<p>I was taught to always PASS a vehicle coming from the opposite direction in an intersection before turning left across that vehicle’s lane, so that I 'd pass behind the oncoming vehicle – even if the vehicle has indicated an intention to turn to its left across my own lane.</p>
<p>That makes good sense to me. One wouldn’t turn in front of and across a (close) oncoming vehicle that had no intention of turning. So, if a vehicle DOES intend to turn across one’s lane doesn’t it still make sense to turn AFTER both vehicles have PASSED eachother than both turning BEFORE a pass?! Why? - for the very real possibility that the oncoming vehicle MAY NOT TURN.</p>
<p>Yet, this is how driving is done where I live. So, I’m wondering if this trust-dependent maneuver is practised in other parts too.</p>
<p>This is one of my pet peeves (if you’re describing what I think you’re describing). </p>
<p>So I’m sitting at a T intersection, waiting to turn left. A car comes from my right intending to turn left. That bozo stops before me, intending to let me go before s/he turns left. </p>
<p>What happens next? I turn, and THE CAR BEHIND THE BOZO HITS ME. Why? Because it has the right of way and didn’t see me turning as the BOZO turns after me.</p>
<p>I usually wave the Bozo on and incur his/her wrath. Like I’m supposed to look INSIDE his/her car to have a visual eye to eye telepathic communication with him/her. Ugh. </p>
<p>Please: go around me. Pass me and turn left. Then I’ll take my turn if it’s all clear. Please don’t sit there and lean on your horn trying to be nice while you set me up for an accident. There are reasons for rules of the road.</p>
<p>I never take the kindness of strangers at an intersection but prefer to follow the correct rules of the road because they are obstructing traffic with their “courtesy.”
I do not want to encourage them to direct traffic, but to follow the rules as they are written. Get lots of ugly looks but I don’t care.
Learn to drive!</p>
<p>My husband and I argue about this all the time. He believes as you do, (if I’m understanding you correctly) that you both turn behind each other. I guess that would work if there was plenty of room and you were the only two cars on the street, but often I find that if I pull out into the intersection, there is no room for the other car to pass behind me. And likely the car behind me has pulled out right on my bumper, and the car behind the other guy has pulled out too. So we’re in a deadlock. The only way to keep moving is to pass in front of each other. Yes, there is the danger that the other person won’t turn, but if they’ve got their turn signal on and you can see their wheels are turned, then you just have to trust that they’ll turn.</p>
<p>It depends on the type of intersection - in a lot of signal controlled intersections normally you’d turn facing each other. Consider intersections with left turn arrows where both directions are making left turns at the same time as a stream of cars - it’s always done nose to nose rather than after the cars passed each other, which clearly wouldn’t work with streams of cars making both lefts. You’re also supposed to turn into the nearest lane, the furthest to the left for a left turn, if there are multiple lanes heading the same direction and that might be difficult to do if both cars pass each other.</p>
<p>I think it really depends on the particular intersection so we could both be right depending on what you’re picturing.</p>
<p>A vehicle turning left is required to yield to oncoming traffic. Turning left (what you’re calling passing) should be done after the oncoming vehicle has cleared the intersection if it is going straight.</p>
<p>However, if two vehicles entering an intersection in opposite directions are both turning left, they turn in front of the other, not behind each other. It’s the way that our intersections are designed.</p>
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<p>Minor technicality, but your state laws likely don’t give BOZO the right of way. Rather, your state laws require you to yield the right of way to bozo. </p>
<p>It’s a minor technicality but something that most or all states adopted to encourage defensive rather than offensive driving.</p>
<p>Nobody has the right of way, but the laws define who is required to yield the right of way.</p>
<p>My sister’s rule in Chicago driving was the nicest car yields. Nice as in “most expensive.”</p>
<p>I agree with engineer above. My mom once was turning left out of a hospital parking lot where there was construction in the road. Someone turning into the hospital waved her out into the lane and she went…and t-boned the guy roaring around Mr. Waver. Mom was at-fault.</p>
