GA Supreme Court Invalidates Traffic Law Because No One Has the First Clue What it Means

How about a moron challenge? Here's the law:

“The left turn shall be made to the left of the center of the intersection and so as to leave the intersection or other location in the extreme left-hand lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the same direction as such vehicle on the roadway being entered.”

So what does that mean and is it clear enough that a driver who violates it can lawfully be ticketed? No peeking, no Googling (honor code, people!) and I'll post the answer a little later.

Later: Answer is below the fold.

It's a simple left turn onto a multi-lane roadway. The idea is that when you turn left, you're supposed to end up in the left-most lane of traffic going in the same direction you are. As one of the commenters correctly stated, you're not supposed to cut across the other lanes to end up in the right lane.

The ambiguity, according to the Georgia Supreme Court (PDF), is in the words "leave" and "lawfully available traffic moving in the same direction".

For you guys asking about grammar and construction, check out the opinion. The Court does a pretty swell job of parsing the statute.

posted by Gabriel Malor at 10:44 AM

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