Left turn traffic question [US]

[Xanthe_2871]

I was trying out a 'Starbucks' today and got in a sticky situation upon exiting the parking lot. There were two exits, one was strictly right turn only while the other allowed left or right turns. I was at the left turn exit when someone came up behind me in a massive man-toy truck (Lifted suspension, monster truck wanna be) and began honking. I was at that exit for approximately 60 seconds and had left plenty of room for a normal sized car to make a right... it's not my fault he was in a 4 wheel drive p***s. 

 

Was I in the wrong? I believe what I did would be considered reasonable but maybe Mr.Few Inches had a point. Are left turns just a bad idea period? 

[malon]

in a parkinglot there is no right or wrong, atleast where i live, also if you could not get out because of traffic i don't see why you could even think you would be wrong, on the other hand and you were just chilling on that exit and not planning to move out of the parkinglot then you are just an ahole

[Xanthe_2871]

Just now, malon said:

in a parkinglot there is no right or wrong, atleast where i live, also if you could not get out because of traffic i don't see why you could even think you would be wrong, on the other hand and you were just chilling on that exit and not planning to move out of the parkinglot then you are just an ahole

No, I was blocked by traffic. Thanks for your input!

[Xanthe_2871]

3 minutes ago, theninja35 said:

Since when do AI drive.

Since 1984 when Carnegie Mellon University created the Navlab project. 

 

But if you meant me, I am not an AI. I'm a human, just with some fancy upgrades. 

[Mira Yurizaki]

1 hour ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

I was trying out a 'Starbucks' today and got in a sticky situation upon exiting the parking lot. There were two exits, one was strictly right turn only while the other allowed left or right turns. I was at the left turn exit when someone came up behind me in a massive man-toy truck (Lifted suspension, monster truck wanna be) and began honking. I was at that exit for approximately 60 seconds and had left plenty of room for a normal sized car to make a right... it's not my fault he was in a 4 wheel drive p***s.

When you encounter one of these, you're never wrong.

[Donut417]

1 hour ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

I was trying out a 'Starbucks' today and got in a sticky situation upon exiting the parking lot. There were two exits, one was strictly right turn only while the other allowed left or right turns. I was at the left turn exit when someone came up behind me in a massive man-toy truck (Lifted suspension, monster truck wanna be) and began honking. I was at that exit for approximately 60 seconds and had left plenty of room for a normal sized car to make a right... it's not my fault he was in a 4 wheel drive p***s. 

 

Was I in the wrong? I believe what I did would be considered reasonable but maybe Mr.Few Inches had a point. Are left turns just a bad idea period? 

The guy behind you was an ass hole. If he had been driving a normal car, then it wouldn't have been an issue. Its your choice if you want to go left or right. He can fucking wait his turn. I hate these self entitled pricks. We have a lot of them here in Metro Detroit. Which is why our county has the highest car insurance rates. I would have rolled down my window and flipped the bird. 

[Zodiark1593]

2 hours ago, Donut417 said:

The guy behind you was an ass hole. If he had been driving a normal car, then it wouldn't have been an issue. Its your choice if you want to go left or right. He can fucking wait his turn. I hate these self entitled pricks. We have a lot of them here in Metro Detroit. Which is why our county has the highest car insurance rates. I would have rolled down my window and flipped the bird. 

People like that deserve absolutely nothing from me. Let them rant and rave to themselves for all of eternity, or until their demise, whichever comes first. I'm certain OP knows which. 

[Xanthe_2871]

1 minute ago, Zodiark1593 said:

People like that deserve absolutely nothing from me. Let them rant and rave to themselves for all of eternity, or until their demise, whichever comes first. I'm certain OP knows which. 

Ha ha ha, yes I do. That truck driver will know no such eternity. 

