Turn lanes for turning, not passing

Dear Mahatma: I want clarification on the center turn lane on a four-lane street. I know it’s for left turns and not intended as a travel lane. What about cars coming out of a business, wanting to turn left? Is it legal to use it as a staging lane while cars are legally passing by in the fast lane? I’ve had cars come in on my left, race by and cut in front of me. — Nyle

Dear Nyle: We have taken a drive down Memory Center Left-Turn Lane, Arkansas Code Annotated 27-51-309. It says three things.

First, a center left-turn lane is for the exclusive use of a left-turning vehicle in either direction.

Second, a center leftturn lane shall not be used for through travel, or for passing or overtaking, except as part of the leftturn maneuver. (We often see, at busy intersections with left-turn lanes, drivers zooming two or more blocks into that left-turn lane, bypassing numerous vehicles. No, people, no.)

Third, it’s permissible for a vehicle making a left-hand turn from an intersecting street or driveway to utilize a center left-turn lane to gain access or merge into a traffic lane. Except that it’s not permissible to use the center left-turn lane as an acceleration lane.

As for the center leftturn racers, everyone is good for something, even if it’s only to show others how not to be.

Dear Mahatma: Would the highway guru clarify the responsibility for traffic in the right lane of a road when traffic is attempting to enter the road? Also I see vehicles on an on-ramp whose drivers apparently aren’t aware of vehicles on the road. What does the driving manual require such vehicles to do? — Dennis

Dear Dennis: Actually, we can’t find anything in the driver’s license manual that addresses the first question. We visualize this as driving in the right lane of a multilane highway, coming up on an on-ramp and seeing traffic fixing to merge. Our own practice is to move to the left if possible. If not, don’t do anything weird, like slow down precipitously. It’s the job of the merger to safely merge.

Speaking of which, when merging try to do so at the same speed that traffic is moving. Many on-ramps are long enough to allow a vehicle to get up to speed.

Don’t drive to the end of an on-ramp and stop. This won’t allow enough room to get up to speed. And drivers behind won’t expect such a stop. Rear-end collisions may ensue.

What about exiting? Keep up with the speed of traffic until you reach the off-ramp, then tap brakes and reduce speed safely. Use turn signals.

Drivers often wonder at the yellow speed signs on off-ramps. Are they mandatory like speed-limit signs, or advisory? They are the latter. Even though those signs are advisory, a driver who goes off too fast and flies off the ramp may be ticketed. Can you say careless and prohibited driving?

Vanity plate: ZOMBGRL. Surely our Zombie Girl has read the novel World War Z, written by Max Brooks.