OT - Why don't drivers pull up?

By this, I mean: some drivers, when they pull up to an intersection at a red light, will leave a full car-length (or more) of space ahead of their vehicle. I have been seeing this for several years now, but since I've started a job with a heavy commute, I see it more often.

Am I missing something? Is there some safety issue that I'm not aware of? It wouldn't be a big deal, except that in many situations this practice can lead to some annoying problems at an intersection. Especially where a turn lane is of limited length, adequate for the normal number of vehicles parked at a reasonable spacing, but not when several cars are taking up two or two-and-a-half times the required space.

Typically, what can happen is that a left-hand turn lane will back up to the point of blocking off the straight/right-turn lane. So, even though the light is green, no traffic can pass thru the intersection until the left-turn light clears the traffic blocking the main lane.

I saw a good one the other day... a van pulled out of a service station, across a two-lane road near an intersection, to pull into the left-hand turn lane. He apparently had plenty of clearance to do so -- when he began the maneuver -- but didn't count on one driver in that left-turn lane stopping about 15-20 feet shy of the vehicle ahead. So, the van could not pull fully into the left-turn lane, and his rear end is completely blocking a full lane of open traffic. This was a very busy intersection, and the prevailing traffic was seriously affected, as two lanes of traffic funnelled into a single lane. Meanwhile, this driver in the left-turn lane, with the vacant parking space ahead of his front bumper, sits, oblivious to the chaos his curious habit is causing behind him.

Okay, so does anyone know the origin, or even the logic of this practice?

Paula

"Okay, so does anyone know the origin, or even the logic of this practice?"

Simply put, some drivers are idiots with no ability to recognize how their actions affect other drivers. They are focused only on what's directly in front of them and have no clue to the left/right/behind/two cars ahead situation. This can lead to frustrating and sometimes hazadous situations.


OTOH, the only valid reason I could think of is that the driver can't see the traffic light if too close as the light goes above the line of sight limited by the car's roof. I doubt this is the case for many of your observations.

I do tell my daughter (a new driver) that she
should not pull *right* up to the stop line
at lights. With the idea being, if there is
a crash involving the cross traffic, or if
somebody blows the turn - by turning too sharply
in a left - then the nose of her car is less
likely to be hit.

But not a car-length back. Just so the
nose of her car is a three feet back of the
line.

When riding a motorbike I will invariably leave
maneuvering room between me and the car in front
at a red light, with the idea being that if
anyone fails to stop I'll see this and be able
to move alongside the car in front to avoid
being killed. In most cases the car that
pulls up behind me gives courtesy and stops
well back. I do move up then if the traffic
situation permits.

Jim

I well do that if there is a tractor trailer making a right turn; it takes more room for them, but will then move up.

As a truck driver I appreciate those who do not crowd the stop line as it makes my left turn much easier. You ever watch the lock up as a truck trys to turn left and the cars crowding the stop line will not give and the truck cannot make the turn? As a auto driver I try to extend the same courtsey to those to my right who are turning left. I also pay attention to the switch in the road that activates the light and will try to make sure that I at least have some part of the vehicle over it while stopped. I know that my presense should lock into the signal switch gear as I pass over the switch but electrical systems being what they are I do it anyway.
lg
no neat sig line

Some people are too stupid to know that they need to be on the pad to activate the light.These are not new drivers either.Once i came down an off ramp that led into a light.This stupid woman of about 50 was stopped at least 75',no lie!,from the light.Blowing the horn did no good.Traffic was piling up behind us.Finally,I had to get out of my car and walk up beside her car.then,of course,I am sure she thought I was some criminal,wouldn't roll down the window.I had to yell thru her glass how to pull up to the light.I was very vexed.The drivers behind us were laughing their heads off at how stupid she was.This crap goes on a lot.I wish the DMV people would make it clear how to stop at a light,or put ads on TV,or something.

I believe that you can blame AARP and the "mature drivers courses" for this practice. They tell people to leave the space in case they are rear-ended. This is secondhand info from an attendee of their course.
Bill

In most cases now it's not a switch or a pressure
sensing pad. It's an inductive loop sensor.
No contact required but of course the steel body
of the car does have to be in the loop for it
to trip.

Ask the folks in the motorcyle thread - they'll
tell you that 90 percent of the time inductive
loop senors will not trip with a bike at the
light, combine that wiht a "no right on red"
sign and there's a bit of a quandry....

Jim

They sell magnets to strap to the bottom of your bike that are supposed to help.

That being said it rarely happens to me. Can count on one hand how many times in the last year or so. I try to stop with my engine above the sense coil.

