Near collision

If in doubt , don’t do it, it ain’t worth having a wreck over it… Wait 2-3 seconds for the traffic to clear enough that you will not have an issue…

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Yeah, for sure.

The incident happened just as I exited my residence. I’ve lived here for 13 years and never had this issue until yesterday. No one has ever swept me like that before.

I doubt either driver would be given a ticket if there had been an accident in that situation here in Calif. Or perhaps both drivers would get a ticket, shared blame. I don’t think it is required here to turn directly into the right most lane when turning right ; neither is it required to turn into the left most lane when turning left (from a single left hand turn lane). But you can’t cause an accident when doing either.

I encountered a similar situation one time. Same configuration. I was turning left, and another car turning right. I had three lanes to turn into, all ok, as long as I didn’t interfere w/the car turning right. I turned into the left most lane so to be extra cautious. The car turning right crossed the first lane, then the second lane, then the third lane. At which point they ran out of lanes. So they continued driving over the curb & onto the medium strip, ripping up bushes right and left … lol … I had to come to a stop to avoid an accident. Bush-driver needed a front end alignment afterward … lol

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:joy::joy::joy:

Good info. I’ll always keep this in mind that the person making a right might be unconscious at that point and prepare myself.

It’s too bad that it wasn’t a large/wide strip, because that would have given them more room to maneuver.
:wink:

At least the bush driver waved an apology to me.

I’ve seen driver’s do the loose right turn at the major intersection near where I work but most turn into the proper lane, many turning right to head to the freeway on ramp will take a wide turn right to be in the left lane early but with the green light there’s usually enough room to move over after they’ve made the turn.

I once had a driver switch from the right turn lane to the far left in front of me when I was slowing down on an off ramp that splits into three lanes, luckily I was paying attention and could avoid a collision but i wasn’t expecting someone to do that right at the light.

We do have a few lights where the left turn only has the right of way when traffic clears or there’s a left turn arrow.

You know what confuses me a lot at certain intersection: When my side has the green light ( not green arrow ) and the opposite side has a red.

So, let’s say I’m waiting for the traffic light to change from red to green as shown below……

…… then it turns green……

…… I want to make a left turn but I’m not sure if the light is green for the opposite direction.

Have you guys came across this issue before ?

With arrows, there is no confusion. But around here a lot of traffic lights are without arrows and some lights have the green for both directions and some for only one direction without a sign telling you such.

Oy. If you’re at solid green, then it it also solid green the other way. Yield if going left (including to people coming from the opposite direction turning right).

These days if there is a light cycle that allows a left turn on green with right of way, then you’ll get a green left arrow. No arrow and just a solid green? The opposing traffic has the same.

This is truly not that complicated.

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It should be but that’s not always the case like I’m telling you. I know of at least 4 places around here where if the green is solid for me, it is solid red for the opposite way. This is why I don’t always know if the opposite traffic is going to proceed when my light turns green.

Okay. I did some google search just now and found what I’m searching for. Now I understand why this happens.

From Google “ A traffic light may be red for one direction and green for the opposite direction at an intersection to indicate that vehicles are not allowed to proceed straight through the intersection

So, this means I can proceed straight across through the intersection if I am on the side with the solid green but the opposite direction cannot go straight across because it would lead to a NO ENTER entrance. For the opposite traffic, they would have an arrow.

At some point my dad had to take the keys away from my grandad. Someone needs to take your keys.

Only 41 years old :joy:

Then you should have never been give keys. :joy:

Turning 57 today. I don’t have trouble navigating intersections even when others do the wrong thing. Lesson 1 in driving - expect others to do the wrong thing. Plan for that. Avoid disaster. And then get on with life.

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The crazy part is the DMV book doesn’t mention this in the book but does mention it if you google search the info.

So at times I’m like “ Why won’t the opposite traffic make their turn so I can make mine ?” Not realizing they got the red on their end.

Her “one finger salute” doesn’t necessarily mean that you did anything wrong. Over the past decade or so, I’ve seen an increase in the number of drivers who pull a bone-headed move, and then when others honk at them, the one who was in the wrong gave that one finger salute.

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Apparently the grass area between lanes now come in ( small - medium - large and extra large ).

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A few minutes ago, I saw a Honda CRV attempt to make a left (Northbound) turn out of a strip mall, directly into the path of a Southbound F-150. Fortunately, the Ford driver wasn’t going very fast, and he apparently had good reflexes, so he was able to spare the CRV driver from being T-boned.

However, the woman driving the CRV continued to block Southbound traffic for an extended period of time, until there was space for her to pull into Northbound traffic. As Dave stated in a different thread, some people can’t drive for crap.

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Yeah, my point was I don’t care what the law says or who was wrong. People will be making wrong moves all the time and you have to avoid those mistakes. Consulting a drivers manual make no sense or difference. Not everyone will be driving according to the manual. And some people are just nuts.

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Bing, we as drivers on the road understand that defensive driving is essential. But to say people will make wrong moves and mistakes all the time we have to avoid them is not so simple.

I’m treated on this board as if I’m a danger on the road despite having only one accident on my record in the 20 years I hold a valid driver license, and there was absolutely nothing I could have done to avoid an elderly from running their stop sign. God was on my side that day as there was a cop hiding behind a bush when the collision occurred and he wrote up the elderly for reckless driving.

We can avoid things within our control. Other times, nothing can be done.

I’m sure you will agree that if I drove every single day since obtaining my license and lasted this long on the roads, I must be driving defensively.

There shouldn’t be any shame in asking for clarification on road rules from time to time. If questions aren’t asked, we wouldn’t improve or refresh our memory on things.

This I’m writing isn’t directly aimed at you, even though I chose your name to submit this comment; I’m writing this for everyone to understand that there should be no shame in asking a question.

One love.