I Also Don't Get People Who Do This....

[blas]

Ah, unprotected left turns. We love them just about as much as a mouse infestation.

This morning I was turning right to go to Wal-Mart, and a Cadillac was going to turn left to go there as well. Except, I had the right of way, and the Caddy had an unprotected left signal, and the car was well over halfway into the intersection, and was trying to creep in before me. It was almost an accident, but I did my usual bitch crusade and tooted the horn and glared, then went about my turn.

The best of this is when the person has spent forever in the middle or beyond the intersection, there is no way traffic will clear, and the light goes to yellow and then to almost red, so everyone has to stop and let the moron through.

Stay the hell BACK until it's safe to go.

[Pimento]

Im guilty of the yellow/almost red left turn, actually in drivers ed here its encouraged, its called "Claiming your lane" so you creep out into the intersection (not interfering with normal traffic flow) and when the light turns yellow you can go, even on a red its not illegal.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I do this all the time. It's either that or sit there as the light changes two or three times and people start honking at you.

[blas]

You are in the middle of oncoming traffic when there is absolutely no hope of being able to turn at all while the light is still green?

Irving, I swore you were smarter than that

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Not no hope. Don't know how bad the traffic is around by you but I can usually get through before the light turns red.

Guess I don't really see the issue here. Like I said, if you don't do that then you're going to be sitting there for a while.

Then again I've also compiled a mental list of intersections where it's particularly tough to make a left hand turn, and avoid them when possible.

[Chromatix]

Standard procedure on ths side of the Pond is to advance beyond the stop line but not cross the stream of traffic. When the lights change the stream will stop, and people who are already beyond the stop line can complete the turn. You get a few seconds before the othe traffic is signalled to start, too.

[Andara Bledin]

I don't know the actual law about this in California, since the books don't have anything about it pertaining specifically to left turns (and it seems to me that they should). That said, the basic procedure is as Chromatix stated. One to two cars (depending on the size of the intersection) can enter the intersection to wait until traffic has cleared, which more often than not requires waiting for the signal to change.

If everybody waited behind the line and only went when cross-traffic cleared, some turns wouldn't be made for hours. They had to put in a signal assist going from a semi-major street to a very minor street because even with that in place, the backup on the semi-major street runs nearly half a mile during rush hour. If the first car after the signal goes from left-green (arrow) to yield-green (circle) isn't in the intersection to go through when the light goes red, he'd get lynched.

^-.-^

[Kogarashi]

I was taught as Pimento was in Driver Ed. On an unprotected left, the first car may enter the intersection to wait, and take the left on the yellow when oncoming traffic (supposedly) stops for the soon-to-be red. Vehicles already in the intersection may complete the left turn even on the red without penalty. Cars behind the stop line, however, must wait for the next light (not that that happens ). Otherwise, as said, some turns would never be made.

That said, I do have a few intersections in this area where I don't even do this, because too many people run the red light that I'd be contributing to holding up the cross traffic. Luckily, the major intersection where this happens has a protected left as well, so it's still doable.