This Too Common KY Traffic Practice Needs to Stop…It’s Dangerous

Yes, you can consider me fed up. I have railed against a certain traffic practice for years, and it keeps happening. I know my voice isn't loud enough for the drivers in the back, but you'd think something as dangerous as this would just, you know, cease on its own.

Well, it hasn't.

I Appreciate Courteous Drivers, But It Can Go Too Far

This morning, as I was driving down Frederica Street in the right-hand lane heading south, a motorist in the left-hand lane, also heading south, had stopped to allow a northbound vehicle to turn left onto Halifax Drive. I did not see the left-turning vehicle and was forced to slam on my brakes--on a wet street--to avoid an accident, which I did. I missed her truck by feet.

Several years ago, I did a video demonstration--you'll see by the TIME CODE how long this has been an issue (at least)--that explains the aforementioned traffic situation. Start at the 31-second mark:

I'm not just hammering my hometown on this one; this has happened to me in Bowling Green, Hopkinsville, and Louisville, too. I can't believe Louisville drivers let this pass without a bird flip or a selection of choice words.

I understand that drivers who allow oncoming motorists to turn left in front of them are courteous, but it's far more DANGEROUS than it is courteous. Listen, it happens all the time, and I can only beg of everyone with a driver's license and a vehicle who has done this. PLEASE STOP.

I did contact the Owensboro Police Department who confirmed that this specific action is NOT illegal, but the officer did call it "not very helpful." Kentucky law clearly states that "no person shall stop a vehicle, leave it standing, or cause it to stop or to be left standing upon any portion of the roadway." Maybe that doesn't cover it, but the situation could be a liability issue according to the law offices of Matthiesen, Wickert, & Lehrer, S.C.

Yes, courtesy can be costly. Again, I know it's a nice gesture, but it really could end up getting someone killed.