[Canada EH]

Left turn lanes a bad idea? What do you mean by this, of course you have to turn left. If you mean dual turn lanes then if thats what traffic engineers wanted, thats what they got. There are plenty of little things that add up to a dumb, stupid, ignorant, illogical or young driver attitude. Like stopping as if its a yield on a thru-lane merge, that is common. Thats a "carefully dumb" driver.

Needing a mile because you are scared shitless to have the courage to blend in with traffic, at speed. Another commonality of "careful stupid" drivers.

 

I do not understand, you were in the left turning lane leaving the parking lot. And you got honked at.

So perhaps you were blocking the other lane for vehicles to turn right.

There are many stupid drivers out there.

There are many drivers in a rush out there.

You say you were not blocking or impeding the right turn lane.

 

Not to sure what to type here. If that is the clear picture you provide, then just smile and wave....... or play ball.

 

 

Perhaps you were the type that needed a mile to turn left and blend in with traffic, at speed.

[Xanthe_2871]

Just now, Canada EH said:

I do not understand, you were in the left turning lane leaving the parking lot. And you got honked at.

So perhaps you were blocking the other lane for vehicles to turn right.

There are many stupid drivers out there.

There are many drivers in a rush out there.

You say you were not blocking or impeding the right turn lane.

 

Not to sure what to type here. If that is the clear picture you provide, then just smile and wave....... or play ball.

Here's a quick mock-up I made:

 

[dalekphalm]

9 hours ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

Here's a quick mock-up I made:

 

Those are some sick Paint Skills - they teach you that in the future?

 

Anyway, on topic: You didn't do anything wrong. Honestly? Don't worry about it. Other then that, what else can we say to you?

[Xanthe_2871]

2 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Those are some sick Paint Skills - they teach you that in the future?

 

Anyway, on topic: You didn't do anything wrong. Honestly? Don't worry about it. Other then that, what else can we say to you?

I'm glad I didn't mess up at the parking lot. I've only been driving for a few years, I don't have great confidence behind the wheel.

 

My painting made you sick?  In my time, sick only means sick! 

[dalekphalm]

16 minutes ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

I'm glad I didn't mess up at the parking lot. I've only been driving for a few years, I don't have great confidence behind the wheel.

 

My painting made you sick?  In my time, sick only means sick! 

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=sick

"1)crazy, cool, insane"

 

Confidence is key to driving good. You need to build that confidence. Now there's a line between confidence and arrogance/cockiness, but assuming everything you've said is accurate, you were 100% not doing anything wrong.

[Canada EH]

14 hours ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

Here's a quick mock-up I made:

 

Yes I gathered that was the setup.

Could have been a parking lot traffic management issue.

Because maybe there was not an official lane where the black "ghost" car is. Maybe the black "ghost" car just thought it was a lane, if it existed in your example. But I realize what you are doing there. The truck in the white ASSumed the same thing most likely. Which goes back to the white truck thought you had plenty of time to turn left, hence impeding his flow into the "imaginary" lane. And as I said you are the "careful" driver that needs a mile to turn. The faster the road is that you turn onto the more scared people are. I am thinking of a lot near me, its a lighted lot, but its 60. Almost got run over by a soccer mom there. I need to buy ceramic balls for those people.

 

Depending on my mood, if I was you, and I analyzed the situation. If I realized I was in the wrong, I would have moved over if I could. If I couldnt and one honk was all it was I would have tried my best to turn, using all of the motor I could. A second honk depending on delay from first would have made me just sit there and piss him off, or try harder to pin it and turn. A middle finger, I would have played ball, in a minor way. Meaning waiting for that mile between cars to turn. Or act as if my brand new truck is broken down. That would be the extreme. Exchange of word, sure. Fist fight, I am always game for that. Never comes down to that. Its a very rare occasion.

[Xanthe_2871]

13 minutes ago, Canada EH said:

Yes I gathered that was the setup.

Could have been a parking lot traffic management issue.

