For a normal car in a normal intersection, I think it’s just poor driving skill. These people don’t wait until they’re far enough into the intersection to make the turn without hitting the curb with the rear wheel, so they make up for that by shooting to the left as you describe.
On narrow streets with tightly radiused corners “going wide” seems the most reasonable method to take a right turn. For those of us who have driven many cars and trucks without power steering “going wide” just comes natural.
When you ride a motorcycle on a race track you learn how to read a corner. Most drivers start a turn too early have to let up a bit mid turn and then turn the wheel more at the end to finish the turn. This is a deadly practice on a motorcycle, so you learn to read a turn enter it and maintain the same radius throughout the turn to the end.
On left turns you see driver’s doing the same thing only here they clip the middle of the turn and come too close to cars waiting to turn or go over the white lines marking the center of the road.
A proper set up for a right turn would be to set up for the turn in the left side of right lane about 50 to 100’ before the turn, slow down to the appropriate speed, wait until the front wheels have entered the intersection then turn the wheel so you end up on the left side of the right lane of the street you are turning into. Weaving means misreading the turn and indicates a flaw in the technique.
Now if you are driving a semi- all bets are off. How the truckers manage those monsters on tight streets is just amazing.
Simply poor driving practice. Professional drivers driving long vehicles will move to the edge of the lane that gives them the outside arc, in order to allow their rear wheels room to cut the inside arc, ahead of time and in preparation for the turn. Bad drivers are the only ones that suddenly swing back and forth across the lane line.
Tractor trailer drivers will often find it necessary to swing wide and use both lanes to make a tight turn, but when they do they make every effort to make what they’re doing obvious to motorists well ahead of the actual turn, and in fact will try to make it impossible for motorists behind them to mistake their intentions and try to swing around them on the bad side. Like every population, they have a few “bad apples”, but generally they’re the most “far thinking” and considerate drivers on the road.
There is an intersection in Cordoba with a Stop-on-red line back the width of the adjacent gas station, maybe 5 or 6 car lengths. I assume there are big trucks with drive through that intersection.
Of course, maybe I miss the point and it’s actually to let cars exit the gas station with a line of cars waiting at the light.
*** Tractor trailer drivers will often find it necessary to swing wide and ***
Yes and it is not only smart to give them all the room you can, but it makes you safer.I usually ‘apex the turn’ on my motorcycle, staying within my lane of course, mostly because it’s fun.
Also, as a bonus, it probably pisses off the only person on the entire planet who knows how to drive.