Published August 2, 2010

(DDOT, DC)

The light turns green. You hesitate for a half-second and watch as two or three drivers make the death-defying left turn in front of you.

News writer Jesse Logan — a mom with an infant daughter — watched this grisly scenario unfold in Hyde Park over the weekend.

An SUV slammed into the passenger side of an older model Toyota Camry in the middle of a four-way intersection where Truman Highway meets River Street. While both cars had the green light, it was the smaller car that proceeded to make a left turn ahead of the SUV. Thankfully, there was an ambulance in queue at the light before the crash, so emergency response was quick. The driver of the Camry had to be pulled from the car by at least three people. The passenger of the SUV, also in shock, had passed out and she, too, was pulled out of the car and onto a stretcher — her head anchored by a neck brace.

There were no fatalities, she says.

Jesse sent me some research that more or less confirms what we all suspect of Boston drivers. The latest annual survey by GMAC Insurance ranks Massachusetts near the bottom when it comes to drivers’ knowledge about basic road rules.

In 2008, Boston ranked No. 2 in a list of cities with the most discourteous drivers, according to a survey commissioned by the national auto club AutoVantage. Last year, Boston fell (rose?) to No. 9.

WBUR’s Dave Shaw puts it this way: “I realized when I moved here I wouldn’t be a Boston driver until I was willing to make a left in front of traffic.”

I find the left-on-green problem is particularly bad on Memorial Drive at Western Avenue. Everyone heading to the Pike needs to get there now.

Update: It happens to be National Stop On Red Week. But I would hope that’s more of a year-round concept.