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On May 9, 2026, Inland Empire drivers are still asking the same left-turn lane question: how much room should you leave between your car and the one ahead? Too much space, and the cars near the back can spill into the through lane. Too little, and you are glued to the bumper in front with no room to react.
Rich Croyt of Chino Hills recently raised that exact issue. He noticed that left-turn queues often stretch far beyond the painted pocket because each driver leaves an oversized gap. When the line finally reaches the point where the lane widens, several cars are still sitting in the lane used by drivers going straight. His suggestion was simple: move up a few feet.
The real answer, according to traffic safety officials, is not a fixed number. It depends on the vehicle, the intersection, and the driver’s ability to stay alert. The goal is to maintain enough space to see and steer around the car ahead, without turning one car’s caution into a bottleneck for everyone behind.
There is no California law that requires a specific number of feet between cars waiting in a left-turn lane. Instead, the standard is “reasonable and prudent,” a phrase that shows up throughout the California Vehicle Code. For a stopped queue, that means finding the middle ground between bumper-hugging and leaving a seven-car gap.
Officer Ivan Sandoval of the California Highway Patrol Inland Division puts it in practical terms. You do not need enough room for a full car length, but you should be able to see the area around the vehicle ahead and have space to make a small adjustment if the driver in front reverses, stalls, or changes lanes unexpectedly.
Sandoval also reminds drivers to be patient with people who are not locals. Someone in front of you may be unfamiliar with the intersection, watching for a street sign, or checking a navigation app. They may not creep forward as quickly as you would like. That is not a reason to tailgate inside the turn lane or honk aggressively.
The key, in Sandoval’s words, is common sense. If you are aware of the car ahead, the stop line, and the lane markings, you already have most of the answer.
The easiest way to avoid blocking traffic is to keep your car inside the left-turn lane from the moment you enter it. When the car ahead moves, start rolling forward too. Do not wait until there is a parking space’s worth of pavement between you and the car in front.
If you are the first car in line, stop with your front bumper just before the marked stop line. That gives you a clear view of the intersection and also leaves room for cross traffic. If you are further back, stop far enough behind the car ahead to see around it, but stay close enough that the queue moves as one unit.
A good habit is to check your side mirrors as the queue advances. If your rear bumper is still in the lane beside the left-turn pocket, you are probably too far back. Gently move forward when the car in front moves, but keep enough distance to avoid a rear-end collision if traffic stops suddenly.
No single measurement works at every intersection. A compact car in a long left-turn pocket behaves differently than a pickup truck in a short one. The principle is the same: stay in your lane, stay aware, and do not let an extra six feet of shyness force a dozen drivers to miss the green light.
A Moreno Valley driver, Ismael Gonzalez, asked a different question: which city in the Inland Empire has the most potholes?
The short answer is that no official ranking exists. No government agency is out there counting potholes city by city. The more honest answer is that the region’s heaviest freight corridors see the most damage.
Google’s AI-generated search summary recently pointed to San Bernardino and Riverside as frequent complaint centers, noting that both cities have launched multi-million-dollar pavement rehabilitation projects after winter rains. It also mentioned Rancho Cucamonga, Ontario, and Fontana, where big-rig traffic puts constant stress on local asphalt. Rialto and Colton also show up in online discussions about rough roads.
That is not a scientific comparison, but it matches what transportation planners already know. The Inland Empire is a major warehouse and trucking hub. Streets near freeway interchanges and logistics centers take a beating that residential streets do not.
For drivers, the most useful response is to report potholes directly to the local public works department. Many cities have phone apps and online portals where residents can upload a photo and the exact address. The report creates a work order and makes it harder for the problem to be ignored. On state highways and freeways, Caltrans is the agency responsible for repairs.
The next time someone asks which city has the worst potholes, the correct answer may not be a city name. It is wherever the last report was filed and not yet fixed.
On a different safety note, San Bernardino County is offering car seat education programs that families can use for free.
The county’s Traffic S.A.F.E. Program provides car seat tutorials and vehicle safety services. Classes are held twice a month in English and Spanish in San Bernardino and Hesperia. The next scheduled sessions run from 9 to 10 a.m. on Oct. 21 and Nov. 18.
Families can also make an appointment for a one-on-one car seat safety check-up. A certified technician will inspect the seat, make sure it is installed correctly, and answer questions about the right seat for a child’s age, height, and weight.
The classes cover California’s buckle-up laws, basic crash dynamics, how car seats and seat belts protect passengers, proper seat belt use, and correct installation techniques. For many parents, the biggest surprise is that an improperly tightened harness or a loose anchor can turn a safe seat into a dangerous one.
To register or find the exact class location, call 1-800-782-4264. You can also email crystal.armstrong@dph.sbcounty.gov. The service is open to parents, guardians, and other caregivers who want to make sure their child is safe on every trip.
The original left-turn question has a simple bottom line. Be alert, keep your car in the lane, and do not treat the space in front of you as a personal comfort zone. If you are still waiting at the intersection after the car ahead has moved, you are no longer being cautious. You are adding unnecessary delay.
That kind of driving often comes from good intentions. Drivers want to see the intersection clearly, avoid a sudden stop, or leave room in case the car ahead breaks down. But when everyone leaves an extra few feet, the left-turn pocket stops being useful.
Respect the drivers around you, especially those unfamiliar with the area. Use the crosswalk and stop line as visual marks. And remember the old traffic principle: share the road.
Do you have a question about commuting, freeways, toll roads, or parking in the Inland Empire? Send it to ontheroad@scng.com or call 951-368-9995. Include your name, city of residence, and a phone number or email address. Your question may be used in an upcoming column.
