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 the first 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. It is an illegal and controversial practice.
The maneuver has been referred to as a Boston left 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.
Legality
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. In Ontario, Canada, such a turn is considered stunt driving under the provincial Highway Traffic Act.
See also
References
- ↑ 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.
