WWGD: Right of Way

Kenny_McCormic wrote: I was under the impression pulling into the intersection waiting to complete a left was SOP nationwide.

As ae86andkp61 said about Oregon, this is also illegal in VA. However, so many people in the northern part of the state are transplants, quite a few don't know this rule. It can result in the left turner at a light with no arrow never getting a chance to turn left.

I was driving once in San Francisco on a work trip.

They are pretty space limited there (duh), and they have lots of traffic (duh), so they maximize road space and don't even allow a left turn lane. They also have big signs everywhere saying "no left turn" just making it illegal to turn left. Most places you are forced to take 3 rights instead.

I would bet money that both of those ideas were developed to try and solve the problem that the OP describes.

Driven5 wrote: The 'correct' choice is the one that has the lowest probability of causing an accident, followed closely by the one encourages the most efficient overall flow of traffic. Ideally these should be one and the same. I would typically say that means to just go, but as described in this particular case it sounds like letting them turn first may have been justifiable in addition to being courteous.

Being courteous to the person turning, is discourteous to the people behind you.

Just something to think about when debating right of way vs. being nice to the guy making the left or pulling out of a side street.

I'd say it depends. I travel on a road that has a rather odd intersection where a one-lane bridge T's into a 2 lane road. Both are heavily used by local commuters. It is very common for folks to let left-turning cars in front of them go en-mass to go onto the bridge and then proceeding when an oncoming car is heading straight. A surprisingly courteous thing to do considering New Jersey. Most folks also drive the road daily and know the deal - so there's no hesitation - just moving cars. Things go FUBAR when a newbie enters the mix and doesn't know what to do... or is too busy checking their email...

In reply to jstand:

If a few seconds of my time, and even that of a given number of people around me, will save a few minutes for each of a significant number of other people...That is courteous.

Too many people in this world believe that 'rules' are things that should be set in stone and applied without allowing for any form of intelligent discretion.

Of course, to me that should also apply to the left turner who is going to hold up an entire lane of traffic for a complete cycle of the light. The art of the turn-around (Michigan left) and 3-rights have been lost on the majority of American motorists.

Happy to see most of you have this correct. I instruct my students to strongly consider whether accepting a wave is safe, to follow the ROW. They don't want to be part a "good-samaritan crash."

Whoever has the biggest beard gets the right of way. I am rarely stopped at an intersection.

I thought it was whichever vehicle has the most lug nuts.

Driven5 wrote: I thought it was whichever vehicle has the most lug nuts.

That's usually concurrent with which vehicle would win in a game of chicken, so that holds as well.

In reply to mndsm:

Try combining beard with standard issue gray AO Pilot sunglasses, I find the two work even better combined.

In NY state the law was changed so you can enter an intersection when it is yellow and leave the intersection when it is red without breaking the law. This was suppose to be for left hand turns but now when the light turns red 4 or 5 cars run the light and you are just in the way of the traffic with the green. Someday stop signs and lights will be enforced in NY.

I would never wave someone on or follow a wave, too much liability.

If it was not 2 lanes in each direction, what you have described is the Pittsburgh left, and in most instances here, the turning driver would expect to be able to make that left across oncoming traffic upon the light turning green, and the driver in your position would expect to have to give it. With 4 traffic lanes, that changes. I'd only give it if both lanes in front of me were stopped across the intersection, and if I were taking the left there, I'd still do it carefully, as its a 50/50 whether the other oncoming car will pull into the intersection to make the light.