Ahh the infamous "Michigan left."

It's true on Gratiot and most of the main throughfares. As you get out of the city you can most certainly turn left.

I was working in the new Chrysler Mack Avenue Engine Plant and staying in Roseville for almost two years installing automation, during that whole time my Wife came to visit 3 times, she absolutely hated to drive there and deal with the "Michigan lefts."

I went home every other weekend.

I didn't mean to imply that I didn't care for it. I rarely saw any seriously heavy traffic on the surface streets. It seems to have served its purpose.

The situation you describe is called "floor  the mutha."

When I was staioned in Virginia I could not come to terms with those knuckleheads who would stop on the onramp. I passed a few of these shleps while they were stopped and proceeded to merge with traffic. They would stop at the yield sign and wait for who knows what, drove me nuts.

Virginia, around the Naval Base has the worst drivers I've seen in North America and gave a few of the third world countries a run for their money.