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OREM — More than half of drivers make illegal left-hand turns, according to a new study cited by Orem police.
The study found 57 percent of 256 drivers observed at the intersection of 800 North and 800 West on Jan. 14 and Jan. 28 failed to stick to their designated lane, veering wide into lanes where they weren’t supposed to go under Utah law.
While Orem Police Lt. Craig Martinez found the numbers to be revealing, the authors of the study proved to be even more surprising.
Madi Yablonovsky, 9, and Aubrey Yablonovsky, 11, are grade-schoolers who attend Bonneville Elementary School.
“Most people don’t know the law,” Madi Yablonovsky said.
“We found out that more cars turn into the wrong lane than the right lane,” Aubrey Yablonovsky added.
The study received 1st Place earlier in the year at the 6th Grade Science Fair at Bonneville Elementary.
The sisters said their dad’s ticket for an improper turn prompted them to do the study.
“We wanted to find out if more people besides our dad were breaking the law,” Madi Yablonovsky said.
The 9-year-old said her dad, who was raised in California, did not understand his turn was illegal under the law. The sisters noted the turn was legal in California, and laws varied between states.
Martinez said he also believed many people do not know what is correct under Utah law.
Utah law regarding left-hand turns states that "Whenever practicable, shall be made by turning onto the roadway being entered in the extreme left-hand lane for traffic moving in the new direction, unless otherwise directed by a traffic-control device."
In other words, drivers must stay in the lane they started the turn in unless the circumstances prohibit it. Whereas in California, a car may turn into either lane of the cross street.
The Yablonovsky sisters said their dad jokingly suggested they put out a tip jar during their study to help him pay for his $300 ticket.
Instead, they found a "tip" for other drivers.
“They should be turning into the (correct) lanes,” Aubrey Yablonovsky said.
The girls presented the award-winning study to Martinez and Orem Police Department in late March.
Martinez praised the students for their findings.
“Kudos to them, because that’s a science project nobody’s probably ever done,” Martinez said.
