As Jonathan Ahdout ’07 turned from Halkirk onto Coldwater Canyon, he glanced into his rearview mirror and saw the flashing lights of a motorcycle police officer.

The officer issued a ticket to Ahdout for driving too far in the two-way turn lane before he entered the left hand turn lane. Ahdout was one of many students who try to drive up the center lane on Coldwater instead of waiting in the traffic in the southbound lane.

“I knew I was probably doing something wrong by driving that far up the lane.” he said.

Andrew Schein ’07 had to pay a $151 fine and take an online traffic school for the same maneuver. “Many head on collisions are caused by drivers using the two way left turn lane as a driving lane, but under no circumstances is one supposed to drive in the two way turn lane, it is not designed for that,” a Los Angeles Police Department Valley Traffic Division spokeswoman said. The L.A.P.D. advises drivers to enter the turn lane at the point where they want to make a turn into a driveway.