Left hand turns can be hazardous if you don't know what to look for. This video demonstrates various situations, along with some tips for executing the turn safely. For more information on driver education from AMA visit bit.ly/1BxZr4e
Before watching this my dumb self turned left sped through and a truck facing me(he had his right of way) honked loud at me. Seriously need to learnt this to get my license this month.
It's not that hard. You wait for oncoming traffic to yield then proceed. It's like without a sign or a light telling you what to do people just shut down and stop functioning.
Why don’t all intersection have a left turn light to avoid all these nonesense! Thanks for this video, this will save my life from potential accidents.
Many that I've seen here in Brazil just outright avoid forcing cars to turn left while throwing traffic at them. In the case of the light intersection of the video, the cars from the top would have a red light forcing them still while the cars at the bottom can safely turn left, instead of this weird "just do it when possible lol, try not to crash btw".
I agree , I wish all intersection have left turn light. Sometimes the people behind me are so annoying and honking at me when I can’t see if the vehicles are clear or not. Is not like they are going to pay for it when I get into an accident. I’ll take my time , if they can’t wait for few sec then they shouldn’t be driving , they need manage their anger
@@lakeatman504 Reminds me of a time in which I needed to go to a lane on the left, but I still was on the single lane before the split and couldn't just invade the other side of the road because of a yellow line. People behind me didn't like it and kept endlessly honking and throwing insults, as if I was willingly interrupting traffic or something.
@@maxwellsterling ikr I understand. I don’t get how people just driving like that. When I am behind the wheel is not just my safety but others too. I mean even a minor accident can cause too mush stress
@@maxwellsterling I would honk if we are going straight and the light is green but even then I just gentle honk because excessive honking cause distraction to other drivers too
General principle for safety regardless how many or how few years you have experience driving: IF YOU CANNOT SEE, DO NOT GO. (- except if oncoming vehicles across all those oncoming lanes have come to a full stop already and you have to clear the intersection. Those vehicles became your shield and its your responsibility to clear out of the intersection).
Something very important is to keep your wheel straight until you are making the left turn. It reduces the potential multiple accident. If someone runs into the back of your car, you could be pushed into the path of another vehicle.
So true, but unfortunately this is probably the first time I'm seeing this mentioned. I always see people position their car in such a way that even the slightest bump might cause them to run into oncoming traffic - with the wheels turned and the front already sticking out in the opposing lane.
This is how I failed my test two days ago. The worst part is, I would never have made the mistake of turning left prematurely under normal conditions. The pressure of the test made me blind to the oncoming vehicles. Next Thursday I try again! EDIT: I did just fine! So can you:)
EC LOGS, interesting. I saw a few drivers doing lane changes FROM the left turn lanes. I don't remember seeing anybody making a right turn from a left turn lane.
@@Patricio4Christ That's actually possible and legal on many intersections in Melbourne, Australia. They drive on the left, so a right turn is their equivalent of your left turn. It's called a "hook turn" and is used to reduce delays to trams. The procedure for making a hook turn is to first wait for the green light, then pull into the intersection as left as possible, and then wait for the light on the intersecting road to turn green, which is when you may finally turn right.
@@NewBuildmini That sounds dangerous. It sounds similar to the jug handle turns that we do in New England, except without dedicated infrastructure to do so. A jug handle turn, is where a left turn is split into a turn to jug-handle shaped right turn, that first turns to the right, and then back to the left, so that you can go straight across the intersection. If it existed in Australia, you'd have a jug-handle on the left, that turns your right turn into a straight crossing.
@@NewBuildmini Ok, so you queue up in front of the traffic from the left, and become first in line when they have a green to proceed. Now I get it. I know I've had to do that kind of move all the time on a bike, but I didn't see how you could possibly have enough space to queue cars to do the same. I'm surprised your link actually shows people stopping on the trolley tracks. Stopping on rail in any form, is something they advise US drivers to avoid, since any rail vehicle has a lot less stopping traction and a lot more mass to do damage to you.
No they do not. Roundabouts are absolute bullshit and make the roads completely unsafe because there is no break in traffic flow to cross a road safely.
The "keeping wheels straight" tip is important and should have been given more emphasis. Too many people turn their wheels in anticipation, while stopped waiting for traffic to clear. If they get rear-ended they are propelled into a head-on collision.
I don't think the reason for keeping wheels straight was ever mentioned in the video. Good that you pointed it out. That's what we were taught about 45 years ago.
@@greyone40 If you take the road test in Manitoba you had better know that little tidbit. If you turn the wheels hard left while waiting for the opening, it is an automatic failure. Foot on the brake or not.