Because maybe there was not an official lane where the black "ghost" car is. Maybe the black "ghost" car just thought it was a lane, if it existed in your example. But I realize what you are doing there. The truck in the white ASSumed the same thing most likely. Which goes back to the white truck thought you had plenty of time to turn left, hence impeding his flow into the "imaginary" lane. And as I said you are the "careful" driver that needs a mile to turn. The faster the road is that you turn onto the more scared people are. I am thinking of a lot near me, its a lighted lot, but its 60. Almost got run over by a soccer mom there. I need to buy ceramic balls for those people.

 

Depending on my mood, if I was you, and I analyzed the situation. If I realized I was in the wrong, I would have moved over if I could. If I couldnt and one honk was all it was I would have tried my best to turn, using all of the motor I could. A second honk depending on delay from first would have made me just sit there and piss him off, or try harder to pin it and turn. A middle finger, I would have played ball, in a minor way. Meaning waiting for that mile between cars to turn. Or act as if my brand new truck is broken down. That would be the extreme. Exchange of word, sure. Fist fight, I am always game for that. Never comes down to that. Its a very rare occasion.

You're right about the imaginary lane, since it was a single left or right lane, but the single lane flaired out near the street end, allowing a second car to fit if one was going left and one was going right. There were no cars behind me and I was even hugging the paint to be deliberately out of the way... This is what I always do in a situation like this since left turns can take a while and I want to be absolutely certain other cars can still make a right. 

 

He couldn't fit because he was not in a normal sized car. 

 

As far as being a careful driver, I'm so-so. I will make a mad dash if I became impatient, but I was at that turn for literally less than or exactly 1 minute, I know how long a minute is I was not there very long, he hoked almost instantly. Maybe he thought I was there for a while or just assumed I was but I wasn't. 

 

I was naturally upset, but I didn't do anything to the truck driver. If he's crazy enough to honk at me nearly instantly, who knows what else he might do...

[Canada EH]

A honk is a honk, the anonimity of the vehicle makes people the "King Of The World" they are "The Top Dog", or "The Alpha" so a honk is meaningless. Perhaps the other driver was having a bad day. Perhaps the other driver accidentally hit the horn. Perhaps the other driver was drunk or high. Who knows.

 

3 minutes ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

You're right about the imaginary lane, since it was a single left or right lane, but the single lane flaired out near the street end, allowing a second car to fit if one was going left and one was going right. There were no cars behind me and I was even hugging the paint to be deliberately out of the way... This is what I always do in a situation like this since left turns can take a while and I want to be absolutely certain other cars can still make a right. 

 

He couldn't fit because he was not in a normal sized car. 

 

As far as being a careful driver, I'm so-so. I will make a mad dash if I became impatient, but I was at that turn for literally less than or exactly 1 minute, I know how long a minute is I was not there very long, he hoked almost instantly. Maybe he thought I was there for a while or just assumed I was but I wasn't. 

 

I was naturally upset, but I didn't do anything to the truck driver. If he's crazy enough to honk at me nearly instantly, who knows what else he might do...

 

[Xanthe_2871]

Just now, Canada EH said:

A honk is a honk, the anonimity of the vehicle makes people the "King Of The World" they are "The Top Dog", or "The Alpha" so a honk is meaningless. Perhaps the other driver was having a bad day. Perhaps the other driver accidentally hit the horn. Perhaps the other driver was drunk or high. Who knows.

 

 

True, true. Still, I'm not very confrontational. I'd rather b***h about them afterwords online!

[meenmeen1103]

15 hours ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

Here's a quick mock-up I made:

 

Based on this scenario, the truck driver is a dickwad. Not just for honking when there's no driver/s making mistakes, but for driving a lifted truck and not having the balls to drive over the grass/curb, rendering the lifted truck a street queen suitable for a princess driver

[Xanthe_2871]

1 minute ago, meenmeen1103 said:

Based on this scenario, the truck driver is a dickwad. Not just for honking when there's no driver/s making mistakes, but for driving a lifted truck and not having the balls to drive over the grass/curb, rendering the lifted truck a street queen suitable for a princess driver

That's a good point. I've done that, when I was getting a repair on my car (which sadly is not actually a Ferrari or whatever that red car is) and my rental was a SUV. I went over a curb in a parking lot because someone was getting service from AAA and blocking the drive-thru exit. It was fun!

