Legal U-Turn where No U-Turn is posted

[melee]

My jurisdiction is: California

I was recently cited for making a U-Turn at an intersection where a No U-Turn sign is posted. The officer asked me if I had a "legal reason" for making the turn. The question seemed odd at the time but it wasn't until I drove away that I seemed to remember something from my 2007 CA drivers license test about this, something like; you could make such a turn if you did so in order to avoid blocking traffic...

Well, I did make the turn to avoid blocking traffic and I think perhaps the officer even recognized that. Now as I consider challenging the ticket I cannot find any reference to this exception in the 2008 drivers handbook. Seems like it was a multiple choice question where that was the only answer that made any sense. Maybe it was on the actual test...am I dreaming?

What would be a legal reason for make a U-Turn where a No U-Turn sign is posted?



Thanks.

[Lex101]

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/hdbk/driver_handbook_toc.htm

We need more facts and description, i.e. the place, lanes, lines, etc., but the above site may help you.

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[CdwJava]

I think what he was asking was whether you had a valid reason to make the illegal U-Turn ... such as, you were being pursued by a person meaning to do you harm, etc. I doubt you can successfully argue that you had to make a U-Turn to avoid blocking the intersection as a result of a U-Turn you could not legally have made to begin with.

What code section were you cited for violating?

- Carl