I keep my wheels straight but there’s no guarantee that if you get hit from behind you won’t hit a car in front of you who’s also waiting to turn left from the opposite direction
Vids like these are really nice, I have a darn near *phobia* of driving in general and all these complex things to remember when turning left had me extra freaked out. This helped me feel a bit better about it, though. Pray for me, guys XD
All Left turns must wait. It's the law. You can enter the middle of intersection If everyone else has a red light and you have the green light until you know it's safe you can go.
Left turns can be sketchy, especially in the case where a large vehicle is blocking your vision to oncoming traffic. But a bit of practice is all you need and you will get used to it.
Many experienced drivers still fail to understand some of the rules, left turns are a major cause of traffic accidents. Biggest takeaway is do not rush it, the worst case scenario is making the left turn after the light turned red which is perfectly fine as long as you are already in the intersection.
Unprotected left turn lanes are the bane of my existence.. What determines whether it is unprotected? Arrows on the road and the light? All the left turn lanes I've been have always been protected and there was never any oncoming traffic.
+aldrick barber In my understanding, a protected left turn is when you see the green left arrow, and then you are "protected by law" to proceed and turn, regardless of oncoming traffic, but you still need to yield to pedestrians, if any, even if they're crossing illegally. Guess why I know that? Because the first time I failed, it was because a pedestrian illegally running across the street when I had my protected turn under the greed arrow! And yeah, pedestrians are ALWAYS the boss, so I was failed...
Here when turning left we always know there are no other cars coming and no pedestrians passing. I visited other countries and it was really f-ed up having to yield for incoming traffic on a GREEN light.
If there's only a green ball without any arrows, it usually an unprotected left turn. Though in some situations the intersection may be configured for only 1 approach having a green light at a time. (In many Canadian provinces excluding BC a flashing green light indicates that). Left turn lanes are not required for a protected left turn. There are many narrow roads without them. Just use common sense. If the light turns green and oncoming cars are stopped, it's likely that they have a red light, and in that case you should be good to go. On the other hand, if they proceed, then it is an unprotected left turn and you should follow the advice given in this video.
+Gonzalo Estévez I don't really see it a problem to follow other cars and enter the intersection and wait while keeping the front wheels straight, as long as you make individual judgments as to yield to oncoming traffic and pedestrians on the left side of the road and not follow the turn of other vehicles. BTW I failed twice in LA, both in left turn situations, the directions I receive from different coaches and examiners are sometimes contradicting. Anyways I hope I pass at the third time!
LAPD doesn't usually enforce the law if you're turning left on red. In fact, if it wasn't for cars turning on red, traffic might be even worse. That being said, it's still illegal. So it's more like an unwritten rule. Tough break. Try the test somewhere outside of LA or in a different part of town.
I didn’t know you were supposed to until this video. I have always been worried about oncoming traffic not letting up and getting stuck in the intersection after my light turns red
@@dylanv3813 even if you are in the intersection & the light does turn red , you have to clear still So you’re ok being if you’re in the intersection and the light changes
@@jorgeo1492 "1 car at a time" is a ridiculous rule in my opinion. I don't see anything wrong with more than 1 car in the intersection. And where I live, it doesn't specify how many vehicles may advance at a time luckily.
the most difficult left turn scenarios I had was a big truck taking a left turn at the oncoming traffic blocking the view, and there are also pedestrians crossing, so it is really blind and you would have to kinda act as a "snake" and see if the other oncoming traffic lanes are clear
This is the turn that causes the mort accidents and yet know Motor vehicle in any states puts out anything about this wow. So my questions is about that large truck that wanted to make a left turn at the same time as the car and they both show up at the intersection at the same time. ????????????????
Use common sense.. If you're turning left & there's another vehicle in the oncoming lane turning left as well.... If you both have a clear field of vision around each other's vehicles as to approaching traffic from behind & it's clear to do so You both or each singlularly make your turns. In the case of the Larger vehicle blocking your view, You wait for it to make its turn & then proceed with your own when it's safe to do so. This way you are not the cause or victim of an accident by turning out blindly.
This video is 5 star and covers all angles... some comments make this video out to be dramatic but the bottom line is that car accidents are costly mistakes. Car accidents are not on purpose. This video displays a defensive driver or a driver who thinks for “everyone” We can pick up bad driving habits because we drive and get away with stuff but we can always drive better . We must remain students of life , we must remain students while driving just remembering we can always learn something different/new along the way I have driving experience of 6+ years. Car accidents are more dependent on driving habits (good and/or bad) . You can be a Great driver! You still are not exempt from car accidents ! Don’t be hard headed, see the biggest picture !
0:59 is perfectly normal by the law, because there are 2 lanes, and the right turning driver should pick up the right lane (closest to him) same goes for the left turning (left lane), it does not creating any tension if people do it right.
