Damn, y’all are brave. I don’t go darting out the instant the light changes either. I see the light turning green as nothing more than one clue among others that it might be safe to proceed.
I know of no state where this is not true. (In all fairness, I am only familiar with Colorado, Washington & Utah 
)
The laws basically state the oncoming traffic has a duty to “allow traffic to clear the intersection before proceeding from a red light.” or some such verbiage. So…I think someone already said “lillylivered.” That works for me.
Nope. I, too, learned in Driver’s Ed that you’re supposed to pull into the intersection to make a left turn on a solid green. In fact, I got yelled at by my instructor for “ruining the flow of traffic” when I failed to do so.
It was 20 years ago, but it stuck like a groupie’s lips on a rock star’s ass. I always pull out, and secretly wish the wrath of that driving instructor upon the people who don’t.
I agree with the poster who advocated pulling up but still being able to see the lights. I myself pull up as much as I can still see the lights, unless there is an opening I see I will be able to pull in in a few seconds. With one exception.
At intersections that frequently have gridlock, I do NOT pull into the intersection unless I can go. Being the idiot who keeps 10 cars in the turn lane is better than being the idiot who blocks off oncoming traffic when there is no room to turn in to the cross street.
Considering that this thread is about people who don’t do what you’ve described, and most of the posts are in agreement with the OP, ahh, I guess not, huh?
In Australia (Perth, specifically),
I was taught that, when there is no turn arrow, or the arrow is NOT red (i.e., green or no arrow shown), you are obliged to pull 1 or so car lengths ahead of the stop line in order to turn. (And turn if it is safe to do so, or wait until it is safe to turn.)
Location: Orlando
So that would be all of them, then? 
Back in high school when I was pulling out, I sure wasn’t thinking of my Driver’s Ed teacher.
[sub]I was saying a little prayer. “Please, God, next time I’ll be good and buy condoms beforehand!”[/sub]
Not if you freaking go when the light changes.
Man I hate when people don’t get out there. Wasn’t it George Carlin who said that the rule is, you’re supposed to get up far enough so that when the light starts to change, you and three people behind you can go?
I always follow these guidelines.
Even though you use your turn signals as God intended, you put too much faith in your fellow drivers.
So far as I can tell, a number of them must like the clicking noise or think “hey cool, my car lights up when I pull this lever!” And that number is high enough that I will wait until they actually begin to turn before I assume that they really mean that they’re about to go left.
I don’t understand something, If you have a green arrow, shouldn’t the onoming traffic have a red light?
It may “seem” wrong to you, but it is not. If you feel uncomfortable following the rules of the road, you really shouldn’t be driving at all.
Brave? You misspelled suicidal, at least in the Bay Area where cars will enter an intersection at full speed picoseconds before the yellow light goes red, and often after.
However, once a car is there, they should damn well move it.
I don’t know about where Algorithm lives but the traffic code of the Commonwealth of Virginia states:
I think there’s a disconnect here. I think (and please correct me if I’m wrong) you two are confusing definitions of “operating”. I believe what **Boyo Jim ** means by “not operating” is “working, but currently not lit” (i.e. the turn only period has ended, the general green is lit, and you need to get your ass into the intersection). It looks like you have interpreted “not operating” as “broken”.
Your interpretation of my meaning is correct. I could be wrong, but I don’t think Algorithm is misinterpreting my meaning. Algorithm is just uncomfortable pulling out into the intersection in heavy traffic. I think Algorithm has simply made the wrong choice about how to act in the stated situation.
I must insist that pulling into the intersection is even MORE important in roads with very heavy traffic. There are many roads in urban areas like Chicago when the ONLY chance you have to make a left is when your light is transitioning from green to red. You do not and you will not have a long enough break in the traffic flow to turn any other time.
The exception seems to be NYC, if my very limited driving experience there is any indicator. I saw numerous drivers floor it and make a left the instant of (or before) their light turned green, without the protection of a turning arrow. It seemed to be some kind of local unwritten rule that I’ve never seen anywhere else.
A nitpick here, but I think Algorithm is saying that he only does this in intersections that have a controlling green arrow. So then it wouldn’t be true that the only chance you have to turn is when the light is turning red. You would in fact be able to turn at the next cycle, when you get the green arrow.
However, Algorithm is wrong in making that choice. Once that green arrow changes to a solid green light, you treat it exactly the same as any other green light, and pull into the intersection so that you’re ready to make your left turn. The only time you should stop behind the limit line is if left turns are allowed ONLY on a green arrow. If that’s the case, you will get a RED arrow indicating that you must stop.
Turning left after the light has turned yellow, or even red, is not something to be feared. It is a skill that is necessary to successfully operate a motor vehicle. I used to be a driving instructor, and I spent a lot of time on that, because it can be very stressful for beginners. The solution is not to avoid it, but to learn the skill properly in the first place. I am very bothered by drivers who hold up others because they are afraid to follow the proper procedures. Nobody said driving a car is easy - that’s why you need a license. You can’t just avoid the difficult parts because you’re afraid.
That’s dangerous, but I don’t know if it’s strictly illegal. I think the laws usually say that you can turn when it’s clear. So it wouldn’t be illegal because you went first, per se, but rather because you interfered with the progress of the people coming the other way. (Or if the light hadn’t turned green yet, of course.)
Excellent post, blowero. Can you come to Calgary and teach people how to merge next?
I nearly always pull out past the white line, unless I see an uninturrepted flow of traffic coming from the opposite direction. In that situation, I wait behind the white line because I don’t want to risk getting hit by one of the half-dozen or so jackasses who insists on running the red light. (Yes, I’ve had several close encounters with these utter fuckwits. I also had a problem with a woman who was trying to eat, talk on a cell phone, and drive at the same time. Apparently, she decided green=go, even though I was still turning.)
I also make sure not to pull out too far, as I loathe drivers who decide to be the fourth or fifth car to run the red light to turn left.
Incorrect.
“Frequently” implies the gridlock occasionally ceases.