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There’s no one right way to make a turn—or is there? According to the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Law (VTL), there is, in fact, only one right way to make a turn. Every other turn is improper. And every improper turn can get you a ticket with some serious consequences.
To steer clear of any improper turn violations, make sure to brush up on the law. This article will give you a comprehensive rundown of New York’s improper turn laws.
The 5 Types of Improper Turn Tickets in NY
The VTL lists five types of improper turn tickets: 1160(a), 1160(b), 1160(c), 1160(d), and 1160(e). In general, an improper turn is when you turn from one lane into another in the wrong way, at the wrong time, or in the wrong place. That includes everything from alleys to highways. If the surface is meant to be driven upon, you can get an improper turn ticket for turning on it.
Each of these five paragraphs of Section 1160 covers a different kind of turn with different requirements. However, they do have a few things in common. For example, they all carry the exception that you cannot get a ticket when one or more of the following conditions have been met:
- A police officer orders you to make the turn.
- There is an obstruction in the way, such as a fallen tree. Stop-and-go traffic is not an obstruction in the eyes of the law.
- There are signs that explicitly state that you can make the turn.
If none of the above conditions have been met, stick with the laws as described below.
1160(a): Improper Right Turn
An improper right turn is one that cuts across traffic, is made from a lane other than the right-most lane, or doesn’t stay as close to the curb or shoulder as possible.
1160(b): Improper Left Turn (Two-way Street)
This section of the law defines an improper left turn as one that is not made from the left-most lane closest to the median or center line of the street. Under normal circumstances, you should never cross into oncoming traffic lanes when making your turn.
1160(c): Improper Left Turn (One-way Street)
This kind of left turn is similar to the left turn made on two-way streets. The main difference is that there is no oncoming traffic. Instead of sticking to the center lane, you should stay in the left-most lane.
1160(d): Failed to Turn as Required
If there are signs, markings, buttons, or other signals that command you to make a turn and you don’t, you can get a ticket in violation of Section 1160(d). When signs require you to make a turn, so does the law. This ticket can be issued to anybody who fails to follow the rules of the road as set forth by various turn signs.
1160(e): U-turns
An improper U-turn is one made from any lane other than the lane closest to the center line or median. Like with the other kinds of turns detailed in this section, it is illegal to make a U-turn from any lane other than the left-most lane closest to the center line or median.
What Are the Penalties for an Improper Turn in NY?
The penalties for an improper turn in New York range from fines to insurance increases and cover a variety of consequences in between. Of course, the government doesn’t directly assign increased insurance premiums. Rather, the government will make a note of your conviction and investigators from your insurance company who notice can decide to increase your insurance.
Fines
The amount of the fine for an improper turn in New York varies depending on the number of prior convictions you have for this offense. If this is your first time being convicted of making an improper turn in the state, you will be fined up to $150. If this is your second time, the fine doubles to $300. A third conviction increases the fine to triple the original amount: $450.
Surcharges
Surcharges are costs that come with conviction. The price of the surcharge for an improper turn varies depending on where the violation took place. Your surcharge will be either $88 or $93.
Points
New York uses a driver license point system to keep tabs on drivers licensed in the state. That point system has a de facto cap of 11 points. After that, your license will be taken away from you either through a suspension or a revocation, depending on your record and the nature of the violation that gave you the last few points.
Each improper turn violation can add two points to your license. Get more than five points on your license and you’ll have to pay additional fees.
Fees
The biggest fee that you’ll have to worry about with an improper turn ticket is the Driver Responsibility Assessment fee. This fee applies to any driver who gets more than five points on their license within an 18-month period.
The sixth point on your license will cost you a total of $300 over three years. Each additional point adds $75 to that cost.
Insurance Increases
When it comes to improper turns, you can expect your insurance to increase by around 22.6%. The average cost of insurance in New York is $1,688. If that’s what you’re paying, your new cost of insurance will be around $2,069.49.
To get a rough idea of how much you’ll be paying for car insurance after a conviction for making an improper turn, multiply what you’re currently paying by 1.226.
