Very smart. Very safe. Very easy to use. Vastly preferable to the "left turn on green arrow" nonsense, and don't get me started on those idiotic roundabouts.
The Michigan Left
Often maligned, often misunderstood, the Michigan Left turn is an operation which causes much consternation among out-of-state drivers and nary a second thought from locals. Developed in Michigan in 1960 (see History), these turning set-ups exist across the entire state, from Niles to Escanaba and from Detroit to Marquette. (Yes, the Upper Peninsula has Michigan Lefts! At last check, about 30 individual turnarounds.) As of 2010, one MDOT document noted, "In Michigan, there are more than 425 miles of median with directional crossovers on the state highway system."
The Michigan Left was developed to avoid the interlocking left-turn movements along divided highways. In this way, the only turning movements allowed at such an intersection are right-hand turns. Traffic lights can be placed at busier Michigan Left intersections if warranted. For the most heavily-used "crossovers," specialized traffic signals may be placed to ensure traffic does not back up on the highway waiting to turn left.
The Michigan Left is often railed against by visitors and those moving to Michigan from other areas. While it is often contrasted with other intersection improvement solutions, such as the New Jersey Jughandle, New England rotaries, the standard roundabout, and even grade-separated interchanges, studies over the past 50 years keep proving the Michigan Left's worth. Those studies show the average wait times at Michigan Left intersections are much shorter than if that same intersection had a traditional four-phase traffic signal with protected left-turn movements. Plus, the types of collisions which occur at Michigan Left intersections cause less damage, fewer injuries, and costs drivers less. Additionally, the National Highway Institute Research Center reports that "nearly 75% of all access-related crashes [to and from driveways from the main highway] are left turns. The left-turn movement into a driveway, without the benefit of a signal, accounts for 47% of the crashed associated with driveways. Twenty-seven percent of the crashes were turning left out of the driveway. Only 26% of driveway crashes are right-turns (with 16% in and 10% out)." (See graphic at left.)
As for those who constantly complain and insult the traffic engineers who continue to install Michigan Lefts, think about it this way: If Michigan Lefts were truly judged to be more dangerous or ineffective at their purpose, why are they still proliferating a half century later? And why are so many more states and other nations around the world using them or slight variations of them? Hmmm...
https://www.michiganhighways.org/indepth/michigan_left.html
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