[kimba01]

I think I read somewhere that only one other state has lefts like that.

[TrippingJay]

Originally Posted by khfar

My husband just got a ticket for turning left on red, while making a Michigan left. So, who knows.

I think the Michigan left is the weirdest and most time consuming thing. However, I can say that I see FAR fewer accidents here than I saw in TX, so there must be a reason for doing it that way! I guess it's safer.

I live in the DC area where many driver make U-Turns at Left turn intersections, which is unbelievably dangerous. The Michigan U is definately unique, but I would say it actually takes less time to make a U-turn than to wait for a green arrow on a left turn signal, and has been shown to reduce accidents.

Regarding the light on the U-Turn, you cannot turn on red unless it's blinking. I remember from drivers ed that you treat a light at a Michigan U the same way you would treat left turn intersection.

[magellan]

Originally Posted by TrippingJay

I live in the DC area where many driver make U-Turns at Left turn intersections, which is unbelievably dangerous. The Michigan U is definately unique, but I would say it actually takes less time to make a U-turn than to wait for a green arrow on a left turn signal, and has been shown to reduce accidents.

Regarding the light on the U-Turn, you cannot turn on red unless it's blinking. I remember from drivers ed that you treat a light at a Michigan U the same way you would treat left turn intersection.

You can turn left on a red (not blinking), if you are on a one-way going onto another one way in Michigan. A Michigan left turn is treated that way (as someone posted a few posts back). I would do it, unless there is sign that specifically says "NO LEFT TURN ON RED" at a Michigan left.

[A2Mich]

Speaking of weird turns, I remember from years ago, when I was in New Jersey for business, they had many towns with roundabouts(or rotaries, whichever you prefer to call them), and many places with jug-handle turns. Now THOSE were weird. I don't remember exactly how they worked, but I believe you would use these to make u-turns. You would have to make a right onto a side street (usually at a 45 degree angle), then make a left turn (which I believe had a traffic light), proceed to another traffic light and make another left turn. The only place I remember seeing these was on busy roads, but it was worse than the MI U-turns....sometimes you had to drive ridiculously far. For example, I was staying at a hotel in Cherry Hill, NJ, and wanted to go to a convenience store,, which was LITERALLY across the busy road from the hotel. Being a divided highway (with concrete barriers), you couldn't get across the street. Mind you that the store was probably 300 feet from the hotel entrance. I got in the car, turned right onto the one way side, drove to the nearest jug-handle turn, completed my left turn, bought what I needed to, made a right out of the store parking lot, to the nearest jug-handle, completed the asinine turn ritual, and returned to the hotel parking lot. The odometer had clocked over 2 miles to go across the street. How do you arrive at 2 miles? First right turn, then 1/2 mile to jug handle, make left turn, then 1/2 mile to store, right turn from store 1/2 mile to jug handle, make left turn, then another 1/2 mile to hotel. I know that the MI U-turns are annoying as well, but the turnouts are generally much closer together here. Now here in A2, they have added 3 roundabouts on Maple Rd by the new Skyline High School, and I'm surprised that there aren't a large number of accidents in them. As with most roundabouts, every entrance to the circle has a YIELD sign, and you are supposed to give the right-of-way to a vehicle already in the circle. Do you think very many drivers actually yield? Nope....most drive right into the traffic circle at 40mph and hope for the best. But, these new circles are NOTHING like the disaster they built in Brighton....

[jrmontag]

Yeah they've added round-abouts all around the Bloomfield/Farmington/etc. area as well. I was driving with a classmate who is from the UP and he was literally like, "****, what do I do?"

[AVTechMan]

The main thing that took me a little time to get used to was the Michigan "U-Turn" and I admit sometimes that got pretty annoying, having to go way up the road, turn around and then try to make the light before it changed. After I got used to it it wasn't that big of a deal. I think MI is the only state that I know of that does this; mainly of the fact that you cannot make direct lefts at most of the intersections. A few of them you can if you have a blinking red.

[MICoastieMom]

From the August 11, 2008, Detroit Free Press, the definitive word on making Michigan Lefts for all who are confused.

A right and wrong way to make a Michigan Left | Freep.com | Detroit Free Press

[Ivorytickler]

Originally Posted by mrthemike

Ok, so..I just moved to MI.

I found out there is this thing called the Michigan left hand turn where you basically make a right and an immediate u-turn.

Now, the u-turns sometimes have a stop light. But, i've noticed, even if it is red (not blinking) people go...is this, normal? Is this..legal? (doesn't seem legal!)

Yes. A left turn on red onto a one way street is allowed unless posted otherwise. It's the same as a right turn on red when you're in a one way turn around.

[dkf747]

I love the "Michigan Left'!!! That's one thing I wish we had more of here in the DC area. I don't get what is so confusing about them. They make sense to me.

[penn301]

Originally Posted by jrmontag

Yeah they've added round-abouts all around the Bloomfield/Farmington/etc. area as well. I was driving with a classmate who is from the UP and he was literally like, "****, what do I do?"

Yep Jackson Michigan too...