Borrow This Safety Technique From UPS Drivers When You're Flustered By Traffic In An Unfamiliar City

Navigating an unfamiliar city, especially when driving, could leave even the most experienced drivers flustered. Unfortunately, few U.S. cities have great public transportation, which means you'll probably have to get behind the wheel, whether you want to or not. However, rather than collecting early-onset gray hairs from driving in a new city, you can borrow a safety technique used by UPS drivers.

The technique in question is that UPS drivers avoid making left turns, unless absolutely necessary. To do this, the shipping chain provides routes for company drivers that actively avoid left turns against oncoming traffic. As it turns out, this policy has both safety and economic benefits. Not only are left turns considered more dangerous, but by avoiding them, the company can save on fuel costs. UPS saves an estimated 10 million gallons of fuel per year by implementing this no-left-turns practice, according to a 2017 report from CNN.

In cases where there isn't a designated left-turn arrow at a traffic light, drivers will have to make a left turn when there's a break in oncoming traffic. As you might imagine — or have experienced for yourself — this can be a hazardous situation. A 2010 report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) states that the highest percentage of critical pre-crash events at intersections was turning left, at 22.2%. The second-highest pre-cash factor was crossing over at 12.6%, followed by turning right at 1.2%.

It's not just crashes between vehicles that pose a threat; left turns can also be a safety risk for pedestrians. San Francisco's Municipal Transportation Agency reports that as many as 40% of traffic deaths in 2019 were the result of drivers not seeing a pedestrian in the crosswalk while making a left turn. With this data in mind, steering clear of these scenarios on the road may not only help alleviate stress but also be safer for you and others.

While UPS has its own software system to minimize left turns, there are a few platforms that could help regular folks avoid them, too. For example, Los Angeles isn't easy without a car, so driving in this city is often preferred. However, for those visiting LA, the traffic and navigation app Waze has a feature that allows you to opt out of making turns at dangerous intersections. Unfortunately, Google Maps does not yet have a feature to help drivers avoid left turns.

There's also Route4Me. This platform is subscription-based and marketed to businesses to help optimize driving routes. Most notably, they have a feature called the Left Turn Avoidance Add-On. At this time, the company has an overall rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars on Google Play, but reviews are mixed. They do offer a free seven-day trial, though, so it could be worth trying out.