Texas Traffic Laws: Waiting in the intersection to turn left. (Houston: standard of living, move)

[oceangaia]

Originally Posted by baggiegenes

In Houston you can never assume oncoming traffic will stop, even if they have a red. This is where most of the hold-ups occur. If you are already in the intersection, you can get stuck blocking cross traffic as you wait to insure that the person speeding up to the intersection isn't going to run the light that has been red for several seconds. It happens, I've seen it. Even if it is their fault, i don't want to deal with the accident and the hassel.

If it's not clear for you to proceed when turning, it's not clear for the cross traffic either. So by blocking them in such a situation you may be preventing them from getting hammered broadside.

[natalie87mp]

Originally Posted by MXQBLGH

Tell her it's pretty obvious why waiting out in the intersection makes perfect sense. See my post above, watch the youtube vids.
Ask the DMV if you have to. Here in canada, that's how left turns work. Guess what too, it has never caused any problems with gridlock ever.



How on earth do you get yourself stuck in the intersection after the light turns red????? Waiting in the intersection means you WILL turn during that light cycle. If you have to wait til the light changes to red, you can still legally complete your turn (provided that you watch out for cars running that yellow-red light).

Only a moron would park themselves in the middle of the intersection after the light has changed to red.



Ok how on earth can you possibly get t-boned? If you're waiting in the intersection on a green, that means there's oncoming traffic (otherwise u wouldnt be waiting), so the oncoming traffic would act as a shield in the event that some idiot runs a red from your left side. From your right side, it's still quite hard to get t-boned because you're waiting about 2/3 of the way to the middle of the intersection. Cars from the right can't reach you because they are on their side of the yellow line!



as mentioned, only a moron would park themselves in the middle of the intersection after the light has changed to red.
You're supposed to complete your freakin turn by then!



watch the video as stated in my previous post. That's how left turns work!

I agree MXQBLGH 100%- Completely

I appreciate someone who is at last wise..
And it is morons who sit in the intersection, just because it is a "policy" to do so even when it is or they think it is! - - comon, people...
The rules, no matter how seemingly reasonable are still made by some one else - imperfect people.. not God.. I think we forget that and treat rules against our own common sense and prevent ourselves from thinking...- even in case when the rules seem to be dumb or make no sense, - do we all need to continue being dumb and following the dumb?).. This is still U.S. for crying out loud!)..
Just because they are the "rules" and policies, doesn't mean they're the solution or end to problems when you follow them..
I also think that there is no sense in posting of the speed limit - if there's someone out there wanting to be stupid/speed - they will still do it, regardless of the sign and probably to rebel most of the time.. When you post the speed limit, those with no brain do the opposite- - On the other hand, - if you are a normal person and want to get where you're going - you will avoid others, be watchful and not sit there falling asleep in traffic just because of some fool ahead of you.. Look at Germany - they have no problems/compains with the autoban!.. I agree.. -- people are dumb ().. that's why i think we do get stuck in traffic/accidents and things happen - those that can't think "outside the box", for themselves or have naturaly common sense to drive safely for protection from others (defensive driving) and themselves to shouldn't be driving at all - - we can go on and on about that:-) (old people driving?.. ) the system's laws are sadly ridiculous and ugly at times.. - why people who put all their trust in those laws are the ones who end up getting hurt.. I.e. - if my life or someone else's was at risk at any point in time on the road - and if in order to avoid it / prevent it i would have to go outside the "line", drive across the incoming traffic/do whatever.. - in order to protect myself or others from being hurt - am I not going to do that because it is considered "illegal"? Where's common sense in this?).. -There's so much crap about policy and rules, that it's unnecessarily hindering and confusing.. have you ever considered.. for example, that by collecting tickets alone a state can make millions of dollars a year= why else are the damn signs up?).. (my sociology teacher once said - they regulate the speed up/down to control the "population" death/birth rate_(( i don't know that part but the government will always try to do more to be in control as long as we put up with it..
Put your brains on, People! ...()

[CDLMan]

It is completely legal to move out into the intersection when turning left. This is not a matter of public opinion. Please keep traffic moving and get into the intersection when the light is green. For those (and I'm looking at you Nairobi) who do not know the laws, I recommend reading through the rules of the road at the below website.

