Pittsburgh left
 | This article includes a list of general references but lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (January 2010) |
The Pittsburgh left is a colloquial term for the practice of oncoming traffic yielding to a driver at an intersection who is turning left even though the driver turning left is the one required to yield. Before opposing vehicles going straight advance; the straight-driving vehicles may signal their yield by flashing their headlights or with a wave. This behavior is associated with the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, area and came into vogue because of its hilly terrain combined with the preponderance of two-lane roads.[1][2] It is an illegal[3] and controversial[4] practice.
The maneuver has been referred to as a Boston left[5] or New York left, but those maneuvers may refer to when the left-turning driver rushes to turn left before the straight-driving driver can advance, regardless of whether the straight-driving driver yields or not.[6]
Legality
[edit]The Pittsburgh left has no basis in law. Failing to yield to oncoming traffic while navigating a turn is a traffic violation, and is prohibited in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.[3] In Ontario, Canada, such a turn is considered stunt driving under the provincial Highway Traffic Act.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ↑ Blackley, Katie. "How the Pittsburgh Left became embedded in city driving". www.wesa.fm. WESA Public Radio. Retrieved April 24, 2025.
- ↑ Ahlin, Eileen M. (2023-06-30). Violence in the Heights: The Torn Social Fabric of Inner-City Neighborhoods. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-000-90819-0.
- 1 2 "Learning to Drive". Pennsylvania Driver's Manual. Pub 95 (4-21) English Version. Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, Bureau of Driver Licensing. p. 48. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ↑ Mike Wereschagin (2006-06-14). "'Pittsburgh Left' seen by many as a local right". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Trib Live). Retrieved 2023-12-13.
- ↑ "There's Nothing Right About the 'Boston Left'". The Boston Globe. Boston, MA. May 14, 2006. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012 – via HighBeam Research.
- ↑ Ben Zimmer (2013-04-07). "Boston driving: So bad it needs its own lingo? / Terrible road maneuvers, from the Boston left to the California roll". Boston Globe.
- ↑ O Reg 455/07, s 3(8)(iv). https://www.ontario.ca/laws/regulation/070455
- Potter, Chris (June 22, 2006). "I'm still wondering about the Pittsburgh Left. No one can tell me where it comes from". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
- Goodman, Dawn (2009-09-20). "'Pittsburgh Left:' A turn for the worse". Observer-Reporter.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - "'Pittsburgh Left': It's A 'Burgh Thing". ThePittsburghChannel. WTAE-TV. June 14, 2006. Archived from the original on July 3, 2006. Retrieved January 7, 2010.
- "Wild, wild, weird west lies in western Pa". Daily News. Bowling Green, Kentucky. Associated Press. February 6, 1996.
- Donovan, Sandra (February 10, 1999). "Road rage boils over delayed left turn". The Beaver County Times.
