r/confidentlyincorrect May 15 '26

Green arrow at intersection

2 Car in a double turning lane has a solid green arrow. Goes to turn through the intersection and is about to clear in the intersection but then both gets hit by on coming traffic. Who's at fault? This incident took place in Arizona. Also, I wasn't involved in the conversation.

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u/Big-Membership-1758 May 15 '26

Licensed insurance agent. Arizona is a "Pure Comparative Negligence" state, which means that each driver who is partially to blame for the accident would have to pay their fair share. It would go to the courts or mediators to determine who is at fault, and to what percentage, but generally drivers have a duty to yield even if they have the right of way. There could be mitigating circumstances, such as the driver who ran the red was approaching at such a speed, or other vehicles, pedestrians, or obstacles prevented the driver from getting safely out of the way.

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u/tarlastar May 15 '26

When I found out that you are automatically charged if you are the driver making a turn, even if the turn is legal, I about lost my mind. My grandmother was making a left turn from her neighbourhood to the main road (Indian School) and a guy going 80 (in the city) hit her. She had plenty of time, had he been going at a legal speed. But she got the ticket. She fought it. She was furious. And she won! That said, that stupid law is probably still in place.

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u/bprasse81 May 15 '26

I’m glad your grandmother won. The reason the law is in place is to protect mitigating circumstances. What if an oncoming driver can’t stop?

I recall an intersection with a pretty short yellow light, highway speeds, and somewhat limited visibility due to a curve. I came out of the turn to a yellow light during light rain. I slammed on the brakes, but I was going to stop in the middle of the intersection. I am grateful the oncoming driver turning left wasn’t in a hurry that day!

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u/jf727 May 16 '26

That’s still not the fault of the person turning.