Is turning from this lane actually illegal in Washington State?

There's no question about it: driving is stressful. And it should be. With people driving expensive vehicles that have the potential to be deadly, there's a lot on the line behind the wheel. That's why we have so many "rules of the road".

But those road rules, themselves, can be confusing and stressful. Sometimes, even instructors don't get them right - as we'll see in today's story.

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What is a center lane used for?

When you're driving city streets, quite often you'll notice they have a center lane. This lane is marked with yellow lines. Two solid yellow lines means that the lane cannot be entered from that side. A solid yellow line, with a dashed inner line, means that the lane can be used for left turns. When those lines are the same on both side, as shown below, it is called a two-way left turn lane.

Is it illegal to use the center lane to merge?

This question appeared today on the SeattleWA Reddit:

Was this new driver wrong?

Washington State law regarding two way left turn lanes

According to Washington law, RCW 46.61.290 states that "A two-way left turn lane is near the center of the roadway set aside for use by vehicles making left turns in either direction from or into the roadway."

This means that if you're driving down Clearwater in Kennewick, you can use this lane to turn onto a side street or to enter a parking lot. That's "from" the roadway.

However, "into" the roadway means that traffic from those side streets and parking lots can turn into that center lane as well, in order to enter the main traffic on Clearwater, instead of turning into the left most traffic lane.

So the answer here is that no, it is not illegal to turn into that lane. The new driver was correct in using it.

• Check out these 5 other confusing driving laws in Washington.

Why is merging allowed from two-way left turn lanes?

Believe it or not, in some states, it is actually illegal to use the center turn lanes to merge into traffic. So why do we allow it in Washington State?

The United States Federal Highway Administration did safety studies and found that these lanes significantly reduce the rate of collisions on busy streets in all directions. In regards to merging, it notes, "This strategy may reduce turning-related crashes because vehicles are removed from the primary travel lane while drivers wait for an acceptable gap to turn."

Two-way left turn lanes are not suicide lanes

While the reddit thread goes on to nickname these "suicide lanes," this is technically incorrect. "Suicide lanes" refer to two-way passing lanes, usually on open highways, where either direction of traffic may use the lane for passing slow traffic in their lane.

However, two-way left turn lanes are not passing lanes. In Washington, these lanes can only be travelled for 300 feet maximum, and are only for turning in and out of the roadway.

Personally, I'm thankful for these lanes. I live off a busy roadway where quite often, making a left turn would mean waiting five minutes for traffic to clear. While it can be nerve-wracking to see someone turn into this lane, or frustrating to find someone 'in your way', I'd take that over the deadly alternative.

Now that you're better prepared for the road, check out these amazing local road trip ideas.