O.C.G.A. § 40-6-120 is the Georgia statute that tells drivers how to position their vehicle and complete the turn at an intersection. It covers three situations: right turns, left turns, and turns at intersections with more than one dedicated turn lane. Violating it is a misdemeanor that adds three points to your license, carries a fine of up to $1,000, and often raises your auto insurance for years. The statute itself is short. The parts that catch drivers off guard are the lane rules at busy intersections.
Right Turns
The right-turn rule is the simplest piece of the statute. Both your approach and the turn must be made as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.1Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-120 – Methods of Turning at Intersections You hug the right side before the intersection and stay tight to it through the turn. Swinging wide into a center or left lane on the way out is a violation even if the road is empty.
The word “practicable” gives you some flexibility. A parked car, road debris, or a cyclist can push you further left than usual without putting you in violation. But the default is that a right-turning vehicle occupies the rightmost available space from start to finish. When a dedicated right-turn lane exists, use it.
Left Turns
Most of the statute is about left turns, and it comes with its own built-in glossary. Subsection (2)(A) defines the “extreme left-hand lane” as the lane furthest to the left that is lawfully open to traffic moving in your direction.1Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-120 – Methods of Turning at Intersections When there are multiple lanes, they are numbered outward from the left.
Under subsection (2)(B), you approach a left turn in the extreme left-hand lane available to your direction of travel. When practicable, you pass to the left of the center of the intersection and exit in the extreme left-hand lane of the road you are entering.1Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-120 – Methods of Turning at Intersections Get into the leftmost lane before the intersection, pass to the left of its center, and land in the leftmost lane on the new road. Drifting into a right-hand lane as you complete the turn is a violation.
Intersections With Two or Three Left-Turn Lanes
This is where the statute matters most in daily driving. Subsection (2)(C) requires you to exit the intersection in the same relative lane you entered it.1Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-120 – Methods of Turning at Intersections Enter in the second lane from the left, exit in the second lane from the left on the new road. You cannot change lanes once you have entered the intersection.
At a dual left-turn, the car in the inner lane and the car in the outer lane are turning together. If either drifts into the other’s path mid-turn, the result is a sideswipe and a clear statutory violation for the driver who crossed over. Pick your lane before you reach the intersection and hold it through the entire turn.
Signals Before the Turn
Lane discipline only works if other drivers can see what you plan to do. O.C.G.A. § 40-6-123 requires a continuous turn signal for enough time to alert drivers behind you and those approaching from the opposite direction.2Justia. Georgia Code 40-6-123 – Turning Movements and Signals Georgia does not set a specific distance the way some states do. The standard is time sufficient to alert, which in ordinary conditions means activating your signal at least a few seconds before you begin braking.
When Signs and Pavement Markings Override the Statute
Painted arrows, guide signs, and lane-use markings can override the default rules in § 40-6-120. Under O.C.G.A. § 40-6-20, every driver must obey official traffic-control devices, and disobeying one is itself a misdemeanor.3FindLaw. Georgia Code 40-6-20 – Obedience to Traffic-Control Devices If a pavement arrow or sign directs you to turn from a lane that would not be the turning lane under the statute, follow the device. A common example is a sign permitting right turns from both the right lane and the lane next to it.
Penalties for an Improper Turn
An improper turn is a misdemeanor traffic offense. The Department of Driver Services adds three points to your record on conviction.4Georgia Department of Driver Services. Points Schedule Under Georgia’s general misdemeanor sentencing rule, a judge can impose a fine of up to $1,000, jail time of up to 12 months, or both.5Justia. Georgia Code 17-10-3 – Punishment for Misdemeanors Generally Jail for a simple improper turn is very rare. The real consequences for most drivers are the fine, court costs, and the points.
Three points on their own will not put your license at risk, but Georgia suspends a driver’s license when 15 points accumulate within any 24-month period.4Georgia Department of Driver Services. Points Schedule If you already have points from other tickets, a single improper turn can move you noticeably closer to that threshold.
The bigger financial hit usually shows up on your auto policy. Data current as of early 2026 indicates that an illegal turn conviction raises auto insurance premiums by roughly 24 percent on average nationwide, about $535 per year, and that increase typically stays on your policy for three to five years. Over that period, a single ticket often costs more in insurance than the court fine.
How an Improper Turn Affects Fault in a Crash
If the turn led to a collision, the citation becomes evidence in the civil case. Georgia courts treat a statutory violation as strong evidence of negligence, and a § 40-6-120 citation makes it difficult for the turning driver to argue they were not at fault. Georgia also follows a modified comparative negligence rule: a driver found 50 percent or more at fault recovers nothing. A citation at the scene can shift that percentage against you before the case ever reaches a courtroom.
Even when the other driver shares blame, a documented statutory violation gives insurers and opposing attorneys a concrete hook to hang liability on. Contesting the ticket, or at least preserving evidence that the turn was executed as safely as conditions allowed, matters much more when an injury claim is riding on the same facts.