Have you ever watched delivery trucks plan their routes? While they will sometimes have to make a left turn, you may notice that they do it as little as possible. This has been a common trend for delivery companies for some time. They often schedule their routes so that the driver takes the maximum number of right turns, even if that means going around the block to avoid a left.
Why do they do this? Part of it is efficiency, because drivers who are turning left often have to wait in traffic. But another major reason is because left turns are incredibly dangerous. They lead to a disproportionate number of accidents, which can be very costly for a delivery company. It is safer to take right turns and avoid left turns entirely.
Light-controlled turns are safer
One thing that can help is if you are making a left at an intersection, especially if it has a protected turn arrow. If you get a green arrow telling you when to turn left and all other traffic has red lights, you can usually turn safely unless someone makes an egregious error and runs the red light.
But in many cases, left turns are at the discretion of the driver. They have to make a judgment call, looking at oncoming traffic and finding a safe gap. Even if they do this correctly 99% of the time, it only takes one mistake for a major accident to occur. The car that is turning left has to cross in front of oncoming traffic, and even errors made by those oncoming drivers – such as excessive speeding or reckless driving – increase the odds of a crash.
It is important to focus on safety while operating your vehicle, but even if you do not make any mistakes, you could still be injured in an accident caused by another driver. If this happens to you, be sure you know exactly what legal options you have to seek compensation.