AB 409

Under current law, an operator of a vehicle may not make a turn to proceed in

the opposite direction (U-turn) in certain circumstances, including at intersections

where traffic is controlled by a traffic control signal or by a traffic officer and in any

place where there are signs prohibiting U-turns erected by the authority that

maintains the highway.

This bill removes the general limitation on U-turns at intersections controlled

by traffic control signals. This bill also prohibits making U-turns on a curve or near

the crest of a grade on an undivided highway where visibility is limited, and making

U-turns when unsafe or when the U-turn would interfere with traffic.

In

Kaufman v. Postle

, 2001 WI App 86, 26 N.W. 2d 10, the Wisconsin Court of

Appeals determined that the statutes prohibited a motorist from passing a

left-turning vehicle on the right by use of a paved shoulder. This bill reverses that

decision by specifically allowing a motorist to pass a left-turning vehicle on the right

by use of either the roadway or a paved shoulder.