Why is it so hard for people to turn left at a traffic light?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to pull into the middle of the intersection and wait.

After red light cameras showed up, I stopped doing that. Now I stay behind the stop line until it's clear all to proceed.

I don't really care if I hold you up. That doesn't bother me in the least.

Got a problem with that? Too bad. Take it up with the politicians you voted for who put in red light cameras.

This is sort of a silly response - in DC at least there are very few red light cameras and I don't think MD or VA have any but I could be wrong.

And if you are in the intersection when the light turns red and are turning you won't get a ticket.

If you are in the intersection when the light turns and are going straight you will - and should - get a ticket. The law in all 3 local jurisdictions is you cannot enter an intersection unless you can clear it and if you don't clear when the light turns that is a red light violation.

You would be wrong.

What am I wrong about?

There are red light camaeras in MD and Va.

I found the list for Montgomery County which has 49 red light cameras compared to DC's 47.

Don't see any cameras listed in Nova though?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to pull into the middle of the intersection and wait.

After red light cameras showed up, I stopped doing that. Now I stay behind the stop line until it's clear all to proceed.

I don't really care if I hold you up. That doesn't bother me in the least.

Got a problem with that? Too bad. Take it up with the politicians you voted for who put in red light cameras.

I'm fine with red-light cameras. I'm also fine with you not turning until you think it's safe to turn.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to pull into the middle of the intersection and wait.

After red light cameras showed up, I stopped doing that. Now I stay behind the stop line until it's clear all to proceed.

I don't really care if I hold you up. That doesn't bother me in the least.

Got a problem with that? Too bad. Take it up with the politicians you voted for who put in red light cameras.

This is sort of a silly response - in DC at least there are very few red light cameras and I don't think MD or VA have any but I could be wrong.

And if you are in the intersection when the light turns red and are turning you won't get a ticket.

If you are in the intersection when the light turns and are going straight you will - and should - get a ticket. The law in all 3 local jurisdictions is you cannot enter an intersection unless you can clear it and if you don't clear when the light turns that is a red light violation.

You would be wrong.

What am I wrong about?

There are red light camaeras in MD and Va.

I found the list for Montgomery County which has 49 red light cameras compared to DC's 47.

Don't see any cameras listed in Nova though?

Here is Arlington’s list. Not sure where to find a comprehensive list across NOVA. But drive through the City of Alexandria and the City of FFX and you’ll see them.

https://police.arlingtonva.us/photored/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:When there's no left turn arrow, you pull out into the intersection when it turns green, and turn when there's a space in the traffic or the light turns yellow.

Yet time after time, people sit behind the line and don't move forward, and when the light changes they stay there.

This drives me batty!

People, follow OP’s instructions please!

[Anonymous]

I tboned a woman going 50 who made a left in front of me; she had no protected arrow, the light was green and her reason was she didn’t see me. WTF My car was totaled and my leg broken.

I think left turns should be banned protected arrow or not.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tboned a woman going 50 who made a left in front of me; she had no protected arrow, the light was green and her reason was she didn’t see me. WTF My car was totaled and my leg broken.

I think left turns should be banned protected arrow or not.

[Anonymous]

https://mpdc.dc.gov/node/216222

While it doesn't specifically say so but it implies that if you cross the intersection line before the light turns red you wont get a red light camera ticket. It may be illegal so if the police see you you may be fined but a camera won't get you.

[Anonymous]

The way I learned in Drivers Ed in VA (I'm 39) was that you pull into the intersection. You can go as soon as the light turns red because otherwise you would be blocking the intersection and blocking the intersection will earn you a ticket.

You cannot gun it when it turns red if you're behind the line because then you just ran a red light.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I tboned a woman going 50 who made a left in front of me; she had no protected arrow, the light was green and her reason was she didn’t see me. WTF My car was totaled and my leg broken.

I think left turns should be banned protected arrow or not.

Go live in New Jersey. They love laws as stupid as the one you propose.

Maybe one of the honkers will end up getting Tboned at an unsigned light where the oncoming traffic has an extended green. We could stand to thin out the asshole population.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People would fail a driving test if they didn't pull forward into the intersection to wait for a break.

And you can't get a red light ticket for it. As others have said, waiting in the intersection is what you are supposed to do. They only give tickets when you're crossing into the intersection after red.

Of course you can. You're not supposed to be in the intersection when the light is red.

No. They actually snap multiple photos. If you're already in the intersection in the turning position, they won't have a shot of you going through the line to enter the intersection. You will not get a ticket.

