Protective-Permissive Left-Turn Signals Being Studied

Dear Street Smart:

I was wondering if you could ask what the implications would be if all controlled left-turn lights were to become permissive-protective left-turn signals. For 99% of drivers and intersections, this would pose no problem.

Most drivers know when it is clear enough to turn left. This would also greatly improve traffic flow.

There have been millions of times where I have been sitting at a red left-turn arrow and had numerous chances to turn left safely. I am not asking for much.

If you travel to Arizona, this is how all left-turn arrows function. Maybe the safety records there should be investigated to show that it would not cause many problems here. There is no logical reason to hold up left-turn traffic when it could proceed safely.

M. Lahr

Orange

About year ago, the Orange County Traffic Engineer Council was established to look at the possibility of having protective-permissive turns countywide. The council consists of city and county traffic engineers, the Automobile Club of Southern California and private consultants.

The council determined more driver education was needed first. To that end, they suggested changes to the “California Driver Handbook,” which the state is expected to incorporate.

Meanwhile, the council also recently completed a report recommending a uniform design and operation of those signals throughout the county, Orange County traffic engineer Ignacio Ochoa said. Still to be done is research on the efficiency of protective-permissive turns and driver simulations, Ochoa said.

When all of this is finished, it still will be up to the traffic engineers of each city in Orange County to decide whether they want those lights.

Ochoa agrees with you that most drivers know how a protective-permissive left-turn works and would welcome their benefits throughout the county. But there still are drivers who don’t know how they operate, and that creates a safety concern traffic engineers won’t easily dismiss.

Years ago, the county did have protective-permissive turns in what is now Mission Viejo and Laguna Hills. They were removed because many drivers did not understand that even though the light was green, they still had to yield to oncoming traffic before turning, Ochoa said.

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Dear Readers:

‘Tis the season for new traffic laws to go into effect, and the focus this year is on stronger penalties for people driving with suspended or revoked licenses. Also in effect as of the new year is a rewording of the child safety seat law, an increase in vehicle registration fees, and the end of the grace period for compliance with the bicycle helmet law of 1994.

Of the 25 million registered vehicle owners in the state, about 1.5 million have a suspended or revoked California driver’s license, said Evan Nosoff, spokesman for the California Department of Motor Vehicles in Sacramento. The three main reasons for a suspended or revoked license are the driver failing or refusing to take the blood-alcohol test, failing to pay or appear in court on a previous ticket or failing to have insurance, he said.

The new law requires mandatory jail time under certain conditions for people convicted twice within five years for driving with a suspended or revoked license. How it works:

If a driver is found to have a .08 blood-alcohol level or higher or refuses to take a blood-alcohol test, the driver’s license is suspended for four months. If, within five years of that first incident, that person is convicted for any reason for driving with a suspended or revoked license, the driver goes to jail.

A driver does not receive jail time if the first conviction for a suspended license does not involve driving under the influence.

Also beginning now, bicyclists younger than 18 who are caught not wearing a protective helmet can face a maximum $25 fine.

And, in case there ever was any doubt, the wording has been refined on the child safety seat law. The new law definitively states that “children must be restrained in child passenger restraint systems if they are either under 4 years of age or weigh less than 40 pounds.” After age 4 or 40 pounds, they may use regular seat belts. The penalties for breaking this law range from $22 to $100, depending on the child’s age.

Street Smart appears Mondays in The Times Orange County Edition. Readers are invited to submit comments and questions about traffic, commuting and what makes it difficult to get around in Orange County. Include simple sketches if helpful. Letters may be published in upcoming columns. Please write to Caroline Lemke, c/o Street Smart, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, Calif. 92626. Include your full name, address and day and evening phone numbers. Letters may be edited, and no anonymous letters will be accepted.