Return of the U-Turn

For the first four years we lived in Wisconsin, I would drop Michelle off at work, and make a u-turn at the next intersection to make my journey home to begin my day of work. Because there was no No U-turn sign at the intersection, I never thought twice about it until about two years ago when I was pulled over for making the u-turn. The officer asked if I knew why he pulled me over, and frankly I had no idea. I looked back at the intersection, but didn't see a No U-turn sign.

When he told me I made an illegal u-turn, I was confused. I commented that there was no sign stating it wasn't permitted. That was when I learned that Wisconsin had a law forbidding u-turns in any controlled intersection, regardless of whether or not there is a sign there. When I asked how would I know about this law, he asked "How do you know to stop at a red light." My first thought was that stopping at red lights is the same in every state, but I kept that thought to myself. He reasoned that by having a Wisconsin license, I should be aware of Wisconsin driving laws. Not much to argue about there, so I paid my fine.

As of the beginning of the year, though, there is no longer a law against u-turns in controlled intersections unless otherwise marked. This morning, it shaved a couple minutes of my morning commute. I need to get used to it again, but it is a good thing.