Driving On the Wrong Side of the Road is Illegal
Decatur Metro | May 6, 2009I can’t count the number of times I’ve witnessed this very action along Clairemont Road.
From Juancella Francis’ list of 11 Traffic Safety reminders…
When traffic is backed up at a traffic light and a turn lane is ahead, it is illegal and dangerous to drive in the oncoming lane while attempting to get to the turn lane. This is a constant problem, especially southbound on Clairemont Avenue approaching Scott Blvd.
The other 10 reminders can be found after the jump.
1) Wear your seatbelt.
2) Drive the speed limit.
3) Drive the speed limit in a School Zone.
4) Come to a complete stop before turning right at a traffic light.
5) Come to a complete stop at a Stop Sign before proceeding.
6) Turn on headlights in the rain.
7) Use turn signals.
8) Obey “no turn on red & no left turn” traffic control signs.
9) Do not follow too closely to the vehicle ahead.
10) It is illegal to block the driveway to Fire Station 1 on East Trinity Place.
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Given how “reliable” power can be around here:
12. A flashing red traffic light means stop. A flashing yellow means yield.
teehee #8 smiley!
Being British, I have to question what constitutes “driving on the wrong side of the road”. I’m thinking I’ve been doing that since I moved here!
I’ll add to the reminders list:
11. Yield to pedestrians on crosswalks (per the sign next to the crosswalk).
Hard to say why the Starbucks crosswalk demands more respect. I am continually dismayed by the number of pedestrians in Decatur who do not use crosswalks when often they are a mere half block from their desired destination.
I’d say it has something to do with sightlines. Though both sections of Ponce are narrow, down by Tacqueria the driver can feel pretty comfortable they can see all potential hazards thanks to a straight road (without sight-restricting hills) and buildings set far back from the curb.
Up by Starbucks you deal with the opposite. Buildings close to the street, a hill you can’t see over, an intersection with E. Courthouse Square. Oh and on-street parking. All these things make me a lot more visually aware when I’m driving through that section.
And another observation…it seems much more likely that a second car will ignore you in a crosswalk, if the first one did.
Meh on the turning left on Clairemont issue. Sure, passing 10 cars on the left is nuts, and but passing one when there is clearly no oncoming traffic does not strike me as a problem. I apply the “totality of the circumstances test” here. Same for the speed limit, which of course is disregarded by virtually everyone.
Overall, this list is a bit of an anachronism, if you ask me. Far more important these days: do not e-mail and text message while trying to drive.
Also not so much on the list of legal methods: pulling straight out into traffic and completely blocking multiple lanes of traffic headed one direction (sometimes for several minutes) so that you can turn left headed the other direction. Yes, the traffic is frustrating, but someone will let you in so you can turn RIGHT. That is the *correct* way to travel when traffic is congested.
No. 3 and No. 10 seem to be the very abused. It amazes me how many times traffic blocks the entrance to the fire station. I guess those blocking it are sure it won’t be their home burning down if the trucks need to get out. These may be the same folks who don’t pull over for an ambulance.
#13: Do not allow yourself to be positioned directly above train tracks when stopped at a red light. Before moving to Decatur, I rarely came across a train track still in operation, but the one along E. College Ave is very active. A close call last week at the intersection of E Trinity Place & College was more than enough to change my behavior for ahwile.
I’ll go ya one better, Flaka. “Yield to pedestrians” was Georgia’s previous law. It’s now “Stop for pedestrians” — the more forceful version.
On that note, does anyone have any theories on why drivers seem to abide by the crosswalk at Starbucks way more than any of the other Ponce crosswalks? My first guess would be that the road is less wide there so speeds are already lower but the crossing in front of Taqueria del Sol, where the street is even narrower, seems to disprove this.
I always prepare to stop there because I feel like cars parked along there block my view of people waiting to cross, and I’m afraid someone will step out in front of me.
I always stop for pedestrians at crosswalks. I have a Decatur tag on the front of my car, so I’m representin’, you know?
That crosswalk has had the STOP signage in place far longer than the others, so many people have become accustomed to stopping there for 13 years or so. Then again, it may simply be coincidence.
Here’s a good place to start:
http://www.dds.ga.gov/docs/forms/FullDriversManual.pdf
Jason mentioned the yellow and red flashing lights, but no operating lights during a power outage requires all vehicles to treat the intersection as a four-way stop.
Pedestrians and bicyclists are not exempt from the laws.
DM, I’m about to be a bit less charitable than you… My guess is that the publicness(?) of the Starbucks crossing plays into drivers heightened courtesy. There are generally a lot of people hanging out in that area, and I’m convinced that motorists are mindful of the extra eyes upon them!
In fairness, I also generally have drivers stop for me at the crossing by Ruby Tuesdays – but hey, maybe these drivers are not locals, and don’t realize that Ruby Tuesdays in Decatur is usually empty?
I never noticed pre-kids, but a lot of crosswalks actually aren’t coupled with curb cuts, forcing folks with strollers or in wheelchairs to cross outside the crosswalk. One particularly dangerous example is on the east side of S. Candler just south of Winnona. Although I of course stop for others without strollers or wheelchairs who just cross wherever they please, I share your dismay.