[Canada EH]

7 hours ago, Xanthe_2871 said:

True, true. Still, I'm not very confrontational. I'd rather b***h about them afterwords online!

Yes I could tell that from your O.P.

I try not to be as direct, as I try to be nice......every now and then. I watch my words, kinda.

[kaiju_wars]

By your picture... his truck was to big to go by you.

Also, did you have your turn signal on?   Because if you didn't, then I would say he's technically not in the wrong.  He made the reasonable assumption you'd be turning right and you were being a dick because, "Oh, one of those 'compensating' truck drivers," that a lot of small car owners like to try and pull.  

A few things

1. His honking is him being a dick, if you had your turn signal on.
2. He is not an asshole for owning a truck... Trucks are bigger vehicles than cars.  Just because a car can fit through a space does not mean a truck can.
3. If it's his daily driver, then that's what it is.  He could not have gotten past you either way, going by scale of your illustration.

[Canada EH]

Maybe the truck was just trying to help. Maybe the truck thought the OP was texting.

[Xanthe_2871]

3 hours ago, kaiju_wars said:

By your picture... his truck was to big to go by you.

Also, did you have your turn signal on?   Because if you didn't, then I would say he's technically not in the wrong.  He made the reasonable assumption you'd be turning right and you were being a dick because, "Oh, one of those 'compensating' truck drivers," that a lot of small car owners like to try and pull.  

A few things

1. His honking is him being a dick, if you had your turn signal on.
2. He is not an asshole for owning a truck... Trucks are bigger vehicles than cars.  Just because a car can fit through a space does not mean a truck can.
3. If it's his daily driver, then that's what it is.  He could not have gotten past you either way, going by scale of your illustration.

I did have my blinker on, and I didn't think he was a jerk just because he was in a huge truck, but he could not fit past me without driving over the curb since he was a good 2-3 feet wider than a normal car with his being a truck and having huge toy wheels which I neglected to add to my illustration. Maybe if it were an AI driving his truck he could have gotten past me with zero margin for error but no human driver could make it past, it was too tight. A car like mine, a normal, not tricked out car, could have made it past with a foot or so of clearance. 

[Xanthe_2871]

1 hour ago, Canada EH said:

Maybe the truck was just trying to help. Maybe the truck thought the OP was texting.

I don't think so, he didn't give me a chance to turn he was hoking pretty much the moment he got up behind me. 

[Canada EH]

Why couldnt the truck just drive up onto the curb.

Sounds to me like the big truck is just a show piece, a "Pavement Princess" that never see's dirt. They are unpractical vehicles, even offroading they are useless, only thing they are good for is flat bottomed mudding. Too high centered and heavy to do hills. Too long to crawl over rocks.

Sounds to me like the truck driver just gave you a polite honk. Nothing to be upset over.

 

Heck I honked yesterday at some bad driver during rush hour. The type that did not go out into the intersection waiting to turn. I hate those drivers, but I waited until the next go around when the turning light flashed and the bitch wouldnt move, so a quick honk. Justified. There are too many stupid drivers out on the road. Another pet peeve are the morons that always parallel park even if they got a mile. The refuse to go head first. It irritates me, but I cant do nothing about it, except fuck with them   because their front end always swings out into the 2nd lane. They are reversing so me and my lawyer sing the great tune "Cha Ching"

 

I think the truck driver was upset over parking lot traffic engineering. And you got a silly little honk. I wish it would have been air horns like on a big rig. Give you a little startle Keep you on your toes.

 

Live and Learn

 

Move onto the next honk, brae!

Then rush over to the interweb and tell us everything, so we can analyze the situation.

OK will you do that?

Thanks