential for a collision. I’ve noticed quite a few times cars making U-turns while waiting at the light on the off-ramp but don’t see any signs that indicate them to be illegal. Can you find out if they are?

—Brendan Kennedy

Niskayuna

U-turns are allowed at Exit 3, as long as drivers follow all New York state traffic laws and yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians at the intersection, according to Bryan Viggiani, public information officer for the state Department of Transportation.

The state Vehicle and Traffic Law requires drivers to make U-turns from and to the lane nearest the center line on highways. When more than one lane of a highway has been designated for left turns, U-turns should be made only from the left turn lane nearest the center line.

The law also prohibits all U-turns on hills or curves where “where such motor vehicle cannot be seen by the driver of any other motor vehicle approaching from either direction within five hundred feet,” or in school zones. Columbia Turnpike: Watch for an around-the-clock single rightlane closure starting Monday, March 22, on the Columbia Turnpike (U.S. Routes 9 and 20 westbound) between Greenwood Drive and Elmwood Drive in East Greenbush. The closure is scheduled to last about a month as sidewalk work is completed Dangerous Drivers: Men are more likely to be involved in a car accident, an analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by Zutobi found.

Men were involved in 54.1 percent of total accidents (8,806,635), while women were in 45.9 percent (7,475,595). When it came to age, 25- to 34year-olds were more likely to be involved in a crash, accounting for 20.5 percent of the total. In second place was the 35- to 44year-old bracket, with 15.3 percent. Drivers ages 16 to 20 were in 11.8 percent of total accidents, or about 1.9 million each year. Drivers ages 21 to 24 were in 9.7 percent of accidents.

Wyoming had the most fatal crashes per 100,000 people, with 55. New Mexico had the secondmost with 48.

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