Many people do not enjoy making left turns. They get nervous and stressed out. They may even try to avoid turning left unless they know that they will be at an intersection with a green light or a green arrow.
As it turns out, this fear is justified. Left-turn accidents are one of the most common types of accidents to take place because the driver who is turning naturally crosses opposing traffic lanes. He or she can do this safely if everything goes smoothly, but all it takes is one mistake – potentially by another driver – to cause an accident.
UPS almost prohibits it
To show just how dangerous left turns are, consider the fact that some delivery companies all but prohibit it. They will use GPS systems to design the routes for their drivers. They have found that it is more efficient to have the drivers take more right turns, rather than one left turn because it so drastically reduces the odds of an accident.
Motorcycle riders experience it
Another piece of evidence for the danger of left turns is that they are one of the most common types of motorcycle accidents. Often, the driver who is turning won’t see the motorcycle or will think that it is far enough away that they have space to turn. But the bike is actually much closer than they realize, and the abrupt turn means that there’s no time for the motorcyclist to avoid a collision.
What options do you have?
As you can see, your safety during a left turn largely depends on other drivers. If they make mistakes and injure you, then you need to know about all the legal options at your disposal.