All left turns are dangerous. There are those who advocate for reducing the number of left turns or eliminating them altogether. It is much safer for a driver to make a right turn. It may be less efficient, but it is usually safer for someone to make three right turns and go around the block rather than making a single left.
In some cases, left turns are light controlled. Drivers get a green arrow so that they know when to turn. This can make it safer. There are still plenty of accidents when someone else runs the red light or when a driver takes a left turn, but controlled intersections can help. So why is it that uncontrolled left turns are so dangerous?
At the driver’s discretion
The problem is that the driver makes the turn based on their own discretion, so it is just a judgment call. Someone who is waiting to turn left watches oncoming traffic until they think the gap is big enough for them to turn safely. In most of these cases, the driver is correct and makes the turn with no issue. But there are also many cases where people turn into a small gap or make an ill-advised maneuver, leading to an accident.
After all, turning left almost always means driving across oncoming traffic lanes. This is an inherently dangerous maneuver. Even a driver who has made thousands of lefts and considers themselves a safe and attentive driver only needs to make one mistake to cause a potentially fatal crash.
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