Left turns

[jemhouston]

I'm seeing an increase in people making left turns with the left turn light is red. This is one way to one left turn which like right on red are legal. This is on a multi-lane divided road. They're doing this with either no oncoming traffic or in one case trying to beat oncoming traffic.

Is this happening other places or it simply a case of Houston drivers being stupid?

[Belushi TD]

The last 6 months to a year I have noticed a large number of people doing stuff that is not only illegal, but patently stupid (running red lights LONG after the light the other way has gone green, turning the wrong way down a one way street and when confronted with a line of vehicles going the other way, refusing to back up, stuff like that).

It started, as far as I can tell, between March and June of last year.

When its a delivery driver, it appears to almost exclusively be a minority, mostly Hispanic, but I am unable to draw any conclusions of root causes from that.

The idiots driving their personal cars appear to be mostly white, and with high end cars. (BMW, LOTS of Audis, Porsche, although there's a lot of Hondas as well. I get the impression that there's a lot of them staring at their phones either because they can't handle being separated from it, or they are trying to follow directions and ignoring the traffic lights.

Belushi TD

[Nathan45]

Honestly I've noticed driving in general never fully recovered post COVID. Hard to pin down why but newer cars were automated safety features may let people use phones even more then they used to.

[Johnnie Lyle]

Honestly I've noticed driving in general never fully recovered post COVID.

Same.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

As I understand it, different US states have different provisions for 'turn thru red'.

Though, I thought this only applied to *right* turns, where there was no 'filter' light provided.

UK, driving on left, does have comparable but 'mirror' issues. Here, a local junction used to get a crash a week as traffic, stuck in mid-junction waited to turn right. Too-belated 'rights' would sometimes encounter red-runners from the right.

Similarly, 'lefters' would sometimes turn a 'blind eye' and run red rather than wait through a full cycle.

The timings have now been tweaked to allow a tad more clearance time. This seems to have mitigated that mayhem, at cost of significant tail-backs ever-which-way...

There's talk of a relief road from near the congested ends of motorways, the infamous 'Switch Island', to near the newly further- extended 'Seaforth Container Docks'. Yes, it should divert some of the TEU convoys. Sadly, would run through a beloved local 'linear park' , so generated much ire. Worse, route follows course of one of the area's few remaining 'surface' streams, so ground-conditions are 'difficult'.....

[David Newton]

Honestly I've noticed driving in general never fully recovered post COVID. Hard to pin down why but newer cars were automated safety features may let people use phones even more then they used to.

Also American driving standards and road safety provisions for highway design have always been generally poorer in the modern era. The normalised road casualty statistics eloquently tell that tale.

[Johnnie Lyle]

As I understand it, different US states have different provisions for 'turn thru red'.

Though, I thought this only applied to *right* turns, where there was no 'filter' light provided.

It’s a bit more complicated.

If the state permits them, right turns on red are allowed, unless explicitly prohibited by a “no turn on red” or a “no right turn” sign. Some states (like California) allow this whether there is a designated turn traffic light or not; other states (like Ohio) do not allow right on red if there is a steady red right arrow.

Where there are multiple right turn lanes, it gets tricky. California allows you to turn right from ANY right turn lane on red, provided it is safe to do so. Ohio only allows curb lanes.

Left turns on red also vary state to state. Generally, if they allow right on red, they allow left on red if you’re going from a one way street to another one way street.

Otherwise, left turns fall into the following categories:

• Signalized protected left: there is a dedicated traffic light for the left turn lane, and you can only turn on a green arrow. This is the most common here in CA, but rarer in the Midwest.
• Signalized protected/permissive left: there is a protected left turn, but left turns are also permitted when the overall signal is green (permissive). Left turns yield to oncoming traffic.
  
  These are usually signed with a doghouse signal:
  IMG_6662.jpeg
  However, I am seeing more dedicated left turn signals being fitted with flashing yellow arrows to indicate the permissive phase.
  
  These are extremely rare in CA, and very common in the Midwest.
• Unsignaled permissive: there is no traffic light for the left turns fall into, just the overall road. Left turns yield to oncoming traffic.

