Which Lane Do I Turn Into?
I ask every student this, and almost nobody gets it fully right: when you make a turn, which lane are you supposed to end up in? Everybody thinks they know — then you get out on the road and watch people turn into whatever lane they please. Let me clear it up, because part of this is the law, part is just plain smart, and there's one part that surprised even me.
The simple version
Turn into the closest lane available. Turning right, take the right-most lane. Turning left, take the left-most lane. Stop if you need to, check your right-of-way, and slide into the lane closest to the curb — or, on a two-way road, the lane just right of the yellow center line. Simple. But the details matter, so let's break them down.
Right turns: hug the curb (this one's the law)
Right turns are the strict one. Minnesota law actually requires you to approach and complete a right turn as close as practicable to the right-hand curb. So hug the curb and turn into that nearest lane — that's not just good manners, it's the law (Minn. Stat. 169.19).
Left turns: best practice vs. what surprised me
On a left turn, best practice — and what every driving instructor will require of you — is to turn into the nearest lane, the one just right of the center line.
But here's the part that surprised me: on a normal two-way road, Minnesota law doesn't actually force you into that nearest lane. The statute only says you must leave the intersection to the right of the center line — it's silent about which lane you land in.
We know this because of a real case. In Birkland v. Commissioner of Public Safety (Minnesota Court of Appeals, 2020), a driver was pulled over for turning left into the far lane — the stop snowballed into a DWI and a license revocation. He fought it, and the court threw the whole thing out, ruling the law "does not mandate that a driver turning left... must turn into the innermost lane." In plain English: on a two-way left, turning into the far lane isn't illegal in Minnesota. (Not best practice — but not illegal.)
One-way streets (two things to know)
Turning from a one-way onto a one-way? Hug the left curb — that one is required by law.
And yes — you can make a left turn on a red light when you're going from a one-way street onto another one-way street, after a full stop, unless a sign says otherwise. True.
Turning on red
Right on red is legal after a complete stop, as long as there's no "No Turn on Red" sign and you yield to pedestrians and traffic first.
Double turn lanes
Where there are dual turn lanes, follow the painted arrows and stay in your lane through the turn — end up in the lane that matches the one you started in, and don't drift.
The "combo pack" (the fun part)
Say you turn right and need to make a quick left right after. The correct way: turn into the nearest (curb) lane first, then signal and make a proper lane change to the left when it's safe — a full LSMOG (Look, Signal, Mirror, Over-the-shoulder, Go).
What you'll actually see out there is the "combo pack": drivers cutting diagonally across two or three lanes in one swoop to set up their left. I've watched a five-lane turn-lane-change. It gets competitive — you know you need to get left, the driver behind is already on your bumper trying to slide by, and a safe lane change turns into a scramble.
Here's the thing: thanks to that Birkland case, combining a turn with a lane change isn't flat-out illegal in Minnesota — a lane change just has to be done safely. But "not illegal" and "safe" are two different things. Every driving instructor on the planet is going to make you turn and THEN change lanes, with a full LSMOG — not the combo pack.
So now you know
Part law, part best practice, and a whole lot of drivers out there freelancing. Do it the right way — turn into the nearest lane, change lanes deliberately, and no matter what everyone else is doing: look, look, and look again.
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Written by Chris Scanlon, Program Director & Owner of South Metro Driving School
SouthMetroDrivingSchool.com — Info@SouthMetroDS.com — 612-552-1929
South Metro Driving School is a Minnesota State-Certified Driving School serving the south Twin Cities Metro — with core markets in Apple Valley, Rosemount, and Eagan, and growing service in Farmington, Lakeville, and Hastings.
This article reflects Chris's personal experience running a licensed Minnesota driving school and independent research from official Minnesota state and city sources, current as of September 2026. It's meant as a helpful starting point, not legal advice — rules change and cities differ, so always confirm the current requirements with Minnesota DVS (dps.mn.gov) before you ride or drive.
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