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The defensive style driving of the Google car won't work in San Francisco where you literally have to break the law in order to turn left (by stopping in the in
by Aloisius 13y ago
The defensive style driving of the Google car won't work in San Francisco where you literally have to break the law in order to turn left (by stopping in the intersection and often finishing the turn on a red).
- josephschmoe 13y agoI suspect if there are large numbers of these vehicles, San Francisco (or more likely California) will have to change the rules its lights follow instead of the other way around. It's hard to argue with a perfectly reasonable, perfectly safe driver.
- ScottBurson 13y agoThat's actually legal. Provided you entered the intersection legally, you have the right-of-way over cross traffic (but not over oncoming traffic, obviously) to exit it. I don't have the California Vehicle Code in front of me, but I'm pretty sure about this because the situation arose during my road test to get my first license (yes, I still remember this, even though it was almost 40 years ago!). I had entered the intersection to turn left, and when the light turned yellow, the tester lady said "clear the intersection" or words to that effect. (I passed.) Anyway it has to be that way -- you can't have cars stuck in the middle of the intersection while cross traffic tries to go around them!
- Aloisius 13y agoI have actually gotten a ticket for this near Mendocino. From the DMV handbook: > If you are turning left, make the turn only if you have enough space to complete the turn before creating a hazard for any oncoming vehicle, bicyclist, or pedestrian. Do not enter the intersection if you cannot get completely across before the light turns red. If you block the intersection, you can be cited.
- DatBear 13y agoI would think this rule (law?) applies more to prevent gridlock... If you don't have enough room to actually be on the other side of the intersection after you've finished the turn, you shouldn't start it.
- ScottBurson 13y agoWhat happened, exactly? I'm guessing you entered the intersection when the lane you wanted to turn into was backed up, so you would not have been able to clear the intersection even in the absence of oncoming traffic. Is that right?
- danielweber 13y agoI think your reading is correct. I haven't lived in a lot of states but they've always said "one car can enter the intersection and wait to turn left." Implicit is the assumption that they have some place to be when the opposing traffic clears.
- Aloisius 13y agoActually it was non-stop oncoming traffic. The last person entered the intersection on a deep yellow. By the time they cleared my car, I was in a red in the middle of the intersection (as were they, but I got the ticket).
- ScottBurson 13y agoAssuming you were the lead car in the left-turn lane, I think the officer erred in citing you. The law can't require you to predict when other people are going to act illegally so you can plan accordingly. It also doesn't make sense that not even one car per cycle is allowed to turn left across such a traffic flow. You could have sat there for hours following that advice.
- thrownaway2424 13y agoThat isn't against the law, that's the DMV-handbook-prescribed way to turn left.
- gre 13y agoYou sound like the kind of person who would watch an entire light sequence and not turn. Ugh.
- blackaspen 13y agoThis has changed somewhat recently. A few years ago the Colorado (yes, I know, not California, but bear with me) driver's education handbook said that this was legal and advised... Now it too says the opposite. Too many people I guess couldn't handle the left turn on yellow.
- hughes 13y agoWhat is the alternative here? Not even enter the intersection until you believe you can complete the turn before the yellow light?
- robotresearcher 13y agoIt already does this just fine.