‘Permitted’ left turns pose serious risk for pedestrians

As opposed to a “protected” left turn,in which a solid green arrow gives a driver the complete right of way in a left-turn lane,a “permitted” left turn is often allowed by a confusing mix of signals,and drivers may have to pick their way through narrow windows of oncoming traffic.

This difficult driving manoeuvre,which is played out millions of times a day around the world,is fraught with risk for unwary pedestrians,who too often appear to be an afterthought.

The danger is much higher than had been realised,experts warn.

“There are far more pedestrian crashes in marked crosswalks than anywhere else on roads,and pedestrians already have a false sense of security,” said David Hurwitz,an assistant professor of transportation engineering at Oregon State University.

“This study found that one key concern is permitted left turns,” Hurwitz said in a statement.

As they wait to turn left,sometimes taking a narrow opportunity to lunge into a stream of oncoming traffic,drivers focus most of their attention on the vehicular traffic and the traffic signal,rather than any pedestrians crossing the street,the research showed. The heavier the traffic,the less attention paid to pedestrians.

In a controlled analysis in a full-scale driving simulator that monitored specific eye movements,the engineers found that about one time in 10 or 20,the driver didn’t even look to see if a pedestrian was there before moving into the intersection.

This suggests a major level of risk to pedestrians,researchers said,if they assume that drivers not only will look for them,but will allow them to cross the street.

The problem is aggravated by “permitted” left turn signals that vary widely,from state to state and sometimes even from one city to the next.

Such turns might be allowed by a circular green light,a flashing circular yellow light,a flashing circular red light,or even a flashing yellow arrow.

The danger is sufficiently high,the researchers concluded,that more states and cities should consider prohibiting permitted left turns while pedestrians are allowed to be in the crosswalk.