Why Don’t UPS Drivers Turn Left?
We sometimes tease my longtime friend and colleague Debbie Ray because she refuses to turn left into oncoming traffic. She'll go a couple blocks out of her way to have a left turn protected by a traffic signal.
That being said, maybe she has a point. We have a lot of bad drivers in Acadiana.
UPS drivers don't turn left, either, in the US anyway. In countries where they drive on the left side of the road, they don't turn right. They're given very specific routes, and instructed never to turn into oncoming traffic. This is done in spite of the fact that it's not always the most direct route.
Why do they do this?
It reduces idling time. Quartz Media reports this saves UPS 10 million gallons of fuel a year. That really adds up. Gasoline prices in some countries are currently more than $6.00 a gallon.