Left Turn, Double Yellow Lines California - 21460 (A)

[gulf200]

My question involves a traffic ticket from the state of: California

I am from out of state and was driving in Oxnard, CA. I made a left turn across one set of double yellow lines from one street onto another street and was ticketed with 21460 (a) Double Yellow.

I explained to the officer that I had never heard of not being able to make a left turn across double yellow lines and he said that is the law in every state. He issued me a $235 ticket.

When researching the rules in California, it appears to me that the turn I made was legal (along with other states).

21460. (a) When double parallel solid lines are in place, no person driving a vehicle shall drive to the left thereof, except as permitted in this section.

(b) When the double parallel lines, one of which is broken, are in place, no person driving a vehicle shall drive to the left thereof, except as follows:

(1) That the driver on that side of the roadway in which the broken line is in place may cross over the double line or drive to the left thereof when overtaking or passing other vehicles.

(2) As provided in Section 21460.5.

(c) Either of the markings as specified in subdivision (a) or (b) does not prohibit a driver from crossing the marking when (1) turning to the left at any intersection or into or out of a driveway or private road, or (2) making a U-turn under the rules governing that turn, and either of the markings shall be disregarded when authorized signs have been erected designating offcenter traffic lanes as permitted under Section 21657.

And from the DMV's Handbook:

Two solid yellow lines indicate no passing. Never drive to the left of these lines unless you are:
• Turning left at an intersection.
• Turning into or out of a privateroad or driveway.
• In a carpool lane that has a designated entrance on the left.

Intersections -
An intersection is any place where one line of roadway meets another roadway. Intersections include cross streets, side streets, alleys, freeway entrances, and any other location where vehicles traveling on different highways or roads join each other.

The officer said you can't turn left over a double yellow line and that it was very dangerous for me to do so. There was no oncoming traffic and I would have made the turn even if there was a police car by me.

I plan on fighting the ticket with a trial by written declaration. I know that the law takes precedence over the DMV handbook, but am I correct on how I read the law?

Here are Google pictures of the intersection. As you can see from the white lines on the intersecting road, they do not want turns onto this road. I could not see the lines until I was almost driving over them. But I wasn't ticketed for that, it was for the double yellow lines. There weren't any "no left turn" signs either, which I find funny because Google Street View, coming from the other direction, has a van waiting to turn left.

[bruinPE]

Your second image shows that you broke the law at least once.

Either you:
(1) Crossed the double yellow centerline legally, but drove on the wrong side of the road in order to complete the left (avoiding the painted island)
(2) Crossed the double yellow centerline legally, but completed your left illegally through the painted island (crossing double white line = illegal)
(3) Crossed the double double yellow centerline illegally, and completed your left

From the aerial, it looks pretty much impossible to legally complete that left-turn.

[That Guy]

Your second image shows that you broke the law at least once.

Either you:
(1) Crossed the double yellow centerline legally, but drove on the wrong side of the road in order to complete the left (avoiding the painted island)
(2) Crossed the double yellow centerline legally, but completed your left illegally through the painted island (crossing double white line = illegal)
(3) Crossed the double double yellow centerline illegally, and completed your left

From the aerial, it looks pretty much impossible to legally complete that left-turn.

Agreed... There is a reason why that triangular island was painted the way it is, and that is to restrict entry into that loop to vehicles coming from the opposite direction you were coming from. Otherwise, it would have had a flat bottom that is flat and parallel to the horizontal to axis of the picture.