CALGARY- Signaling before changing lanes and following a safe distance behind other vehicles might seem like Driver’s Ed 101. However, many drivers today have either forgotten or don’t know simple road rules.

One that commonly trips drivers up is whether or not U-turns are allowed in Alberta. It turns out, it all depends on the location.

The law states you can do a U-turn at a stop sign, or a break in a median on a boulevard as long as there isn’t a sign prohibiting it.

“You can’t do it in between blocks, you can’t do it in an alley intersection, so in other words you couldn’t go into the alley and do a U-turn,” explains Ron Wilson from the Alberta Motor Association. “You can’t do it at a traffic light intersection, you can’t do it in an intersection where signs prohibit it.”

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Police admit the rules can be confusing, because of difference laws across the country.

“Where the confusion comes in is a lot of people come from other provinces where you actually can do that,” says Const. Jim Lebedeff from the Calgary Police Service. “I grew up in Manitoba, [where] you can. So when they move here and it’s not signed ‘no U-turn’ they go ‘gee, I didn’t know that.'”

Those caught making an illegal U-turn face a $115 fine, and two demerit points. Even if you do it in a legal spot, if you interfere with other traffic that could also lead to a ticket.