Q: Im trying to find out what the law says about how far you are able to drive down the center lane before your turn
a guy was driving down the center lane and i hit him trying to cross over traffic but when i asked him where he was going he stated that his turn was up the street a ways he had another block and a half to go before he got to his turn. he entered the center lane blocks ahead of his destination so i am trying to figure out how far you are legally able to drive down the center lane before you get to your turn
A:
I am not sure any answer would help you but then again maybe I don't completely understand the question. You are never justified hitting another car, you are always supposed to check both ways and not move into an lane until you are sure you can do it safely without a collision. So even if the other driver wasn't supposed to be driving in the center lane, you may still be partially at fault.
Now I would have to check this but I am pretty sure the Oregon law says that the extra center lane is for starting and ending turns and is not for driving. Really what you need to do is turn it over to your insurance company and let them figure it out. If they think they can peg the other driver with being completely or partially at fault, they will.
A:
Attorney Reisman is correct, that you need to focus more on why you didn't have to yield the right of way to him.
While he was wrong in being in the center lane, if he had been there when you looked ahead before turning you should have seen him. As the turning vehicle you generally have the duty to yield to any oncoming traffic--whether or not they should have been oncoming in that lane. A lot depends also on who ran into whom--did he hit you on the passenger side? If you T boned him that suggests he had position.
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