"Do cameras photograph every vehicle passing through an intersection? No. Cameras are set so
that only those vehicles that enter the intersection after the light has turned red are photographed.
Vehicles entering the intersection on yellow and still in the intersection when the light turns red are not
photographed.[i] " from: http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/photored_faq.pdf

I'm in another state and it's the same here too. I've NEVER heard of someone getting a ticket when they were turning and already in the intersection on red, but if so then you would just appeal it and have no problems whatsoever. They need photographic evidence that you broke the law, which they won't have because you didn't.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Agree OP.

Also adding to "drivers who suck at turning left" are when they pull almost into the next lane/cross over the turn lane to make this gigantic swing to turn left. I almost got side-swiped by this moron the other day doing it. And he had a BMW, a car that turns on a dime. Why did he need so much room to turn left!

OMG this is my biggest pet peeve too! I always yell out (even though they can’t hear me) “you’re not driving a freaking tractor trailer!”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People would fail a driving test if they didn't pull forward into the intersection to wait for a break.

And you can't get a red light ticket for it. As others have said, waiting in the intersection is what you are supposed to do. They only give tickets when you're crossing into the intersection after red.

Of course you can. You're not supposed to be in the intersection when the light is red.

No. They actually snap multiple photos. If you're already in the intersection in the turning position, they won't have a shot of you going through the line to enter the intersection. You will not get a ticket.

"Do cameras photograph every vehicle passing through an intersection? No. Cameras are set so
that only those vehicles that enter the intersection after the light has turned red are photographed.
Vehicles entering the intersection on yellow and still in the intersection when the light turns red are not
photographed.[i] " from: http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/photored_faq.pdf

I'm in another state and it's the same here too. I've NEVER heard of someone getting a ticket when they were turning and already in the intersection on red, but if so then you would just appeal it and have no problems whatsoever. They need photographic evidence that you broke the law, which they won't have because you didn't.

A police officer can ticket you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have no trouble with this, but I thought you can get a ticket for being in the middle when the light turns red. Also, a lot of times even after the light turns red, the right turn lane never clears and you can't turn left into the road you wanted.

Lifelong Washingtonian here. Back in the 70s, 80s and early 90s, the remaining left-turner could always count on turning on the yellow light. The cars from the other direction slowed down at the yellow, leaving time and space for the left-turner to go.

Fast forward to today, and cars coming from the other direction are busy pushing their way through the intersection up until the second the light turns from yellow to red. The left-turner often has to make that turn after the light has already changed.

Agreed. And this is when a cop can ticket you. I also worry a lot in DC about getting a ticket from a red light camera so there's no way I'm pulling forward in DC. (But I'm a good driver and pay close attention. I'm not the 55mph in the left lane poster above)

Well by this logic, you'd never be able to make the turn then. If you're already in the intersection when the light turns red, you need to clear the intersection. It's a bit different than proceeding INTO the intersection AFTER the light turns red.

No you wait until the next traffic cycle when you get a green turning arrow. I have been ticketed for pulling into the middle of an intersection and not being able to turn before the light turned red due to the volume of traffic.

You do realize that many intersections don’t have a left turn arrow, right? You’ll be waiting forever.

I’ve lived in several states and I’ve been driving for close to 30 years. I’ve never seen someone get pulled over for doing what you describe where there is no left turn arrow.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:People would fail a driving test if they didn't pull forward into the intersection to wait for a break.

And you can't get a red light ticket for it. As others have said, waiting in the intersection is what you are supposed to do. They only give tickets when you're crossing into the intersection after red.

Of course you can. You're not supposed to be in the intersection when the light is red.

No. They actually snap multiple photos. If you're already in the intersection in the turning position, they won't have a shot of you going through the line to enter the intersection. You will not get a ticket.

"Do cameras photograph every vehicle passing through an intersection? No. Cameras are set so
that only those vehicles that enter the intersection after the light has turned red are photographed.
Vehicles entering the intersection on yellow and still in the intersection when the light turns red are not
photographed.[i] " from: http://www.virginiadot.org/info/resources/photored_faq.pdf

I'm in another state and it's the same here too. I've NEVER heard of someone getting a ticket when they were turning and already in the intersection on red, but if so then you would just appeal it and have no problems whatsoever. They need photographic evidence that you broke the law, which they won't have because you didn't.

Exactly

[Anonymous]

This is a hot topic today.

https://lifehacker.com/where-is-the-exact-right-place-to-stop-when-waiting-to-1795723648