I don't know why some people are afraid to pull into an intersection before making a left turn. Unless if there are other cars coming from the side, it's perfectly legal to do this; in fact, you have to in order to prevent a logjam in the back. Seems to me that most people have trouble with the left turn thing. You've got to look in multiple directions but it's not that bad. In this situation, you've got to move quick or you and the rest of the people in the back loose their chance to go. Don't be afraid, no one's going to hit you.
