§ 21-601. Required position and method of turning at intersections or crossovers
(a) Right turns. — If the driver of a vehicle intends to turn right at any intersection, he shall approach the intersection and make the right turn as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.
(b) Left turns — In general. — If the driver of a vehicle intends to turn left at any intersection or crossover, he shall approach the intersection or crossover in the extreme left-hand lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the same direction.
(c) Left turns — Leaving intersection. — If the driver of a vehicle intends to turn left at any intersection or crossover, the driver shall, after entering the intersection or crossover, make the left turn so as to leave the intersection in a lane lawfully available to traffic moving in the same direction on the roadway being entered.
(d) Powers of State Highway Administration and local authorities. —
(1) The State Highway Administration or any local authority may place a traffic control device at or near any intersection in its jurisdiction and, with it, direct that vehicles turning at the intersection travel a course different from one specified in this section.
(2) At an intersection where a traffic control device is placed under this subsection, the driver of a vehicle may not turn otherwise than as directed by the device.
NOTES:
[practice notes]CASES & EXAMPLES:
“A vehicle shall be driven as nearly as practicable entirely within a single lane and shall not be moved from that lane until the driver has first ascertained that the movement can be made with safety.” Kemp v. Armstrong, 40 Md. App. 542, 546 (1978).
Similar Law in Other Jurisdictions
- Montana: 61-8-333. Required position and method of turning at intersections
- Virginia: Virginia Code 46.2-846: Required position and method of turning at intersections; local regulations
FAQs
How Many Points Do You Get in Maryland for a § 21-601 Ticket?
You get a $90 fine and one point on your Maryland license for a violation of § 21-601 subsections (a) or (b). That fine increases to $130 and three points if the violation resulted in a car accident.
The points are the same but the fines are less for a violation of § 21-601 subsections (c) or (d). That fine is $70. The fine increases to $110 if there is an accompanying motor vehicle accident.
How Do Car Accident Lawyers Use § 21-601 at Trial?
Maryland auto accident attorneys will often seek a jury instruction that it is negligence to violate § 21-601. If accepted by the court, the jury is read the relevant language of the statute and told that defendant is liable if the jury finds that the defendant violated this law.