Is It Illegal To Change Lanes In An Intersection In Florida?

In our research, we didn’t find any statutes that specifically forbid drivers from changing lanes in an intersection in Florida.

But this doesn’t mean that you won’t get a ticket if you change lanes in an intersection in that state.

In the article that follows, we’ll explain.

Is It Illegal To Change Lanes In An Intersection In Florida? (EXPLAINED)

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Where Are The Laws That I Can Look To In Order To Confirm Whether Lane Changes In An Intersection In This State Are Legal/Illegal?

So we saw a few articles on the internet which indicate that it is not illegal to change lanes in an intersection in the state of Florida.

But when we looked at the Florida Statutes, we didn’t find that prohibition. Instead, we found these:

316.121 Vehicles approaching or entering intersections.—(1) The driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection shall yield the right-of-way to a vehicle which has entered the intersection from a different highway.(2) When two vehicles enter an intersection from different highways at the same time the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.(3) The driver of a vehicle about to enter or cross a state-maintained road or highway from a paved or unpaved road and not subject to control by an official traffic control device shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching on the state-maintained road or highway.(4) The driver of a vehicle about to enter or cross a paved county-maintained or city-maintained road or highway from an unpaved road or highway and not subject to control by an official traffic control device shall yield the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching on said paved road or highway.
Chapter 316

and…

316.085 Limitations on overtaking, passing, changing lanes and changing course.—(2) No vehicle shall be driven from a direct course in any lane on any highway until the driver has determined that the vehicle is not being approached or passed by any other vehicle in the lane or on the side to which the driver desires to move and that the move can be completely made with safety and without interfering with the safe operation of any vehicle approaching from the same direction.
Chapter 316

We didn’t find anything in either statute which specifically makes it illegal to make the lane change.

Instead, it focuses on whether the driver has the right-of-way or whether the lane change is safe.

We did find a Florida driving guide which tells drivers not to change lanes in the intersection, but without a citation to the specific statute.

So far we haven’t seen a specific statute that says that the simple act of changing lanes in an intersection is a traffic infraction (without something more).

But We Saw A Website That Says Don’t Change Lanes In Florida?

Well, I agree!

Changing lanes in intersections can be really dangerous, and so is changing lanes as you approach the intersection, especially at highway speeds.

People don’t always have the reaction time to respond to your last minute lane change, and this is especially the case if they don’t look again at oncoming traffic before they pull out in front of you.

Intersections are not the place to make major changes in your direction of travel, unless you proceed carefully, after having checked and double checked that it is safe for you to do so.

I Really Want To Know 100% Whether Its Illegal To Change Lanes In Intersections In Florida

The best recommendation we have for you then is for you to contact an experienced traffic ticket defense attorney in Florida, or a criminal defense attorney.

Either of these types of attorneys can point you at the their legal conclusion about the application of the Florida traffic code.

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