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

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No thanks, I know I'd end up killed dealing with NJ drivers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Most people have dashcams these days. You can say you were already in the intersection and point out your dashcam. If you still get a ticket, it goes on YouTube. And send a link to his/her boss (and the local news outlet) asking them to please inform the officer of the road rules. Oh and of course the dashcam footage (or screenshots of it) will get you out of the ticket in court.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A police officer can ticket you.

Most people have dashcams these days. You can say you were already in the intersection and point out your dashcam. If you still get a ticket, it goes on YouTube. And send a link to his/her boss (and the local news outlet) asking them to please inform the officer of the road rules. Oh and of course the dashcam footage (or screenshots of it) will get you out of the ticket in court.

Where in the road rules does it say that it's ok to be in the intersection during a red light? If you didn't have time to get out of the intersection before the light turned red, you shouldn't have gone into the intersection.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A police officer can ticket you.

Most people have dashcams these days. You can say you were already in the intersection and point out your dashcam. If you still get a ticket, it goes on YouTube. And send a link to his/her boss (and the local news outlet) asking them to please inform the officer of the road rules. Oh and of course the dashcam footage (or screenshots of it) will get you out of the ticket in court.

Where in the road rules does it say that it's ok to be in the intersection during a red light? If you didn't have time to get out of the intersection before the light turned red, you shouldn't have gone into the intersection.

That’s not how this works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

A police officer can ticket you.

Most people have dashcams these days. You can say you were already in the intersection and point out your dashcam. If you still get a ticket, it goes on YouTube. And send a link to his/her boss (and the local news outlet) asking them to please inform the officer of the road rules. Oh and of course the dashcam footage (or screenshots of it) will get you out of the ticket in court.

Where in the road rules does it say that it's ok to be in the intersection during a red light? If you didn't have time to get out of the intersection before the light turned red, you shouldn't have gone into the intersection.

That’s not how this works.

Seriously. You’re part of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No thanks, I know I'd end up killed dealing with NJ drivers.

NJ drivers are SO MUCH BETTER than drivers here. In Jersey a crowded highway can still move at highway speeds rather than crawling along at 20 mph, FFS.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No thanks, I know I'd end up killed dealing with NJ drivers.

NJ drivers are SO MUCH BETTER than drivers here. In Jersey a crowded highway can still move at highway speeds rather than crawling along at 20 mph, FFS.

Agree completely.

[Anonymous]

I'm a DC native. I got my learner's permit on my 16th birthday back in '98. I clearly remember the driving manual stating that you were supposed to pull into the intersection and turn when there was a clearing. It stood out to me, because I was so afraid of getting a ticket back then. I did it during the road test over in Brentwood and passed with flying colors. Eager to prove the naysayers wrong, I pulled up the 2015 DC driving manual and, surprisingly, it's changed:

Left Turn
? Get into the left lane on your side of the highway well ahead of the turn
? Signal your intention to turn for at least 100 feet
? Yield to oncoming traffic including bicycles
? Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
? Do not block the intersection while waiting for oncoming traffic to clear
? Turn into the left lane going your way
? Do not cut the corner or turn so wide that you get into the right lane going
your way
? It is illegal to make a left turn on red in the District of Columbia

https://dmv.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dmv/publication/attachments/DC%20Driver%20Manual_April%202015.pdf

I will concede this one. I'm still going to pull into the intersection, but I won't honk anymore. Okay, I won't do the "angry" honk. I'll still do the light, double-tap, "encouragement" honk that means "You can do it! Pull forward."

[Anonymous]

Robots should be driving cars. Humans have too many different interpretations of the law, emotions, and assumptions.

But AI can talk to other cars as well as the signals and make better decisions.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

No thanks, I know I'd end up killed dealing with NJ drivers.

NJ drivers are SO MUCH BETTER than drivers here. In Jersey a crowded highway can still move at highway speeds rather than crawling along at 20 mph, FFS.

Agree completely.

+1000
NJ drivers put MD, VA and DC drivers to shame. They get shit DONE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm a DC native. I got my learner's permit on my 16th birthday back in '98. I clearly remember the driving manual stating that you were supposed to pull into the intersection and turn when there was a clearing. It stood out to me, because I was so afraid of getting a ticket back then. I did it during the road test over in Brentwood and passed with flying colors. Eager to prove the naysayers wrong, I pulled up the 2015 DC driving manual and, surprisingly, it's changed:

Left Turn
? Get into the left lane on your side of the highway well ahead of the turn
? Signal your intention to turn for at least 100 feet
? Yield to oncoming traffic including bicycles
? Yield to pedestrians in crosswalks
? Do not block the intersection while waiting for oncoming traffic to clear
? Turn into the left lane going your way
? Do not cut the corner or turn so wide that you get into the right lane going
your way
? It is illegal to make a left turn on red in the District of Columbia

https://dmv.dc.gov/sites/default/files/dc/sites/dmv/publication/attachments/DC%20Driver%20Manual_April%202015.pdf

I will concede this one. I'm still going to pull into the intersection, but I won't honk anymore. Okay, I won't do the "angry" honk. I'll still do the light, double-tap, "encouragement" honk that means "You can do it! Pull forward."

Thank you for this information!

Please don't honk, though. If people aren't turning when you think they should turn because they're on the phone, honking might make them put their foot on the gas when they shouldn't. And if people aren't turning when you think they should turn because they don't think they can turn safely, honking will only annoy them.

[Anonymous]

I’m going to honk if people don’t move.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

I know and its infuriating. I know someone will get on here and argue that its "dangerous to pull into the middle of the intersection and wait" but that is what you are supposed to do people!

No, it's not. I will turn left when I think it's safe for me to turn left, with respect to oncoming traffic and pedestrians in the crosswalk. And honking at me (if you're behind me and think that I should turn left) is not going to make me turn left any sooner.

NP. It's absolutely what you are supposed to do. No one is saying that you should turn before it is safe to do so, but you're supposed to pull into the intersection and wait THERE to make your turn. Maybe people behind you are honking to get you to move up, not because they necessarily want to you complete the turn.

And if you pull out into the intersection during rush hour, and the lane of traffic you're intending to follow doesn't move forward for any reason, you'll be stuck in the middle of the intersection. The horns will definitely be honking then as cars attempt to go around you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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.

Most people have dashcams these days. You can say you were already in the intersection and point out your dashcam. If you still get a ticket, it goes on YouTube. And send a link to his/her boss (and the local news outlet) asking them to please inform the officer of the road rules. Oh and of course the dashcam footage (or screenshots of it) will get you out of the ticket in court.

Ugh. Too much trouble.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m going to honk if people don’t move.

Honking won't make people move. So why honk?