Of course, safety trumps all. Sitting at a red light as the only car in a bad neighborhood is probably not the best idea.

[Drunknsubmrnr]

The last 6 months to a year I have noticed a large number of people doing stuff that is not only illegal, but patently stupid (running red lights LONG after the light the other way has gone green, turning the wrong way down a one way street and when confronted with a line of vehicles going the other way, refusing to back up, stuff like that).

It started, as far as I can tell, between March and June of last year.

When its a delivery driver, it appears to almost exclusively be a minority, mostly Hispanic, but I am unable to draw any conclusions of root causes from that.

The idiots driving their personal cars appear to be mostly white, and with high end cars. (BMW, LOTS of Audis, Porsche, although there's a lot of Hondas as well. I get the impression that there's a lot of them staring at their phones either because they can't handle being separated from it, or they are trying to follow directions and ignoring the traffic lights.

Belushi TD

FWIW I see a lot fewer Jersey slides.

[jemhouston]

The last 6 months to a year I have noticed a large number of people doing stuff that is not only illegal, but patently stupid (running red lights LONG after the light the other way has gone green, turning the wrong way down a one way street and when confronted with a line of vehicles going the other way, refusing to back up, stuff like that).

It started, as far as I can tell, between March and June of last year.

When its a delivery driver, it appears to almost exclusively be a minority, mostly Hispanic, but I am unable to draw any conclusions of root causes from that.

The idiots driving their personal cars appear to be mostly white, and with high end cars. (BMW, LOTS of Audis, Porsche, although there's a lot of Hondas as well. I get the impression that there's a lot of them staring at their phones either because they can't handle being separated from it, or they are trying to follow directions and ignoring the traffic lights.

Belushi TD

FWIW I see a lot fewer Jersey slides.

Thank you the Jesey slides. I was wondering what that piece of lunacy was called. I may be seeing more that lunacy in Houston. I saw one top heavy truck cross in front of me to make the exit, get in the exit lane, only to realize he made mistake and get back on the freeway.

I kept praying he wouldn't rollover.

Another problem, which I almost asked about, person pulls up behind, gets in the exit only lane besides me, passed me at twenty mph faster, then crosses into the lane to my left (freeway is four or five lanes wide).

The kicker is, the left hand beside me didn't have a vehicle in for at least a mile.

[Belushi TD]

Oddly enough, the prevalence of the Jersey Slide (moving over more than one lane in a single change) in my view has remained the same. However, it seems to me that people have gotten BETTER at it. When people have done it, they've only done it when its clear and they don't cut anyone off.

No idea why that's the case.

Of course, this is all anecdotal data. Nothing measurable.

As an aside, my favorite place in the world to Jersey Slide is where 95 South hits the Beltway around DC. If you start from the right hand exit lane on 95 south, you can Jersey Slide 6 lanes and end up in the fast lane on the Beltway. Looking at Google maps, it used to be more, at least two more. They've cut down on the number of lanes from 95 South headed onto the beltway from the 90's when I was driving back and forth to school.

Belushi TD

[JBG]

My recent, 13 March, problem is with someone turning right, though bear in mind here we drive on the left. Approaching an intersection with green lights both ways an oncoming diver "decided" to turn right without giving way and t-boned me. The impact was principally on my driver's door. The other car, as are most, was bigger than my MX5. My car is a write off and I spent 7 days in hospital, 6 in ICU.

Could have been much worse. My main injury is 5 cracked ribs.

Jonathan

[Johnnie Lyle]

My recent, 13 March, problem is with someone turning right, though bear in mind here we drive on the left. Approaching an intersection with green lights both ways an oncoming diver "decided" to turn right without giving way and t-boned me. The impact was principally on my diver's door. The other car, as are most, was bigger than my MX5. My car is a write off and I spent 7 days in hospital, 6 in ICU.

Could have been much worse. My main injury is 5 cracked ribs.

Jonathan

Oof. Good to read you’re on the mend.

