In Michigan – being home of the Motor City and all – we naturally have a better way of handling left turns at busy intersections. It’s called a “Michigan left”. According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, Michigan lefts reduce traffic accidents by up to 60% on busy roads. The first one ever was implemented at the intersection of 8 Mile and Livernois, and it worked so well there that there are now hundreds of Michigan lefts to be had throughout the state.
A few of other more intelligent states have since jumped on the Michigan left bandwagon, but regrettably it’s still kind of a regional thing.
Below, I’ve put together a little comic to explain exactly how a Michigan left works. Enjoy!
It gets me every time. Now the Texas U-turn, that is a good one.
I used to despise Michigan lefts. Then I moved to Illinois and realized that having many consecutive no left turn signs is also not fun. Now I’m just okay with Michigan lefts.
It’s one of those problems that you really can’t solve. I personally find driving a stressful endeavor. Gimme the ol’ interurban any day.
Ah, yes. The interurban: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interurban