I damn near hit an old fart because he was doing it wrong...or was I?

 

You know how you have to make a left hand turn (when there is no dedicated lane for turning left) and someone in front of you has to do the same thing? I had someone try and go beyond my car to turn left, not in front of my car. Wait. That's not right. You turn left in front of them, and they turn left in front of you? Following me? I bet you can understand that more than you can understand the Maine Legislature's Title 29-A: MOTOR VEHICLES AND TRAFFIC. Chapter 19: OPERATION - Subchapter 1: RULES OF THE ROAD. Good God, just the title is confusing. Here's what it says:

2.  Left turns on 2-way roadways.  At an intersection where traffic is permitted to move in both directions on each way entering the intersection, an approach for a left turn must be made in that portion of the right half of the way nearest the center line and by passing to the right of the center line where it enters the intersection. After entering the intersection, an operator must make the left turn so as to leave the intersection to the right of the center line of the roadway being entered.  When practicable, the left turn must be made in that portion of the intersection to the left of the center of the intersection.  An operator intending to turn to the left must yield the right-of-way to traffic approaching from the opposite direction that is so close as to constitute an immediate hazard.
What? I have read that 42 times and still find the wording incredibly confusing! So, it's off to the State of Maine Motorist Handbook and Study Guide. Why? Because there are pictures!
maine.gov
maine.gov
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Phew. That's how I make a left turn. But I think that some may think that you have to go PAST the car THEN turn left. At least that's what this old guy was attempting with me and I was having none of it.

 

Do you turn left correctly?

 

 

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