# Things You Shouldn't Need To Tell People **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 4, 2021, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674 "2021-07-04T19:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/183 "2021-07-20T18:54:34Z")
> [@Shoeless](#): > > It’s not a lane for you to pull out _into_ and wait for traffic to clear. If you can’t make a complete left turn into traffic, then don’t pull out. Do you mean traffic to your left, or do you mean oncoming traffic? If you mean traffic to your left, which is backed up and preventing you from being able to pull into that road, then agreed. If you mean oncoming traffic, then that is not correct. One car _should_ (in most if not all states) lead out into the intersection past the white line, and may turn after the light turns red. > **[Entering intersection for left turn, explained | News, Sports, Jobs -...](https://www.adirondackdailyenterprise.com/opinion/columns/safety-on-the-roads-by-dave-werner/2019/10/entering-intersection-for-left-turn-explained/)** > > Here’s a question for you to think about: You want to turn left at the next intersection, the traffic signal is green, but there is a string of oncoming traff This is one of those things that I really wish I shouldn’t need to tell the car in front of me as we sit through multiple light cycles without them going. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/184 "2021-07-20T18:59:27Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > Yes, you do smell like an ashtray. Ha! Indeed. I had someone actually tell me, “My friends don’t even know I smoke.” Oh, yes, they do. > [@Shoeless](#): > > Also, the left turn lane is for people making a left turn _off_ of the street. It’s not a lane for you to pull out _into_ and wait for traffic to clear. If you can’t make a complete left turn into traffic, then don’t pull out. This. It _freaks me out_ when someone comes barreling left out of a parking lot when there’s clearly no room for them to merge, and it looks like there’s going to be an unavoidable collision—and then it turns out that they’re merely heading for the center lane, where they’re going to hang out until traffic clears. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, DON’T DO THAT! 😠 ---
**Author:** ![velomont](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8491ac/32.png) [@velomont](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/velomont)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/185 "2021-07-20T20:44:49Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > I had someone actually tell me, “My friends don’t even know I smoke.” Oh, yes, they do. And then there’s “I only smoke sitting by my open living room window. My house doesn’t smell a bit” “Actually it fucking stinks” ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/186 "2021-07-20T22:19:05Z")
I’m not talking about at an intersection, I’m talking about a center lane in the road that is clearly marked for making left turns into store parking lots or whatever. Around here people who are making a left turn out of a parking lot will pull out into the center left-turn lane when traffic to their left is clear, even though there is still traffic coming from the right. Then they will just sit in the center lane with their right blinker on, waiting for the traffic coming up behind them to clear until they can finally merge in. That’s not what those turn lanes are for, and I’ve seen cops pull people over who do this. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/187 "2021-07-20T23:08:05Z")
That happens here, too. People use the center turning lane as a merging lane. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2021, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/188 "2021-07-20T23:47:26Z")
I think they’re talking mostly about people who usually drown themselves in the stuff. Not just a tiny little dab. Don’t blast your car stereo at 12 am. ---
**Author:** ![gdave](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gdave/32/3683_2.png) [@gdave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gdave)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/189 "2021-07-21T00:00:50Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I think they’re talking mostly about people who usually drown themselves in the stuff. Not just a tiny little dab. That’s directly contrary to what they actually wrote: > [@Napier](#): > > Don’t wear perfume. > > Seriously. **Don’t wear it at all** , including using soaps and shampoos and lotions that are scented. **[emphasis added]** ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/190 "2021-07-21T00:17:20Z")
Watch out where the huskies go And don’t you eat that yellow snow ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/191 "2021-07-21T01:48:21Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > If the _inside_ lights are on (as can be seen through the windows), it makes it look like people live there. This. We leave one of our living room lights on. It really makes it look like we’re home. And on a different topic: Turn on your directional signal BEFORE you turn. It’s supposed to be a warning. What’s the point of turning it on after you’ve started to turn? ---
**Author:** ![Melbourne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Melbourne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melbourne)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/192 "2021-07-21T03:23:23Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > What’s the point of turning it on after you’ve started to turn? As a m/c rider when I was younger, I’m tolerant of people who indicate after turning or changing lanes. I _already know_ they can’t drive safely: that’s a starting assumption for a m/c rider. It’s considerate of them to indicate after changing lanes, to indicate that they intend to stay in the new lane – not merely drifting across the road. Not _legal_, but as a m/c rider, you can’t expect car drivers to be _legal_. Or at least, not when they are the only non-invisible road users on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/193 "2021-07-21T03:36:43Z")
When I’m about to change lanes and I turn on my turn signal, that’s not an invitation for you to speed up and pass me. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/194 "2021-07-21T03:42:35Z")
