Am I the only one?

[elerner61]

So as far as I can remember in my driving career I've always been a little area paranoid about being caught from behind my a LEO. My regular drive home involves 15 miles of very high speed 3lane highway. 80mph is the going rate for the middle lane. When I exit the highway after a typical "run" home, if I catch the light at the bottom to make a left turn just after it goes red, instead of sitting there and watching the rear view mirror I'll often make a right on red and then a U turn.

So, is it just me? Anyone else do silly stuff like this?

[Roadie]

Where I live it's almost mandatory. It's called a "Michigan Left" and is, quite often, the legally prescribed method for making a left turn. Apparently someone, at some time, did research which showed that the right turn > U-turn combo was safer than the regular left turn.

[Phishman]

Edited: I first read that as you just blow the red light and make a left anyways. Sorry if you read what I wrote, I have no sympathy for people that run red lights.

[Roadie]

Post removed

[Phishman]

Thanks roadie, and sorry to elerner if you saw any of that. Thanks for being responsible and taking the time to make a "michigan left" instead of putting others in danger.

[elerner61]

No worries, I never saw your post anyway. I definitely see the number of red light runners going up. I'm not talking about people in motion who miss making a light by a second or two. I'm seeing people sitting at a red light and then just deciding that they've waited long enough.

A close runner up though and closing fast are people making rolling rights on reds, while I'm approaching the intersection!!

Anyway, the point of my post wasn't really Michigan lefts to save lives (that's not a bad slogan!). My post was to see if anyone else is avoiding waiting at a red light so that a cruiser doesn't catch up to them and write them up for a nice fat one!

[papitosabe]

I've done this and then caught a long red, and then had to watch the people that were behind me pass right by in front of me as they're turning, and I'm just watching them...

[gtMc]

Having lived in MI for 18yrs and NJ for 8yrs, the Michigan left hand turn far exceeds the silly 'jug handles' that NJ uses. but of course NJ is 10x more populated than MI, so we do what we can with the space we have here...

around these parts, most drivers are too busy texting or 'posting videos to facebook' at the red light to notice when it turns green, and they would never know if they are about to get caught from behind after a high speed run.

BTW - GO RED WINGS!

[3point0]

I did a right-on-red-then-Uturn left here in BC and got a ticket, apparently it's illegal to do a U-ie within several hundred feet of a traffic light here (can't remember exactly how far). There was bicycle cop hidden in the bushes and he got me as I sat at the red light after my U-turn.
needless to say, i watched a whole bunch of people go by me while i was having my road-rules knowledge expanded

[TAL2GK]

Ouch. Pulled over in your Z4 by a bicycle cop. That doesn't look good on the side of the road ;-)

[Kgolf31]

Last year I was heading home from work and I was going at a decent speed on the highway (around 80mph). Surrounding traffic was 75-80.

I was in the far right, and out of nowhere a bike LEO got behind me. I thought I was nailed and I moved over to start and pull over.

Bike cop passed me, shook his head and kept on driving.

[strokeoluck]

LEO?

[TAL2GK]

Law Enforcement Officer

[3point0]

Originally Posted by TAL2GK

Ouch. Pulled over in your Z4 by a bicycle cop. That doesn't look good on the side of the road ;-)

Actually it was in my previous german 2 seat convertible, that one was rear engined and turbo'd too. Unfortunately the diesel smart couldn't have outrun him even if I'd tried so i just sat there and accepted my ticket.