People have to make snap judgments all the time in traffic, and the ability to quickly make the safest choice generally improves with the more experience someone has at the wheel. Some decisions about travel are made ahead of time, such as choosing a destination and planning the route that a motorist will take. Others happen in the moment, such as hitting the brakes or choosing a new route when someone is clearly impaired at the wheel ahead on the road.
Most people don’t expect that the choices they make while driving will lead to a crash, but inevitably some people make mistakes or make the wrong choice in traffic and a serious collision results. There is one particular decision or maneuver that is far riskier than many others. Especially when traveling on surface streets, the decision to turn left can have unanticipated consequences.
Left-hand turns cause many collisions
A review of collision data makes it clear how dangerous left turns are in the United States. Vehicles operate on the right side of the road, which means that left turns make a vehicle cross every other lane of traffic at most intersections. When looking at an analysis of what driving decisions people make immediately prior to a crash at an intersection, researchers have found that approximately three-fifths of such collisions involve at least one person conducting a left turn.
People are becoming more aware of the risk that turning left generates. More municipal planners now seek to include alternate systems, like roundabouts, at busy intersections. Delivery companies use software to plan efficient routes that minimize how often their drivers turn left. There is even a push to increase the duration of yellow lights at stoplights to give those turning left more time to complete their turns.
However, such changeovers take years to complete. For the time being, turning left at major intersections is a necessity in many cases. Still, drivers can choose to be strategic about when they turn left and where they do so. Sometimes, doubling back or changing a route to approach from the other direction could help decrease someone’s chances of being involved in a collision. In this way, learning more about which choices increase the chance of a crash might help someone reduce their personal risk of a wreck.