<p>I too wish people would follow the law and rules of the road. Those waving types at intersections annoy me. They think they are being helpful and they are increasing the accident rate.</p>
<p>Here in New England, “It depends.” We have lots of narrow roads, say 12’ lanes with a 2’ shoulder, so passing before turning left isn’t done (unless you want to spend some time offroading). And we have a number of intersections that aren’t a perfect cross, which means that in order to turn left after passing you first have to turn right to avoid the oncoming car. And then there are intersections where roads aren’t at right angles to one another. And if you spend any time in Boston you’re sure to run across intersections with more than four roads converging on them. Safety first I tell my kids, but use a little common sense too.</p>
<p>I agree with sryrstress’ point though. It’s awfully easy to involve yourself in another person’s impatience.</p>
<p>What Hugcheck is describing is constantly done in the Pittsburgh area (they think they are being nice, it just slows things down as everyone is trying to figure out the others’ intentions). I sit in my car yelling at them to just take their turn. They stop and want me to turn left onto a 4 lane road with traffic whizzing by in the right lane! Or they will stop in front of me for no reason than to let someone out in front of them. I don’t mind if there is a red light or a stop ahead, but that is not always the case. You could be driving along at 35 mph and someone stops in front of you to let a turner out with no reason to slow down ahead. It’s fun teaching kids to drive and reminding them about the Pittsburgh rules to avoid. </p>
<p>Drivers also assume that when a traffic light turns green, you will wait for them to make a left turn in front of you before you proceed straight through.</p>
<p>Regarding the OP, with two cars approaching each other, I would never assume a turn signal meant I should go in front of the oncoming car, unless it was at a traffic signal with arrows for turning left.</p>
<p>The rules of the road exist to prevent accidents. One does not have the right to change the rules (waving those through who do not have the right of way) is one sees fit.</p>
<p>Those who don’t have the right of way but take it anyway are just as bad.</p>
<p>Example: There are times I do not turn on my left turn signal until the last second to prevent the yahoo at the stop sign wanting to go left from cutting me off as I make my turn ( I have the right of way).</p>
<p>In 50+ years of driving, the only accident my father ever had was when someone in an inner lane of a 4-lane road did just that, waved a left turning car through a line of traffic. He was coming in the outside lane and couldn’t see them coming until they were in his lane. Of course, he was not at fault, and it’s too bad that only the turner got the ticket, because the waver was just as at fault. Fortunately, no one was hurt but my dad was esp. upset because the turner was an 89-year-old woman driving her 70-year-old daughter to the doctor!</p>
<p>I was almost rear-ended this evening because an idiot on a 4-lane road with center left turn lane came to a complete stop in the inner lane–instead of the turn lane–before turning left into a gas station. I had my car under control and had no problem stopping but it sure didn’t look like the guy behind me did. I flashed my brake lights and finally turned the flashers on briefly to get his attention. It was also one of the few times I used my horn emphatically!</p>
Mostly where I am, people don’t pull out in front of you in that situation, although some do. The delayed signal technique runs the risk that the left turner cuts it close to your back-end and possibly hits you if he’s got a heavy foot. </p>
<p>My pet peeve is people who “cut the corner” on their left turns rather than squaring it off a little more. I know its not possible to completely square it off, but it seems a large minority of drivers create a “hypotenuse” route on left turns that can surprise you if you’re not alert. These are the jokers who are always “eyeing” you as they turn when you are first at an intersection because they see you as being in-their-way.</p>
<p>Here in Massachusetts, what I described happens all the time. I even spoke to a friend who runs a driving school, and at the state-mandated parent meetings, he begs parents to teach their kids the correct right of way rules–do not teach them to “wave” on people waiting to take lefts, and not to take lefts if you don’t have the right of way, just because is taking a left into your street.</p>