Why to consider reducing left turns when driving

You might not have thought much about how many turns you make to the left and right. Yet, research suggests that maybe you should.

The reason is that turning to the left is more dangerous than turning to the right. Here is why:

You need to travel across the oncoming traffic

When you turn right, you do so from your carriage. The only vehicles you need to worry about are those traveling in your direction. This changes when you turn left

You must still account for the traffic around you, especially if there is more than one lane of traffic going in your direction. Yet you also need to account for vehicles heading toward you on the opposite side of the road.

Thinking about cars traveling in the same direction is easier. You can judge how fast they are traveling by how the distance changes between them and you.

Turning across oncoming traffic requires you to guess how quickly vehicles will arrive to you, and they may be traveling much faster than you think. This is particularly true for motorcycles, which can quickly appear out of nowhere.

If possible, you should consider changing your routes to cut as many left turns as possible. Replacing them with right turns might require you to drive around the block, but it also avoids the wait as you sit waiting for a clear gap in oncoming traffic that left turns require. So it could be quicker overall.

If you are injured while making a turn, seek legal help to examine your options for compensation.