Rating:

0.0 (0 votes)

Making a left hand turn should be a no brainer. Just wait for the light, make sure the coast is clear, and cruise on through.

But here in Tucson it's not that easy.

We've got different rules for different intersections. Leading lefts, lagging lefts, rotected and permissive lefts. We've even got double pumping lefts. "Double pumping lefs are leading and lagging," said Michael Hicks of Tucson's Intelligent Transportation Systems.

Hicks says studies show lagging lefts are the safest and they allow the largest number of cars to clear the intersection.

But have so many different rules across the city can be confusing to motorists. Hicks believes it keeps drivers on their toes which keeps our roads safer. "When you start to get where you expect something to happen in a way what happens is you start getting complacent and that's when accidents can happen," Hicks said.

Coming to the intersection of Oracle and Grant is another way to turn left. It's called a Michigan left. But no left hand turns are actually allowed in the intersection. Motorists must drive through the intersection and make a U-turn. Then they'll make a right turn back at the intersection.

Studies show the Michigan left actually reduces travel time by about 20%.