You may have heard people talk about the dangers of turning left. For instance, some delivery companies advise their drivers to avoid left turns entirely unless they have no other choice. If possible, it would be better for them to make three right turns and go around the block to get to their destination.
This may come as a surprise because it seems so inefficient. Why not just make a single left turn?
The problem is that left turns dramatically increase the odds of a serious accident. A longer route with a much lower accident risk is actually more efficient – and keeps people safe.
Why is turning left so dangerous?
The biggest reason that turning left is dangerous is just because drivers are typically crossing oncoming traffic lanes. This is true if they’re at an intersection or if they’re just turning left across the road and pulling into a driveway. Traffic is coming toward them and they have to wait for a safe gap before they turn.
Technically, they could turn left safely. But it only takes one single mistake by one person to cause an accident.
Maybe the driver misjudges the gap. Maybe an oncoming driver is speeding. Maybe it’s a four-way stop, and another driver mistakenly believes that it’s their turn when it is not. Maybe the driver is turning left at night, so they think the road is clear because they don’t see any headlights, but a drunk driver is actually approaching them with the headlights off.
These are just a few examples, but every left turn requires everyone involved to make the right decision for it to be safe. It’s so dangerous for drivers to turn left because they can only control their own decisions. If another driver negligently hits their vehicle during a turn, they could suffer serious injuries and may need to seek financial compensation.
