Your other left

I came across an interesting article via mental_floss this morning entitled "Life Without Left Turns," which details several study examples (can what Mythbuster's does be called a "study"?) that add mounting evidence to the fact that avoiding left turns saves time (and perhaps collisions).

Not too terribly long after I had received my driver's license, I was hit when turning left out of my ceramics teacher's driveway late one night. The road was hilly, with dips that concealed oncoming traffic, I was inexperienced, and the other driver was surely going too fast. The side of my mother's car was pretty banged up, though the other driver, her passenger, and I were all physically fine.

For the next year after that accident, I had a strange, Pavlovian-like response to left turns. Each time I made one, I cringed inwardly, waiting for the phantom collision. Every single time I turned, I remembered the shock and embarrassment (I did pull out in front of her, after all) and fear. Eventually the response faded, but now I always do extra checks when I turn left.

Personally, I vote we all get bicycles instead.