I don’t know where you are getting this from, but I think you are wrong, and these guys do, too: [https://zutobi.com/us/driver-guides/rules-center-turn-lane](https://zutobi.com/us/driver-guides/rules-center-turn-lane) > **[What is a Center Left Turn Lane?](https://www.driverseducationusa.com/resources/center-left-turn-lane/)** > > A center left turn lane is the lane in the middle of a two-way street that is painted with double yellow lines. The inner lines are broken yellow, and the outer lines are solid yellow. > **[Center Turning Lanes | Gerber Injury Law](https://www.gerberinjurylaw.com/blog/2020/august/center-turning-lanes-rules-in-arizona/)** > > Gerber Injury Law has a team of experts who can help if you should be a victim of someone not obeying the center turning lane laws. If you’re needing a Phoenix accident lawyer, please call us today! ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/195 "2021-07-21T04:02:20Z")
It’s illegal in Missouri to do so, not sure about other states. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/196 "2021-07-21T04:45:40Z")
I guess I misunderstood. In the post I responded to, you called it a left turn lane, which is a dedicated lane for the traffic on that side of the road to get into to turn left at the next intersection. You were actually talking about the _center turning lane_, often known as the “suicide lane”, that lane is shared by both directions of traffic to make left turns. In any case, it seems that it may vary state to state. I think the universal rule is that you cannot accelerate or travel in that lane, but using it to wait for a gap in traffic seems okay, so long as you are not moving, at least [here in Ohio](https://www.shmoop.com/drivers-ed/ohio/center-left-turn-lanes.html). > [@](#): > > When you are turning _into_ the center lane from a side street, wait until there is a break in the traffic, and then turn into the lane. Pause once again to reassess the traffic situation. Once you are sure it is safe, you may merge into a regular lane. There, isn’t it nice to be regular again? I didn’t do an exhaustive list, but in Arizona, according to @beowulff 's link, and [California](http://www.cal-driver-ed.com/dmv-handbook/21.htm) as well, I see that this is legal. The only place I found it to be illegal was [Michigan](https://thedailynews.cc/articles/ask-a-trooper-can-the-center-lane-be-used-for-waiting-to-merge/), and Missouri, according to @GaryM. I have to admit that I do this, as otherwise, turning left out of a few places would be more or less impossible. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/197 "2021-07-21T06:25:21Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I don’t know where you are getting this from, but I think you are wrong, and these guys do, too: It may indeed be legal, at least in some places. That doesn’t mean I have to like it. I hate it and I wish people wouldn’t do it. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/198 "2021-07-21T14:24:58Z")
Yeah, and I wish that traffic wasn’t so heavy that it wasn’t necessary to use the suicide lane for making left turns from a side street. But, it is, and I do. ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/199 "2021-07-21T16:03:37Z")
So, that would be more of a “[Entirely Benign, Appropriate Things That Make You Seethe](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/entirely-benign-appropriate-things-that-make-you-seethe/943102)” than something that you shouldn’t need to tell people then? ---
**Author:** ![Bonum\_Legatum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bonum_legatum/32/6183_2.png) [@Bonum\_Legatum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bonum_Legatum)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/200 "2021-07-21T17:20:20Z")
Thank you for the information about center left turn lanes. I remember discussing this in driver ed mumble-mumble years ago, and our instructor told us that the law on the practice of pulling into the lane from the opposite side of the road - was still being decided. But, I think I have that one beat. Many years ago I was a passenger being driven in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. Think two-lane country roads. To make a left turn, the (native) driver PULLED INTO THE LANE FOR OPPOSING TRAFFIC". After I came down off of the roof, he explained it was considered common courtesy to do that when there was no traffic coming - it allowed the people behind you to continue on their way without having to slow down. I guess that I DID need someone to tell me about that. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/201 "2021-07-21T19:25:05Z")
Add me to the “Leave a porch light on all the time” list. But I totally agree that the great diversity of people and surroundings means that there is no one single “right way.” I live in a relatively urban part of New Jersey, so I have had front and back porch lights burning for over twenty years, non-stop. The wasted energy was eased somewhat when I switched from incandescent to compact fluorescent, and then again when I went from CF to LED. Most of my neighbors leave theirs on too. My preference is that they use warm light though–cool white is an ugly color at night. If I lived in a quiet town in Minnesota, I imagine my opinion would be different. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2021, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674/202 "2021-07-21T19:42:22Z")
> [@velomont](#): > > And back to the topic: > > Yes, you do smell like an ashtray. Some months back I was out for a run in our local park. This is a large park with hiking trails and a big playground and such. As I made my way back home I noticed the slightly pungent note of cigar smoke hanging in the air. 3/4 of a mile later I passed by the owner of the cigar. I was tempted to tell him I had been following his trail for almost a mile, but figured he would take it the wrong way. That was a cigar, but even cigarette smoke carries pretty darned far. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/things-you-shouldnt-need-to-tell-people/945674.md?page=11)