Well I guess what I am seeing in my head (and I do drive) is that the difference is about what, fifteen feet? Being too timid to make the left when you can, yeah, that's annoying. But if they had only pulled forward that couple car lengths they would have made the turn? That's what I'm having trouble with. If it is a very busy intersection I could see calculating that you would have enough time to pull into the intersection when possible rather than risking getting t-boned because you couldn't turn until the red. FWIW I always pull into the intersection but I just disagree that there's something wrong with people who drive like they don't want to get hit by another car.

But if they had only pulled forward that couple car lengths they would have made the turn? That's what I'm having trouble with.

Dunno about other states, but that's pretty much just how it is in most of California. The lights are often timed for a longish yellow and a second or so where it's red in both directions so the stragglers have at least a smidge of time to clear out before the cross traffic starts.

The downside of which is that if it's too busy and you are too rigidly law-abiding, neither you nor anyone behind you ever moves again.

It's true in LA that you have to pull as far into the intersection as possible to take the left just as the light turns yellow (and sometimes red), because no one will let you go, ever.

In Boston, this is grounds for an Early Green Left, i.e., as soon as the light turns green (in the absence of a specific left-turn arrow), if you are the first car in line, take your left before the guy coming straight the other way has the opportunity to get in your way.

It's flagrantly illegal and, in some places, absolutely necessary. 2-3 cars will do it at a time, at every green in that intersection, and for years before the city managers get around to installing a light with a left-turn arrow.

But if they had only pulled forward that couple car lengths they would have made the turn? That's what I'm having trouble with.

Huh? They kind of have to, because otherwise they're blocking the intersection and the traffic from the other direction.

And you need to pull up as far as you can so that you can take the dude behind you with you.

I do this. And, when I do, I give a little glance in the rearview as if to say, "You and me buddy. You and me."

I don't know how else to describe it bon, except to say that the intersections out here are designed so that there's an indeterminate space in the middle of the intersection that allows traffic behind to go around you (if it's one lane and they're not turning) but does not put you into the line of oncoming traffic.

It can be anxiety provoking if you're not used to it, but if you're simply sitting at the greenlight waiting for your chance to take a left turn, you're backing up traffic severely behind you for blocks. The flow of traffic depends on you getting up into the intersection - just not into the lane of oncoming traffic.

My driver's ed teacher taught us to do left turns as Hec describes. Sometimes I still hear Coach Dickinson saying, "Creep to the point of no return" as I edge out into the neutral zone.

Hey, when I was 15 and 3 days into my license, I hit a bicyclist making a left turn! Considering my dad had been creamed not a few weeks earlier on his bike (landed on his head, skidded 6 feet on his face, meatburger face, plastic surgery, broken hand, ultimately a rebreak of his broken hand,) I'm still cautious about left turns. To the point of multiple right turns, though I'm not quite that freaked anymore.

The policeman who arrived at the scene was Officer Heart. I recall fixating on that.

It's true in LA that you have to pull as far into the intersection as possible to take the left just as the light turns yellow (and sometimes red), because no one will let you go, ever. And you need to pull up as far as you can so that you can take the dude behind you with you.

This is my standard method of turning left. It unnerves The Boy, but if I don't do it, I can end up sitting at a goddamn red light for long enough to read a book.

As much as Hec is wrong about absolutely everything else, for the left turn, you have to do that here, or you'll very rarely get anywhere. You haven't started the left bit of your turn, but you've done all the forward possible without it. That means at least two cars per light, on average, get to go, with the timing of the orange.

Dinner is popcorn tonight. I finally got off my arse and bought a popcorn maker. Sadly bacon salt is verboten--it has wheat.

I'm watching a show called This Food That Wine and it's the porniest food show I think I've seen. The camera spends time on fingertips, lips, and shoots upwards from below glass bowls. And women keep laughing warmly together, swirling wine around their glasses and stressing words like "gooey."