PSA: When turning left across oncoming traffic....

[mrbigstuff]

PLEASE keep your wheels turned straight until such time as you have a clear lane to turn. If you keep your wheel turned and you are rear-ended, you will, more than likely, end up right in the middle of the other lane of oncoming traffic. This happened on a two lane, un-divided roadway, fwiw.

That is all; please resume your regularly scheduled programming. And, no, this did not happen to me but I came along just minutes after an accident today where this was the case and it was not pleasant viewing (no one died).

[space-time]

yeap, basic driving skills

[(vikm)]

Can we add that the person planning to turn also proceed halfway into the intersection when it is known to be hard enough for one car to make it due to congestion? Believe it or not there are extended yellows for cars to still make that turn after the green. If the lead turn car is still waiting back behind the crosswalk, they are the only one that is gonna make it. One car turning per light ain't gonna cut it.

[Wailer]

No running with scissors either!

[AlphaDog]

(vikm) wrote:
Can we add that the person planning to turn also proceed halfway into the intersection when it is known to be hard enough for one car to make it due to congestion? Believe it or not there are extended yellows for cars to still make that turn after the green. If the lead turn car is still waiting back behind the crosswalk, they are the only one that is gonna make it. One car turning per light ain't gonna cut it.

That advice is good only for people who live in states where it's legal. In many places, you're required to wait behind either the vehicle stop line or crosswalk marking, and you can start pulling forward only when your break in traffic is imminent.

[space-time]

(vikm) wrote:
Can we add that the person planning to turn also proceed halfway into the intersection when it is known to be hard enough for one car to make it due to congestion? Believe it or not there are extended yellows for cars to still make that turn after the green. If the lead turn car is still waiting back behind the crosswalk, they are the only one that is gonna make it. One car turning per light ain't gonna cut it.

but then there are the morons coming from the opposite direction, and they see the light turning yellow long before, and you waiting there to turn left, and instead of slowing down, they speed up, run a RED light, and also block you from turning left until 2-3 seconds after the OTHER cars have green light

[M A V I C]

Yep mrbigstuff, very important.

[lost in space]

But here in WA, State Patrol officers who have pulled cars over turn their wheels to the left, presumably to protect themselves and their victims with what appears to be no regard for where the patrol car goes if it's rear-ended. harumph.

[M A V I C]

lost in space wrote:
But here in WA, State Patrol officers who have pulled cars over turn their wheels to the left, presumably to protect themselves and their victims with what appears to be no regard for where the patrol car goes if it's rear-ended. harumph.

If you notice, they point their wheels so the car goes away from oncoming traffic.

[space-time]

what is the chance that you rear end a PATROL Car with FLASHING LIGHTS ON??? Slim to none???