Turns, lanes, passing and parking
You are using a two-way center left turn lane to prepare for a left turn. What is the maximum distance you may drive in that lane?
- 200 feet. Correct answer
- 500 feet.
- As far as you need to, as long as your turn signal is on.
Why
The center left turn lane, marked on each side by a solid outer line and a broken inner line, is a staging area for left turns and U-turns. It is not a travel lane and not a passing lane, and the handbook caps how far you may drive in it at 200 feet. That number keeps coming back in California rules: you may also drive in a bike lane no more than 200 feet before a right turn, and you should enter the center left turn lane within 200 feet of your turn. Five hundred feet belongs to a different rule, the distance at which you must dim your high beams for oncoming traffic. Before turning from the lane, look for vehicles coming toward you inside it, signal, check your blind spot, and merge completely into the lane so you do not block through traffic.
Where this comes from
California Driver's Handbook, DL 600 ENGLISH (REV. 6/2025). The correct answer is 200 feet..
- Section 6. Navigating the Roads › Types of Lanes › Center Left Turn Lanes , page 16
- Section 6. Navigating the Roads › Turns › Right Turns , page 18
- Section 6. Navigating the Roads › Turns › Left Turns , page 19
- Section 5. An Introduction to Driving › Signals, Horns, And Headlights › Using Your Headlights , page 11
- Section 6. Navigating the Roads › Types of Lanes › Center Left Turn Lanes , page 16