Move into intersection when turning left - WHY don’t people do this?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:99% percent of the time the drivers coming the other way are still speeding forward to try to make the light. By the time they have gone by it is no longer yellow and the cross traffic is waiting on you. Also, even if I decide to go on yellow/red, you the car behind me should not be going thus it should not matter to you what I do. You are waiting for the next green.

It does matter if only one car can go each cycle, so go during your cycle.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are not to enter the intersection unless you can complete your traffic maneuver.

Yes, I understand the practical implications of entering and waiting to turn left. I do it. It's not legal. Neither is consistently driving above the speed limit.

Exactly.
Drives me freaking crazy that people not only commit traffic violations but get MAD and indignant when others don’t. Don’t honk at me when I don’t move into the intersection when I’m not sure I’ll be able to complete my left turn before the light turns red.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are not to enter the intersection unless you can complete your traffic maneuver.

Yes, I understand the practical implications of entering and waiting to turn left. I do it. It's not legal. Neither is consistently driving above the speed limit.

Can you actually point to a law that says you're not allowed to enter the intersection before you can turn?

Also, you're ridiculous with your speed limit comment. Are you one of those people who sets your cruise control at 55 MPH on the Beltway? You realize it's illegal to not drive with the flow of traffic--not to mention dangerous--right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drives me crazy. I go around sometimes - if they sit there for an entire light cycle.

Dear God please don't do this! An impatient woman ran over an 11-year old girl in our neighborhood who was crossing the street and killed her. The car in front of the line was waiting for the girl to cross the street and the idiot who will rot in hell was too impatient to wait one full minute, went around the car in front, and ran this poor girl over.

Oh this makes me so sad. The problem is that we don't trust anyone not to be an idiot. I would love to confidently drive today knowing that my fellow drivers are all alert. But if one is doing something questionable I never know if they are being cautious for a good reason (pedestrian) or if they are texting. Put the phone in the trunk. Solves so many things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not to enter the intersection unless you can complete your traffic maneuver.

Yes, I understand the practical implications of entering and waiting to turn left. I do it. It's not legal. Neither is consistently driving above the speed limit.

Exactly.
Drives me freaking crazy that people not only commit traffic violations but get MAD and indignant when others don’t. Don’t honk at me when I don’t move into the intersection when I’m not sure I’ll be able to complete my left turn before the light turns red.

LOLOLOL

You're wrong: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2000/10/09/when-turning-left-dont-crowd-intersection/083500de-da94-4c4f-a502-183a34267436/

Here's the answer to someone asking about this:

It is legal, proper and advisable for the first in line at a green light to creep into the intersection and wait there for a left-turn opportunity, either through a gap in oncoming traffic or as oncoming traffic comes to a halt for a yellow or red light.

If you're still in the intersection as the light changes, you have the right of way to clear the intersection.

However, this latitude does not apply to a line of cars moving into the intersection. Only the first car can do this. If other vehicles do it, they may be caught in the intersection, unable to turn. Then we have a dangerous form of intersection blocking, and drivers can be cited for impeding cross traffic.

[Anonymous]

Because nobody actually stops on the yellow, so you are stuck in the middle and obstructing traffic once it is full red. Heck, people opposite of you are running red all the time. Where do you live OP?!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You are not to enter the intersection unless you can complete your traffic maneuver.

Yes, I understand the practical implications of entering and waiting to turn left. I do it. It's not legal. Neither is consistently driving above the speed limit.

This. You can get a ticket being in the intersection when the light turns red.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not to enter the intersection unless you can complete your traffic maneuver.

Yes, I understand the practical implications of entering and waiting to turn left. I do it. It's not legal. Neither is consistently driving above the speed limit.

This. You can get a ticket being in the intersection when the light turns red.

See the WaPo article above. If the light changes while you're in the intersection, you have right of way to continue turning. However, only the front car in the line can do this.

[Anonymous]

Of course I do this when I can, but what makes it tricky sometimes are what I call "hyper-crosswalks" near schools and universities. If a crossing guard is over-riding the usual flow, sometimes vechicles a few cars back can't see what's happening, and get impatient.

I work at UMD, and crosswalks anywhere near campus are "hyper-crosswalks," either because the walk sign/light cycles are designed to give pedestrians tons of time and opportunities, or because students just ignore the walk sign and trot into the middle of the street whenever. Again, a few cars back, drivers can't see what's going on, and get rage-y.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not to enter the intersection unless you can complete your traffic maneuver.

Yes, I understand the practical implications of entering and waiting to turn left. I do it. It's not legal. Neither is consistently driving above the speed limit.

This. You can get a ticket being in the intersection when the light turns red.

See the WaPo article above. If the light changes while you're in the intersection, you have right of way to continue turning. However, only the front car in the line can do this.

I have received a camera ticket for being photographed in the intersection on red. - NP

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You are not to enter the intersection unless you can complete your traffic maneuver.

Yes, I understand the practical implications of entering and waiting to turn left. I do it. It's not legal. Neither is consistently driving above the speed limit.

This. You can get a ticket being in the intersection when the light turns red.

See the WaPo article above. If the light changes while you're in the intersection, you have right of way to continue turning. However, only the front car in the line can do this.

I have received a camera ticket for being photographed in the intersection on red. - NP

Camera ticket is one thing. Those are honestly money grabs. The law is clear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drives me crazy. I go around sometimes - if they sit there for an entire light cycle.

Dear God please don't do this! An impatient woman ran over an 11-year old girl in our neighborhood who was crossing the street and killed her. The car in front of the line was waiting for the girl to cross the street and the idiot who will rot in hell was too impatient to wait one full minute, went around the car in front, and ran this poor girl over.

That is completely different than what the OP is describing.

It is exactly what OP is describing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Because nobody actually stops on the yellow, so you are stuck in the middle and obstructing traffic once it is full red. Heck, people opposite of you are running red all the time. Where do you live OP?!

This is the biggest reason.

The person turning left intends to use the yellow light to make the turn.

What if the oncoming car(s) intend to use the yellow to cross the intersection? Too many people speed up to catch the yellow these days making the "I'm-in-the-intersection-making-a-left-on-yellow" risky.

It's at a point where I judge this by the intersection & traffic pattern and not one size fits all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drives me crazy. I go around sometimes - if they sit there for an entire light cycle.

Dear God please don't do this! An impatient woman ran over an 11-year old girl in our neighborhood who was crossing the street and killed her. The car in front of the line was waiting for the girl to cross the street and the idiot who will rot in hell was too impatient to wait one full minute, went around the car in front, and ran this poor girl over.

That is completely different than what the OP is describing.

No it isn't, because if you're behind the first car (or going around it) you cannot see why they are hesitating. Honk if you want but don't go around. Literally nothing you are driving to is so important that going around is ok.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Drives me crazy. I go around sometimes - if they sit there for an entire light cycle.

Dear God please don't do this! An impatient woman ran over an 11-year old girl in our neighborhood who was crossing the street and killed her. The car in front of the line was waiting for the girl to cross the street and the idiot who will rot in hell was too impatient to wait one full minute, went around the car in front, and ran this poor girl over.

That is completely different than what the OP is describing.

It is exactly what OP is describing.

It's really not. OP is talking about people waiting in the intersection to turn left. This is someone going AROUND the first car in the line to turn left. The latter is exceptionally more dangerous.