Permis PrêtLeft turns at an intersection: who has the right of way in Quebec?
Right of way on a green light, where to position your car for each type of street, and why you never turn left on red in Quebec.
Short answer: on a green light you may turn left, but you must yield to oncoming vehicles close enough to make the turn dangerous, and to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the street you are turning onto. In Quebec the Code does not allow a left turn on a red light, not even from a one-way street onto another one-way street: the only red-light exception is the right turn.
Who goes first?
The driver turning left almost always has to yield:
- To oncoming vehicles: a driver or cyclist about to turn left must yield to any vehicle coming from the opposite direction that is close enough to make the turn dangerous (Code de la sécurité routière, Quebec’s Highway Safety Code, s. 350).
- To pedestrians and cyclists crossing the roadway you are about to enter (s. 349).
- To anyone already in the intersection: facing a green light, you proceed after yielding to vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians already in the intersection (s. 363).
So a green light does not give you priority over oncoming traffic; it only lets you go. When the green light is flashing, the SAAQ handbook explains that the left turn is protected: oncoming traffic is stopped (Guide de la route, ch. 3, “Le feu vert”). Facing a green arrow, you go in the direction shown, still after yielding to anyone already in the intersection (s. 364).
Failing to yield to oncoming vehicles carries 2 demerit points; failing to yield to pedestrians and cyclists at an intersection also carries 2 points (Regulation respecting demerit points, Schedule, items 16 and 17).
Positioning and turning
Before any turn, signal with your turn indicators and make sure the move is safe (s. 372). The Code then describes the same steps every time: get into position, go straight ahead to the street you are turning onto, and turn as soon as the way is clear. What changes is where you start and where you finish (ss. 352 to 358):
| From | Onto | Start | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-way street | Two-way street | Close to the centre line | To the right of the centre line (as close to it as possible if there are several lanes each way) (ss. 352, 353) |
| Two-way street | One-way street | Close to the centre line | On the left side of the one-way street (s. 354) |
| One-way street | One-way street | At the far left | On the left side of the other street (ss. 355, 356) |
| One-way street | Two-way street | At the far left | To the right of the centre line (as close to it as possible if there are several lanes each way) (ss. 357, 358) |
- Pick your lane early: unless signs say otherwise, you may not change lanes when approaching or inside an intersection (s. 406.2). If you can no longer get into the right lane, the handbook advises carrying on and turning at another intersection (ch. 4, “Les virages”).
- Centre left-turn lane: on a three- or five-lane road whose centre lane is reserved for left turns in both directions, use that centre lane only to turn left (ss. 322, 323).
- Don’t block the intersection: even if the light allows it, don’t enter without enough space ahead of your vehicle (s. 366).
- Where more than one lane may turn, finish the turn in the matching lane of the other street (Guide de la route, ch. 4, “Virage à gauche”).
Left turn on red: not in Quebec
Facing a red light, you must stop and wait until a signal lets you go (s. 359). The Code has a single exception, the right turn on red, where it is allowed (s. 359.1). No section allows a left turn on red, not even from a one-way street onto another one-way street. If you learned to drive elsewhere, don’t assume the rule from your previous province or country applies here.
A red arrow prohibits moving in the direction it points (Guide de la route, ch. 3, “La flèche rouge”). Running a red light carries 3 demerit points (Schedule, item 18).
Key points for the test
- On a green light, a driver turning left yields to oncoming vehicles close enough to make the turn dangerous.
- They also yield to pedestrians and cyclists crossing the street they are turning onto.
- Flashing green: protected left turn, oncoming traffic is stopped.
- Signal, position (near the centre line, or at the far left of a one-way street), go straight to the cross street, turn when clear.
- Onto a one-way street: finish on its left side; onto a two-way street: to the right of the centre line.
- No left turn on red in Quebec, not even between two one-way streets.
- Failing to yield to oncoming traffic: 2 points; running a red light: 3 points.
Original questions with an explanation and a source, “Highway Safety Code” section.
Practise for free
See also
- Free SAAQ practice test: 15 questions
- Flashing green light in Quebec: what does it mean?
- Right turn on red: allowed in Quebec, banned in Montreal?
- Crosswalks: when must a driver stop in Quebec?
- All-way stop: who goes first?
Official sources
- Code de la sécurité routière (Highway Safety Code, CQLR c. C-24.2), ss. 322, 323, 349, 350, 352 to 358, 359, 359.1, 363, 364, 366, 372 and 406.2
- Regulation respecting demerit points (CQLR c. C-24.2, r. 37), Schedule, items 16, 17 and 18
- SAAQ, Guide de la route (4th ed., 2024, French), ch. 3, “Le feu vert”, “La flèche rouge”; ch. 4, “Les virages”, “Virage à gauche”
General information page, current as of 2026-10-29. If in doubt, the official text prevails. Rules can change: check saaq.gouv.qc.ca and legisquebec.gouv.qc.ca.