Drivers Ed - Making a Left Turn

So the other night, Jess and I were watching the Travel Channel (which has become a new staple at the Gladhill residence) and we saw a preview for a new show called "America's Worst Driver." We immediately thought of a few people we'd like to nominate, but as we continued to watch, it became apparent that the show is designed purely for entertainment and will serve no real purpose in helping to rid our roads of bad drivers. The people on the show are total assclowns - one woman was trying to cut her own hair while driving. My guess is that 90% of it is completely staged and teeters on the edge of unrealistic and fake. Unfortunately, the sad truth is that the majority of people on the road are horrible drivers... maybe not on the same level as the idiots on the show, but it is the everyday Joe Schmoe that is the real pain in your ass, not the woman cutting her bangs behind the wheel.

I'm considering this a Public Service to give people a friendly lesson on how to be a competent driver, so expect more of these in the future. I don't want to overload your brains with too much realness and knowledge all at once, so I'll limit it to one topic at a time. Let me just say this - a car is a dangerous thing. We have come to treat it as an accessory that we just mindlessly use on a daily basis. But in all reality, it has the capacity to kill yourself and other people around you. This does not mean we should be scared of it, but it damn sure means that we should know how to operate and control it with confidence. It is a horrifying thought to consider that you are putting your own life in the hands of thousands of people around you every time you are on the road. Obviously, we can't control the actions of other people, but we are in full control of our own actions. So this is all the more reason that we should be capable and confident in our own abilities behind the wheel.

Lesson 1 - The Left Turn

In America, we drive on the right side of the road. This means that when we make a right hand turn, we do not need to cross any traffic, we simply continue on with the flow of things. However, when we make a left turn things become slightly more complicated. In order to successfully execute a left turn, we must first cross over at least 1 lane of on-coming traffic. This maneuver proves to be nearly IMPOSSIBLE for some people. I'm sure you have found yourself stuck behind an individual waiting to make a turn for what seems to be an eternity. As your frustration builds and you start screaming or honking your horn, you probably don't take a moment to realize that the seemingly incompetent driver is actually paralyzed by fear. Yes, that's right. I am willing to bet that most bad drivers can blame fear and apprehension (leading to indecision) for their ghastly driving. You might notice the tell-tale sign of head bobbing, as they frantically look back and forth to see if there is room to merge into traffic. Really, it is not that difficult. Let me explain.


This is the way my father explained it me when I was learning to drive. He always has a very logical approach to everything, and to me, it makes perfect sense. The problem with the left turn is that you have two directions of traffic you need to take into account. When you make a right turn, you only need to worry about one direction. Most people will keep looking back and forth trying to judge the proper time to make the turn. The problem with this is that it's nearly impossible for your mind to calculate speeds/distances of both sets of traffic simultaneously. The solution is so simple. As you can see in the diagram above, the traffic in the lane you are crossing is represented by the red arrow, while the traffic in the lane you are entering is shown in blue. You'll notice that the red arrow is also larger than the blue one. This was done to illustrate the importance of the left traffic because this is where you need to look first. My dad told me, "look to your left because these are the cars that are going to hit you first." Straight-up, real-ass T. It can't be said any simpler than that - there is no need to look to your right because the cars on your left are the ones that are your immediate danger. Once you have found a suitable gap to cross the traffic on your left, now you can look to your right. If it's clear, then you proceed. If not, then you go back to watching the traffic on your left. No need to break your neck looking back and forth like a moron. There you have it.