[jesseendahl]

>At least here in the deep south people don't pack intersections before a light change like they did in southern california, that made driving way more tedious than it needed to be.

In many many many intersections in LA, there is no protected left, so the only way to turn left is to sit in the intersection and then turn on red. I’ve seen a lot of people from the suburbs not understand this, and let 2 or 3 cycles of the light go by before they realize. And everyone sitting behind them waiting to also turn left gets (understandably imo) really annoyed.

[colanderman]

We solved this problem in Massachusetts, it's called the "Massachusetts left". So long as you're the lead car stopped at a red light. The moment it turns green (or ideally, just before) you slam on the gas and whip left in front of oncoming traffic.

In fact it's the one time you can use your blinker as an honest signal and oncoming traffic will actually wait for you to make the left and get annoyed if you don't.

Just make sure to check the license plate of the lead car in the oncoming lane, if it's not a MA plate abort!

[HeatrayEnjoyer]

I cannot fathom that this is a sanctioned traffic move. What is to stop someone driving straight from also gunning it on green?

[colanderman]

In Texas there was a cowboy.

Everywhere he drove, he'd run red lights at full speed.

He had a passenger one day, who asked him, why don't you stop, that's dangerous!

He said, it's because I'm a cowboy.

Soon they came upon a green light. The cowboy hit the brakes and came to a complete stop.

The passenger asked, why'd you stop, the light's green!

The cowboy said, we gotta stop because there might be another cowboy coming through.

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(To actually answer your question -- you have to watch the opposing driver. If they hesitate, or ideally, flash their headlights, you're good. If they also gun it, abort and hang out in the intersection until red. Exchange gestures as appropriate.)