Common Defenses for Improper Turn Tickets in NY
There’s no perfect way to get out of a ticket. Every violation needs to be treated as a unique case. That’s where WinIt comes in.
Through our app, you can find an expert lawyer to look over your ticket and find things that might help you beat it. Here are a couple examples:
- Poorly visible signage.
- You were turning during an emergency or to avoid a speeding car.
- There was an obstruction blocking the road.
- You were dodging or avoiding something dangerous.
Rules for Making Turns in NY
U-turns
There are a number of ways to get a ticket for U-turns, especially in New York City’s business districts. There is, however, only one way to make a proper U-turn. That is by turning from the left-most lane into the left-most lane on the other side of the road. In other words, you must stick as close to the median as possible when making your turn.
Left Turns
There are two kinds of left-hand turns: two-way street turns and one-way street turns. Each turn must be treated differently and made in a unique way.
A proper left turn is one made from the left-most lane of traffic headed in that direction. Do not under any circumstances move into oncoming traffic lanes. Instead, stay in the left-most lane on your side of the roadway and make the turn from there.
If you are in the middle lane, you are not legally allowed to turn left. As mentioned above, you are exempt from this rule when following signs and markings.
The second kind of left turn is one on a one-way street. On one-way streets, you don’t have to worry about oncoming traffic. Even so, you are required to make your left turn from the left-most lane. You are not legally allowed to turn from any lane other than the one all the way to the left.
Right Turns
A proper right turn is one that is “made as close as practicable to the right hand curb or edge of the roadway.” Turn along the curb in such a way as to drive as close to it as possible without running it over.
If there is no curb on this stretch of pavement, then you must stick as close to the shoulder of the road as possible. You are not allowed to drive off the roadway or into another lane than that into which you are turning.
NY Improper Turn Ticket Data
Did you know New York traffic enforcement wrote 307,655 tickets for improper turns in the last ten years? That brought in millions of dollars for the state in fine revenue alone. Think of the sheer magnitude of cash that must have been lost to insurance increases. Here’s the data for each year dating back to 2010:
| Year | Improper Turn Tickets Issued |
| 2011 | 19,312 |
| 2012 | 19,172 |
| 2013 | 22,833 |
| 2014 | 26,905 |
| 2015 | 32,963 |
| 2016 | 37,611 |
| 2017 | 45,022 |
| 2018 | 48,455 |
| 2019 | 40,090 |
| 2020 | 15,337 |
FAQs about Improper Turns in NYC
And there you have it! That’s just about everything you need to know about improper turns in New York—or is it? If we’ve missed something or if you’re looking to find out more information on what we’ve discussed in this article, comment below and our team of traffic ticket experts will answer you as soon as possible.
If you’ve gotten an improper turn ticket in New York and need immediate assistance, download the WinIt app and start fighting your ticket today. Why pay a fine when you could take your case to court and win it and WinIt?
Can You Turn Right on Red in New York?
You can turn right on red at steady red lights, where there are no signs saying otherwise, after stopping completely and yielding to any and all pedestrians. This is similar to laws in many other states, which allow you to turn right on red after coming to a complete stop and yielding to pedestrians and traffic with the right of way.
If you are turning from a one-way street onto another one-way street, you may also turn left at a red light in New York.
In New York City, you are never allowed to turn on a red light unless there is a sign that says that you can. This makes the city different from the rest of the state in that it is illegal to turn right on red.
Are U-turns Legal in NYC
U-turns are illegal in most of New York City, as the law classifies most of New York City as a business district. That’s because any street bordering a bank, hotel, store, or other commercial building is considered part of a business district. And that just happens to be almost the entirety of Manhattan and much of the rest of the other four boroughs.
Are Wide Left Turns Illegal?
Wide turns are illegal in New York. Actually, they’re not just illegal, they’re the whole reason for the left-turn laws in the first place. The law about turning from the far left lane into the nearest left lane was written with the intention of banning wide turns.
Wide turns can be dangerous, as changing lanes in the middle of an intersection can result in one losing control of their vehicle or merging into the blindspot of another vehicle.
Conducting a wide left turn in New York can get you a ticket for making an improper turn.