[David Newton]

My recent, 13 March, problem is with someone turning right, though bear in mind here we drive on the left. Approaching an intersection with green lights both ways an oncoming diver "decided" to turn right without giving way and t-boned me. The impact was principally on my diver's door. The other car, as are most, was bigger than my MX5. My car is a write off and I spent 7 days in hospital, 6 in ICU.

Could have been much worse. My main injury is 5 cracked ribs.

Jonathan

Sounds like the other driver needs to be banned for life.

I really do think that there are many, many drivers who need to be permanently removed from the roads. Preferably before incidents such as this, but certainly after incidents like this.

[Craiglxviii]

My recent, 13 March, problem is with someone turning right, though bear in mind here we drive on the left. Approaching an intersection with green lights both ways an oncoming diver "decided" to turn right without giving way and t-boned me. The impact was principally on my diver's door. The other car, as are most, was bigger than my MX5. My car is a write off and I spent 7 days in hospital, 6 in ICU.

Could have been much worse. My main injury is 5 cracked ribs.

Jonathan

Sounds like the other driver needs to be banned for life.

I really do think that there are many, many drivers who need to be permanently removed from the roads. Preferably before incidents such as this, but certainly after incidents like this.

I couldn’t agree more, the drivers around the Midlands are mental.

[rtoldman]

I hail from the Boston metro area. Traffic controls, highway lane rules and all things related to car operation have long since been considered optional. The impact of uninsured/unlicensed drivers has driven our insurance rates sky high

[jemhouston]

I hail from the Boston metro area. Traffic controls, highway lane rules and all things related to car operation have long since been considered optional. The impact of uninsured/unlicensed drivers has driven our insurance rates sky high

You have my sincere sympathy.

[JBG]

Mine too.

Sydney is considered ground zero for bad driving. Visitors from Adelaide give up and take taxis.

Jonathan

[warshipadmin]

Yes but at least Sydney drivers are somewhat considerate. Melbourne drivers seem to combine an ill tempered lack of manners with a vast overestimate of their abilities.

[Nik_SpeakerToCats]

Been a while, 1979, but the few hours our family's camper-van spent in Italy --crossing from Austria to Yugoslavia-- were so fraught that it took a day for my nerves to settle.
"They're all mad, I tell you !! Mad ! Mad ! MAD !!"
By that stage, Yugo had mostly been up-graded from uber-scary two-way traffic to separated 'sorta-parkway'..
( 1969's 'Giant Car-Eating Slinky Springs' of un-coiling re-bar remain etched on my soul: Think 'Chainsaw Massacre'...)

Athens' suburbs, though...
People kept tail-gating our 'Pink Elephant', so named because only drunk-drivers seemed able to see it before air-horn trumpet blast, such I kept slowing, flicking fog-lights.

Then there was a bus trying to turn left from side-road on right.
A tiny Fiat came down the side-road's foot-path, came around bus, scattering pedestrians.
Got part-way out in front of us.
Driver looked around.
Whites of eyes time.
Our Bedford CF had power-brakes and my reflexes were good.
We stopped a hand-span short of car, looming over his aghast face.
Our 3-gall potable water container --The sink's pumped supply was sub-potable-- broke loose, hurtled length of van, popped open filler cap, poured into front wheel-wells. Mum grabbed it off her feet, leapt out, was caught a heart-beat from pouring remainder through car's open sun-roof onto driver's head.

Thanks to my brake dabbing and fog-light flicking, the car behind us had stopped short by several feet..
Car behind that did not stop short of him..
Nor did the next few.
We zig-zagged around the little car, went on our way.
Meanwhile, those scattered by-standers hauled the perp from his vehicle and delivered 'Percussive Maintenance'...
And, in the opposite lane, a succession of 'rubber-neckers' became entangled,
Ensuing 'jam' made the local TV news.
"Oh, look ! There's that bus ! And that little car !!"

[JBG]

Yes but at least Sydney drivers are somewhat considerate. Melbourne drivers seem to combine an ill tempered lack of manners with a vast overestimate of their abilities.

We could cavil on the ninth part of a hair here, best to do it over a beer and a good steak!

Jonathan