Who is at fault? Person turning left or person changing out of left turn lane to go straight?

I entered a left turn lane as I approached an intersection but then I changed my mind and decided I wanted to go straight through the intersection. So about 20 feet from the intersection I turned on my right blinker and safely moved into the lane on my right (crossing a solid white line) to go straight through the intersection. At the intersection a woman suddenly turned left in front of me and I hit the side (near the rear) of her car. She told the policeman that she did not yield to me because I had been in the left turn lane with my left turn blinker on. That's true, but then I turned on my right blinker and got back over. I guess the policeman did not believe my version because he did not give her a ticket. Who is at fault?
Additional Details
Note: This happened in Utah. I could not find any UT rules against crossing over a solid white line, but many state codes "discourage" it (not forbidden).

Also, I changed lanes about 20 feet before the intersection, not while in the intersection. Her best excuse is that she thought I was turning left because I was originally in the left turn only lane. I guess I can see her point of view, but I still think she should have been able to notice me changing back over to go straight.

Rhymes with Orange

She is at fault. If she is turning left, and you are proceeding straight, you have the right of way. If you completed your lane change (it's immaterial if you changed out of the middle lane into the left lane, or out of the left-turn lane into the left lane), you have the right of way. It doesn't matter if your signal is on. The person turning left has to presume you are going to proceed straight if you are in a main lane. If I pull out in front of someone who has their signal on, and they hit me, it is MY fault. A signal is meaningless. It signals INTENT, not action. You could have been signalling your intent to turn 500 ft beyond the intersection. You could have left your signal on for 3 miles down the road. Your indicator will have little bearing on making you at fault.

I believe that if you were to take this to court she would have a very hard time convincing a judge that SHE (turning left) had the right of way over you (going straight). All you have to do is prove you were in the "through" lane once you entered the intersection. If you can prove that, then you can prove you had the right of way and were completely not at fault.

matt k

Yours you changed lanes crossing a solid white

Magley64...AM

she crossed in front of you, as long as you were in the lane, before you entered the intersection, she is at fault...

The White Rose

I would call this double negligence, no-fault.

scottclear

Part of it depends on what kind of lane she was in. If she was in a left-turn or straight ahead lane (either left or straight ahead OK), then you are probably at fault since you were probably in a left-turn only lane.

Also, when you changed your mind, did you give proper advance warning, or did you change your turn signal and your direction at virtually the same time? The other driver has a right to rely on your intentions until that other driver has knowledge that you intended something different.

If you were in a left-turn only lane (as you seem to say) then the traffic directions did not allow you to go straight.

Sorry, but you probably should have continued to turn left and then turn around safely.

** Note: This is a general discussion of the subject matter of your question and not legal advice. Local laws or your particular situation may change the general rules. For a specific answer to your question you should consult legal counsel with whom you can discuss all the facts of your case. **

Michelle M

Well, you should not have crossed over that solid white line. You should have just made the left turn and circled the block. Yes, it's an inconvenience for you, but it's much safer.

However, she really should have checked her blind spot while making her left turn, since you were already going straight by that point.

Here's a lesson I've learned... NEVER trust anyone's turn signal. Some idiots turn on their signal (or forget to turn it off) and then don't turn where you expect them to. Some idiots don't use their signal and then turn anyway. It's best to actually SEE whether the car is turning or not rather than assume they will/won't turn based on their blinker.

Pinol F

You didn't give a state, but in California you for Illegal lane change/movement are at fault...
CA V.C. Sec. 21451(b) Green arrow, shall enter intersection only to make movement indicated.

Just because you changed your mind and "Thought" it was safe doesn't make it so...

Stay in your lane in an intersection!!!

Betty

I would say you are because once you are in the turning lane and there is a white solid line, I would assume that you would turn. I would not expect you to return to the lane that goes straight through.

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