Opinion ID: 1122576
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Right-of-Way Instruction

Text: The trial court refused Randle's request to instruct the jury that a driver turning left must yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction that is so close it poses an immediate hazard. Randle based his proposed instruction on Utah Code Ann. § 41-6-73, which states, The operator of a vehicle intending to turn to the left shall yield the right-of-way to any vehicle approaching from the opposite direction which is so close to the turning vehicle as to constitute an immediate hazard. That statute was intended to apply only to typical intersections where a person making a left-hand turn is required to yield to oncoming traffic. Here, the intersection had a stop sign that required southbound traffic to stop and yield to northbound traffic turning obliquely across it to enter the on-ramp to I-215. Northbound traffic was not required by a stop sign to yield the right-of-way to southbound traffic. The trial court properly refused to give Randle's proposed instruction.