Paula
Your picture, if it really is you, seems to me to be that of a very young person. One so young that you really dont have much experience. So... if your delayed a little by others safer driving habits and it makes you a bit latter for your Starbux fix..or the gym... LEAVE SOONER

I leave space between myself and the car in front of me. Mostly cause I was rear-ended 2 years ago and nearly got pushed into the car in front of me. I don't do this if I'm first in line at the light and I remain aware of the situation around me and will pull up if it causes some problem. I'm only talking maybe 6 ft.

I believe it was the National Safe Driver Course I took 20 some years ago that recommended leaving enough space between your vehicle and the one in front of you so you could pull out from behind them, without backing up, in case they broke down/stalled.

Also recommended to keep you from being pushed into vehicle in case of rear end collision. I've been rear ended three times, twice while stopped behind another vehicle, and this practice saved the the front end and allowed me to drive away both times.

Don't have a clue why people don't pull up to stop line. Maybe they don't know were the front of the car is.

Been riding street bikes since 1973. I think the early loops were a problem. Most all seem to work ok now, and my bike only weighs about 425lb.

Wayne

Re - A safe distance to stop behind another vehicle - You only have to leave enough space so that you can see the bottom of the rear tire on the vehicle in front of you. That will give you enough distance to avoid being pushed into that vehicle if you get rear ended. Course it depends on how hard you get hit, but that will normally do it.

As to the original post, I agree with what others have said. Some people are idiots, or oblivious to what is going on around them. Talking on cell phones, fooling with a radio, or CD player, take your pick. Some just don't give a darn about anyone else but themselves.

Nothing frustrates me more than sitting about ten cars back in a turn lane and watch vehicles in front of me leave about ten car lengths of space as they slowly move through the green arrow. Needless to say, I get to wait through another light cycle.

Gary,what is your reason for being nasty to Paula?We all seem to think she has a valid point.You don't know her.how do you assume she has nothing to do but go to Starbucks or the gym?No one wants to sit behind dopes that don't trip the light.Do you?

Gary,what is your reason for being nasty to Paula?

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Yeah that is pretty wierd GE....stooping to new lows...

I am not being anythng other than honest and if the truth hurts.. tuf...
This is not about triping a light or anything like it, it's about leaving enough room in front of you so you dont hit the guy in front of you should some idiot not stop behind you.

And if that causes YOU to miss your jag jolt or whatever at Starbux... LEAVE SOONER.

gary E is a proven arsehole unfortunately. he can't seem to help blowing his top at every turn... sad.

Ask the folks in the motorcyle thread - they'll
tell you that 90 percent of the time inductive
loop senors will not trip with a bike at the
light, combine that wiht a "no right on red"
sign and there's a bit of a quandry....

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the quandry is solved by looking carefuly (especially for cops) and then proceeding to run said red light. I'm sure if you are patient enough to wait for the light to cycle through once, the cops would probably let you go if they caught you. I heard in tennessee, it is now legal for motorcycles to run red lights, as long as they stop first and it is safe, because of this problem...

I was taught the "see the bottom of their tire" stop mentioned above - that was ~33 years ago - I am in the process of teaching the same to my young driver.

Another reason - on the hills around here, less experienced drivers used to roll backwards a little while engaging the clutch. Now that most cars on the road are automatics...

My pet peeve is the drivers who pull all the way up and block the driveways to the local busineses, even in plain bold view of the big sign asking them not to. We have a couple intersections nearby that become gridlocked when these driveways are blocked and the oncoming cars that want to make the turn stop, blocking their lane, which blocks the intersection, which blocks the lane you're in... you get the picture. That little distance between the cars lets folks adjust a when this happens... better if they didn't block the driveway in the first place.

At these same intersections, I've noticed that more cars seem to get through when folks leave space at the driveways - the other direction doesn't get blocked and you have more room to accelerate and move through the intersection more quickly.

I am not being anythng other than honest and if the truth hurts.. tuf...

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Actually you are being totally FOS considering you have no earthly idea if Paula has ever been to a Starbucks in her life, much less being "in a hurry".

I started a thread about a year ago asking a similar question about when in a line to pay for something in a store or order a sandwich, why do some folks stand 6 feet back from the person in front of them, such that you don't know if they are "in line" or not ?

tell you the truth I dont like to pull right up to the car in front of me. If the driver in front decides to do some bonehead move like waiting for a passenger to get in or out while sitting in the travel lane, or decides to make a turn they did not signal for, I can go around. I would not leave multiple car lengths but always room to maneuver if possible.