No Left Turns
For Safe Driving, Avoid Left Turns
I wasn't aware of the "make no left turns" credo that many drivers follow until a few years ago. I made a left turn at a stoplight but my timing was off; that is, I ran a red light according to the all-knowing traffic camera at the intersection.
I was steaming mad! But it was my own fault. I had a habit of trying to beat the light, going through a yellow light at left turns.
To avoid getting points on my driving record, I had to pay a big fat fee to attend a defensive driving course. This is where I learned about the no left turns deal.
No Left Turn image is in the public domain, courtesy of Ltljltlj at Wikipedia.
Companies Reconfigure Routes
No Left Turns
At the mandatory defensive driving course I took, I first heard about the practice of making no left turns. Some people and companies route their driving trips to avoid left turns for several reasons:
- Making no left turns reduces costs because drivers don't sit with their vehicles idling at intersection.
- With no waiting, drivers save time, which is money.
- They avoid getting traffic tickets like I got!
I like Defensive Driving's explanation of how to make left hand turns, right hand turns, and u-turns.
Avoiding Left Turns
"Along with altering shipping routes, companies have slowed trucks to boost gas mileage, stepped up tire-pressure checks for the same reason, combined deliveries and deployed technology to improve routes - to the point of avoiding left turns because waiting for lights or for traffic to pass can consume more fuel than driving alternate routes."
Source: USAToday
Safe Driving Advice - Read and learn
Restrict Left-Hand Turns
"Reconfiguring routes. Office Depot handles
24 million deliveries a year from
warehouses to stores or customers.
Three years ago, the retailer deployed software from a division of UPS to design routes to maximize the number of deliveries on each while minimizing time and distance, says Yalmaz Siddiqui, director of environmental affairs. One trick: restrict left-hand turns."
Source: USAToday
Companies Enforce No Left Turn Rule - for their delivery drivers
- No left turn: Companies try to save fuel as prices rise - USATODAY.com
Companies have altered shipping routes, slowed trucks to boost gas mileage, stepped up tire-pressure checks, combined deliveries and deployed technology to improve routes to the point of avoiding left turns because waiting for traffic to pass can... - How Technology Delivers For UPS
It's a frosty Tuesday morning in February, and Marc Freeman, a veteran driver in Atlanta for United Parcel Service Inc., checks his handheld device and discovers he's in for a busy day: more than 400 packages to deliver, a task that until recently wo - MythBusters Test Right Turn Efficiency GPS Review
MythBusters Test Right Turn Efficiency May 20 2010 I'm a sucker for science, testing, and of course the MythBusters. On last night's episode they tested the "right turn myth"- basically the way they framed the myth was to determine if it is more effi - Life Without Left Turns | Surprising Science
A new study from North Carolina State University says that superstreets, which eliminate left turns, are more efficient than traditional intersections.
If You Must, Here's How to Make a Left Turn
Personal Accounts of No Left Turns
- No Left Turns - Kitchen Table Forum - GardenWeb
This is a place where you can chat about topics not covered by the other forums. Like, why is one leg of the table always shorter than the other three?
Be a Better Driver
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Affiliate Disclosure
This author, Peggy Hazelwood, participates in Amazon, eBay, All Posters, and other affiliate advertising programs. When you click an advertising link on this page and make a purchase, I receive a small percent of the sale. Thank you for reading this far!