But if you lane drive, each of you should be parallel to one another while turning at the same time. If they crash into to one another, then I suggest, throwing away your keys, never to drive again.
In the State I live in, it's illegal for left or right turns to turn into the lane not for them, so left turn makes a left and hits the right lane car because left turn decided to go to the right lane immediately instead of doing it the correct way, left turn is at fault
@@zacharywindover9840 This would make sense in a single lane scenario but in the video, each vehicle has their own lane. If you're turning left you stay in the leftmost lane and if you're turning right, you stay in the rightmost lane. I do understand what the video is getting at, there is no guarantee the vehicle turning right will stay in the right lane, so to be safe you do not want to be next to it.
Awesome video! Awesome! Ocala, Florida Officer A. Colon gave me a warning ticket in the forenoon of 1/19/18 that said I "Ran Red Light" , even though I was the only car making a left turn, and I had stopped in the intersection with entire car in the intersection and a past the crosswalk , with a Green light for several seconds (about 15) before oncoming traffic came to a stop, when the light turned Red. At first he said: "I will have to issue a ticket for Running the Red Light." After I disagreed with that, he said, " I'm just going to give you a written warning" and that warning has the box checked "Ran Red Light." Colon said " You didn't stop at the solid bar by the crosswalk and wait for all oncoming traffic to clear." I said Go to any Driving School video on RU-vid and watch "making a left turn with no left-turn arrow. Posted By: Former Driver's Education Instructor.
That's bullshit. You have to pass that white line when that light is red to be a violation. If the light changes while you are in the intersection, you have the right to complete your turn. Another car can't just drive right into because they have a green light. You can't just drive into the intersection when it is blocked with cars.
This is why most delivery vehicles end up taking rights turns rather than left turns, since they can save so much more money and even time in some cases. It really tells you something...
If you can strategically order your destinations so that you only take right turns, it can be a huge time saver. The one thing a delivery driver has that most drivers do not have, is the flexibility to re-arrange the sequence of destinations.
Wow, this seems so dangerous, if there is so many way to fail and so few way to succeed, it doesn't sound like a good idea to begin with. Either tweak the lights timing so it's safer (no risque of colision for a short time), or do a roundabout.
There are some intersections without left turn lanes nor lights that are borderline impossible to cross. The only way to turn is to wait for traffic to stop at a red and immediately turn before the light turns green for the cross roads.
Failed my first driving test mostly due to a left turn. Always remember to look before performing the turn and during the turn. In my case, a car came from the right during the turn and if the examinar hadn't stopped it would be a crash.
The video is very much effective. Every driver should watch and understand the learning. May we use the videos for the drivers of Bangladesh prior to acknowledging your credentials.
I witnessed a crash like that at 1:13 - 1:19 yesterday because a woman was making a left turn with a Ups truck in front of her also turning left and the both turned left at the same time but she got hit because she didn't see the on coming car approaching the intersection. Good video by the way. Thumbs up.
It's best to wait for the next light cycle, when the large vehicle has cleared the intersection completely. This is why protected left turns, controlled by arrows are the better design. Even better, is on-demand protected left turns, where the signal only gives out protected left turns when a turning vehicle is detected. Left yield on green circle is still allowed, just not compulsory.
Ok that was the explanation to easy situations. What about when you are in the middle of intersection and the light turns yellow? What about when that happens and a pedestrian is on the crosswalk while the signal is turning from yellow to red? That kind of stuff is the hard parts...
And other thing. The animation itself shows that if two cars are going to turn left in opposite directions, they will front crash for sure. And that is the 2 things that made me fail at the test btw..
Hi Lauro, good questions! If you have entered the intersection and are waiting to turn as the light changes, you want to make sure that the oncoming traffic is coming to a stop, and that the crosswalk is clear, then proceed to complete the turn and clear the intersection once you have confirmed it is safe. The important part is to not panic, and make sure you are safe to proceed.
Unfortunately, I cannot see the part in the video that shows two left-turning vehicles in a collision. If you mean where one is turning left and the other is turning right, this is an unsafe manoeuvre. Though legal, it is not recommended due to the increased crash risk.
Thanks for that. about the pedestrian again. So I should only turn the wheel and began to accelerate only when no pedestrians are in the crosswalk anymore? Because that would block the traffic for sure. Some pedestrian takes a lot of time to cross the street. Or should I turn and accelerate and them I stop at the incoming crosswalk? Know what I mean?
