Left Turns, Right Turns, and Liability in Ontario Car Accidents: What Drivers Need to Know

left turn right turn accidents in ontario

Most drivers believe they understand the rules of the road. Left turns yield. Right turns are simple. Go straight when you have the light. In reality, many serious car accidents in Ontario happen because drivers misunderstand how liability actually works at intersections.

Since 2005, Auger Hollingsworth Accident & Injury Lawyers has represented people injured in some of the most severe intersection collisions across Ontario. As Brenda Hollingsworth explained on Ask the Expert, fault is rarely as straightforward as people expect—especially when left turns, right turns, speed, and vulnerable road users are involved.

Understanding these rules can protect lives. It can also protect your legal rights if an accident happens.

Left Turn Accidents: Having the Right of Way Does Not Mean Zero Fault

In most cases, the vehicle travelling straight through an intersection has the right of way over a vehicle making a left turn. That principle is well known. What surprises many drivers is that having the right of way does not guarantee you will be found fault-free.

Ontario applies a system of contributory negligence, meaning fault can be shared.

How Drivers Going Straight Can Still Be Partly Liable

From our experience handling left-turn collision cases, the most common factor leading to shared fault is speed.

Driving slightly over the limit (1–5 km/h) may not matter
Driving 10 km/h or more over the limit often does

In serious collisions, speed is rarely speculative. Modern vehicles store data through what is commonly called the airbag control module—essentially a black box. This data can show:

Vehicle speed
Braking patterns
Acceleration prior to impact

In addition, many major intersections now have traffic cameras. While not perfect, engineers can often determine whether speed was excessive. If you were travelling too fast, even with the right of way, your compensation may be reduced.

ALSO READ: Understanding Ontario’s No-Fault Insurance

Yellow Lights and “Beating the Red” Increase Legal Risk

Another common issue in left-turn accidents is how drivers respond to yellow lights.

If you accelerate to beat the light while a left-turning vehicle is already positioned in the intersection, fault may be shared. The turning driver is watching the signal as well, and timing matters.

From a legal perspective, questions often include:

Where was each vehicle when the light turned yellow?
Did the straight-through vehicle accelerate?
Was the left-turning vehicle already committed to the turn?

These factors are central in serious injury cases, particularly when collisions occur late in the signal cycle.

Proper Left-Turn Positioning Matters

Brenda also highlighted a safety point that has real legal consequences. When waiting to turn left:

Pull forward into the intersection
Keep your wheels straight
Do not angle your tires left

If your wheels are turned and you are struck from behind, your vehicle can be pushed directly into oncoming traffic. We regularly see catastrophic injuries from exactly this scenario.

Right Turn Accidents: Why Pedestrians and Cyclists Are Most at Risk

Right-turn collisions are some of the most devastating cases we handle. They disproportionately involve pedestrians and cyclists, who have little protection and limited ability to avoid impact.

The most common right-turn mistake is simple but deadly: drivers look for cars, not people.

The Critical Rule for Right Turns

Your final check must always be the crosswalk. Many drivers focus on traffic coming from the left and fail to re-check:

Pedestrians lawfully crossing
Cyclists travelling straight through the intersection
Vulnerable road users who entered the crosswalk moments earlier

In our experience, right-turn collisions often happen because the driver’s attention is divided or rushed.

Liability in Right Turn Accidents Is Rarely Shared

When a pedestrian is struck in a crosswalk, contributory negligence is extremely unlikely. The driver typically bears the overwhelming majority of responsibility.

Cyclist cases can be more nuanced, particularly if a cyclist was riding improperly on a sidewalk. Even then, any contributory negligence is usually minimal. Drivers still carry the lion’s share of fault.

These accidents are often severe. The injuries are life-altering. From a legal standpoint, liability is usually clear.

Distracted Driving Makes Everything Worse

Across left-turn and right-turn accidents, one factor consistently increases risk and liability: distracted driving.

Texting, checking notifications, or glancing away at intersections significantly raises the likelihood of serious injury and fault findings. Intersections are where decisions matter most. A moment of inattention can have permanent consequences.

As Brenda put it simply:
Don’t text and drive. Especially not in an intersection.