Should We Just Ban Left Turns Altogether? Asking for Every Confused Driver Ever.

On the surface, banning left turns sounds like a solid idea… until you’re already late for work and find yourself doing three rights and a U-turn just to grab a Tim Hortons.

But hear us out — one civil engineering prof from Penn State says it’s time to rethink the sacred left turn. According to him, these tricky little turns are way more dangerous than we give them credit for.

40% of all car crashes happen at intersections, and over 60% of those involve someone making a left turn. Yikes. That’s a lot of accidents caused by people trying to be polite and “wait for a break in traffic” that never comes.

Worse yet? Half of those crashes involve serious injuries, and one in five is fatal. Suddenly, that shortcut across three lanes of rush hour traffic doesn’t seem worth it.

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But it’s not just about safety — it’s also about efficiency. You know that one person who holds up the entire intersection waiting for the left arrow? Yeah, that green arrow makes it safer for them, but it slows down everyone else just so two cars can scoot through.

The professor thinks cities should start banning left turns at busy intersections, at least during rush hour. Fewer crashes, smoother traffic flow, and maybe even a faster commute? Sounds like a win — unless you're the person who refuses to go around the block out of sheer spite.

So next time you're stuck behind someone in the left-turn lane who definitely shouldn’t be attempting that move with a trailer hitch, remember: maybe it’s time we left the left turn behind.