About both doing left turn. I mean two cars on opposite direction turning left at the same time. Look what I did on the link, I use the same radius of curvature and look what happened. I basically dont know how much to do because one time is to short and the other is too wide. Its seems pretty arbitrary. postimg.org/image/he1j58bq5/
There's so much more than this. A 2 minute video is actually a disservice. When i teach this it takes almost 20 minutes. There's lots of variables that should be covered like being in a rush, speed of traffic, judging gaps, size of intersection, how to roll out properly, eliminating blind spots...
@ 1:00 Both cars can proceeded to safety turn on a green. THERE ARE NO RULES BYLAWS OR LAWS IN ALBERTA about two cars going the opposite direction with one turning left into their designated lane while a car turning right at the same time in to its designated lane. If a car passes the line and hits another that driver is at fault. Dash cam footage is key in these situations because for the insurance company to determine fault its as easy as seeing which car had to swing back into their lane after the impact. Without dash cam footage it can be a little tricky to determine who took the turn wide. This maneuver is no more difficult then taking a double left turn with a vehicle turning beside you, almost treat it with the same rules (if the vehicle taking the right while you are taking left turn is a bigger truck or semi with a wider turn angle maybe let them turn first and don't block the intersection incase of on coming traffic but if its some small sedan both of you should be able to turn lane in to lane)
In the situation where the truck is coming from the opposite side and also trying to turn left... which vehicle turns left first? You or the truck? The animation makes it look like a stalemate
Turning left at the same time a vehicle is turning right into the adjacent lane is permitted here. Both drivers are to turn into their inner most lane. Doesn't always work out that way.
@@farahbchara4736 it's only dangerous if one of the drivers isn't following the rules of the road. Drivers turning right must use the inside lane only.
How far enough does the oncoming cars that are coming straight and oncoming cars turning right have to be for you to make a turn left? Having trouble with judging the distance
where i live no intersection has things like this, everything has a dedicated left turn arrow or forbidden left turn so you have to continue and find a safe u-turn spot or a dedicated safe u-turn lane/bridge/underpass
Thank you very much for your traffic simulation videos in RU-vid like this. I'm from Vietnam and I want to make some video like this to education traffic law for students in schools. I would like to look for software that you use to make the video like this. Could you give me the name and website address of this software? I Best Regards.
yes you have to, but even if it weren’t required it is safer to do so. if you pull into the intersection, the turn takes less time so you don’t risk getting hit by oncoming traffic
In 2:14, what if the area has high foot traffic which means there's too many people crossing the street at different times during the duration of the green light? Can I still complete my left turn after my green light turns red? It seems impossible, especially in crowded cities, to be able to make a left turn wherein both criteria of not having any cars on the opposite direction AND not having pedestrians crossing the street are satisfied.
Hey! Just letting you know - if you enter an intersection while the light is green or yellow planning to make a left turn and while you are yielding to oncoming traffic, and the light you are facing turns red, you are still allowed to complete your turn as you legally entered the intersection. The cars who have been waiting on a red coming the other two directions to the left and right of you will have a green light, but will be forced to wait for you to exit the intersection to proceed.
I’m a first time driver I got really confused turning left at an intersection and in my mind I thought the light in front of me was for forward moving vehicles there was no arrow indicating to turn left .. I ended up looking at the vehicles that were stoping instead of the light , I went and the police flashed their lights behind me he was understanding but very serious told me I could have caused an accident and it’s 10:15 pm I’m lucky it wasn’t 3 in the afternoon it could have been a terrible accident. He left me off with a warning and told me I don’t think you want to deal with a ticket I thanked the officer and went on driving home from work . A went to google maps and noticed that I was not looking at the correct light and proceeded when it was not yet my turn
If every light controlled intersections have left turn lights installed, all possible crashes shown in the video involving a left turn can be avoided, and you won’t need to memorize all of this
You failed to mention the most common left turn mistake I’ve seen. Cutting the turn too tight and crossing into the oncoming traffic lane (slowing down a bunch and coming super close to traffic if there’s a car there; sometimes even clipping the front of the vehicle)
Anyone who makes that kind of maneuver isn't ready to be driving by themselves yet. That's the kind of maneuver an absolutely unaware and unskilled driver makes....and they shouldn't have a license.
If you don’t have a clear view do not proceed. Wait until the lights turn Amber/red (both vehicles should still be able to see the lights) and the oncoming traffic slows/stops then clear the intersection before the next phase of lights turn green. This is exactly the same procedure all vehicles should use when making a left (at lights). If the visibility is poor or it is clear that proceeding into the intersection could actually obstruct your view simply hold back and wait until the other vehicle is clear.
I’m confused. If the light is green and I am turning left I can go right away or do I wait for incoming traffic. Or if the green arrow is on with the green light (I suppose both lights need to be on at the same time) I can turn left with not much precaution because incoming traffic is at hold? They get the red light?