I have stated this before but to keep it on the forefront for those that think UPL's are not safe. There is a traffic signal one block down the road from my UPL, but in the 30 years I have lived near this turn, every tragic accident has been at the traffic signal when someone ran the red light (zero accidents at my UPL). Signals create right of way issues that can be dangerous when other drivers ignore or miss the signal due to distraction, the UPL keeps you or the supervised vehicle on guard.
@chazman True. Lights do give us a sense of safety which leads to complacency. We expect everyone to follow the rules. When there are no lights, we tend to be more alert and we look for the unexpected
@chazman But doesn't that mean treating the signal-controlled-left with the same care/alertness as an unprotected-left be even safer? Especially when vehicles become machine driven and we no longer have human complacency and inattentiveness issues.
@chazman I had an accident with a left turn at a T-junction. The other car did not see his red-light. While I generally check before proceeding, I did not this time because I 'felt safe', assuming the light protected me. Being unprotected means one takes full responsibility.
@chazman Maybe many of the bad drivers don't have the balls to do UPL's like you sir.
@chazman Very interesting statistic.