[url=http://www.texashighwayman.com/laws.htm#WaitingIntersections]Texas Traffic Laws (and good driving habits)[/url]

WAITING TO TURN LEFT
Sometimes, you come to an intersection where you want to turn left and there's a green light but no green arrow. Instead of waiting behind the line, you should move about ¼ of the way into the intersection and wait there. Then, if the light turns red before you can turn, the oncoming traffic will stop and you can complete your turn. (Make sure, of course, that that the oncoming traffic is stopping before you actually turn. Sometimes they'll still have a green even when your direction has a red.) Isn't this considered running a red light, though? No, because you lawfully entered the intersection on a green and other traffic must by law allow you to clear the intersection before they can go (§544.007 (b)). This is not only legal, but it's also recommended. At intersections without left arrows on busy streets, you have to do this if you ever want to turn. How is this legal, though, when §545.302(a)(3) specifically prohibits stopping in an intersection? In this case, the exception provided by subsection (f) allows this action: you're stopping to avoid conflicting with oncoming traffic.

[astrohip]

Originally Posted by Nairobi

If you wait out in the intersection, I'm sorry but I HATE YOU. YOU are the reason accidents and holdups are caused.

Sincerely, Responsible Person with a spotless driving record

Originally Posted by CDLMan

It is completely legal to move out into the intersection when turning left. This is not a matter of public opinion. Please keep traffic moving and get into the intersection when the light is green. For those (and I'm looking at you Nairobi) who do not know the laws, I recommend reading through the rules of the road at the below website.

[my bold]

+1,000,000

It's drivers like Nairobi that make it so challenging to drive these days.

[hugepossum]

We have finally defeated the wait-behind-the-liners. Thanks to everyone for your comments, even the tenacious Nairobi.

Now we should move on the cursed California people who always engage the parking brake when parking a vehicle (and not just in manual transmission cars, where it is somewhat acceptable). I have been told by former residents that they actually teach this practice in their drivers education classes. When questioned about the practice, the usual response is, "Well, it's called a parking brake, what do you think it is for?" to which I respond, "Parking on hills." Be sure to vote in the upcoming poll thread...

[sbhubbell]

Wait a second, what is the problem with engaging the "emergency" parking brake every time you park??? How does that affect anyone but you? (and any potential children that may climb into your car and slip the car into neutral...) Yes, they absolutely teach that practice in drivers ed class, because it is a safety issue when small kids are around. Did you see the recent story about the little kid that rolled his parents car all the way down the block? Wouldn't happen if the parking brake were engaged.

[Sampaguita]

Originally Posted by sbhubbell

Wait a second, what is the problem with engaging the "emergency" parking brake every time you park??? How does that affect anyone but you? (and any potential children that may climb into your car and slip the car into neutral...) Yes, they absolutely teach that practice in drivers ed class, because it is a safety issue when small kids are around. Did you see the recent story about the little kid that rolled his parents car all the way down the block? Wouldn't happen if the parking brake were engaged.

Seriously. What is wrong with using your parking brake every time one parks?

I was taught that in Driver's Ed in NYC so I know it's not a California thing. It's a safety thing.

[DrLizardo]

Originally Posted by Sampaguita

Seriously. What is wrong with using your parking brake every time one parks?

I guess hugepossum was being facetious, maybe not. There's nothing wrong with setting your parking brake, but I would estimate that it's not needed about 98% of the time. This city is as flat as a pancake, with an occasional bump that a charitable person might call a hill. About the only way a car is going to take of rolling on its own is if you push it.

[sbhubbell]

Originally Posted by DrLizardo

About the only way a car is going to take of rolling on its own is if you push it.

Or if a child happens to crawl in and put the car in neutral. Every driveway in Katy has a slight slope. Seriously that is the #1 reason to use a parking brake...it happens far too often.

[hugepossum]

I was kind of joking, but not really. I did have an incident where I was working in California and one of the other employees used the shared (armed forces branch) van immediately before I did. I had actually never driven that particular van before and it seemed like it was stopping a bit jerkily, and maybe made a weird sound or two while I was driving, but nothing major enough to make me stop and say "what the hell is wrong with this thing." Anyway, about halfway through my little trip I found out what the problem was; the guy that had parked the van before me had engaged the parking brake AKA the emergency brake in the van. The parking spot the van was in was flat; I'm talking salt plain flat. So we ended up having a little discussion about it because I was confused as to why anyone in their right mind would do such a thing in an automatic transmission vehicle where there was no chance whatsoever of the van rolling away or some such. He informed me that he had always been taught said procedure when parking. He was from San Jose (although it looks like this is not sequestered to California only).

That is my story. I understand and agree with the comments about there not being a downside to doing this under normal circumstances ie you would remember if you had engaged it because it is your own car etc etc. Funnily enough, back in the day I was one of those kids that was in the family car and rolled it down the driveway into the neighbor's vehicle by taking it out of gear. That was a manual transmission Ford Tempo, though, so pretty easy to do. Basically all new cars have the safety feature where one cannot put a car into Neutral without also depressing the brake and possibly also having the key in the ignition. If the kid can figure all that out, then the E brake is not going to be much of a hurdle.