There was no “No Right On Red” sign posted. We had a red light and I was behind a woman just sitting there. The ants entered my pants, but then I thought, maybe she doesn’t have to…and I shilled out a bit.
I’ve had people behind me blow their horn (impatient New England jerks) for not pulling out 12 feet in front of a tractor trailer on a red light.
Is it a state by state issue? Do you have the option of the right on red or are you supposed to treat a red light when turning right as a stop-then-yield sign?
I assume you were in a right-turn-only lane? Because obviously if the driver has the option of going straight then they aren’t required to turn right just because the light is red. I also assume that in a right-turn-only lane turning on red is an option and not a requirement.
It has to be optional, at least in California. The law says “You can make a right turn against a red light after you stop and yield to pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicles that are close enough to be a hazard. Make the right turn only when it is safe. Do not turn if a “NO TURN ON RED” sign is posted.” Nothing says you must make a right turn.
Yes it was a right turn only lane. Thanks guys. I think I’ll just pick up a stack of RI Driving Manuals and keep them in the glove box to throw at the jerks behind me leaning on their horns while I am yielding to bicliclists and peds. Hopefully I won’t pick up the $500 littering fine.
The question has been asked and answered, but I was just fuming about the opposite this morning – I had the green light, and a jackass made a right-turn on red right in front of me. On her cell phone, of course. I slammed on brakes (but didn’t honk, I was much too panicked to honk)… and I don’t think she was even vaguely aware of how close we came.
People treat “right turn on red” as meaning “red lights can be ignored altogether.”
And don’t get me started about taking turns at stop signs.
Anyway, to get this out of a Pit ramble, and back to the GQ OP: the right-turn-on-red law is effective in almost all 50 states – there may be one or two holdouts still? And there are places, like Manhattan, where it’s not permitted (despite not having signs at each interesection.) Note that these laws are NOT effective outside the US – I don’t know about Canada, but certainly not in the UK, f’rinstance.
The law is pretty much the same in all states, although expressed differently: you must come to a complete stop, oncoming cars with the green light have the right-of-way, pedestrians and bicyclers etc have the right of way; and then you can make the right turn. It’s always “can” – hell, you “can” go on a green light, but you don’t have to, and shouldn’t if there are obstructions or if you think you might block the intersection, for instance.
Finally, in some states, you are also permitted to make a left turn on a red light, if you are on a one-way street and turning onto a one-way street. True in Illinois, anyhow.
Why? Even before you got this question answered, you knew you were in the right not making a right on red when bicyclists and pedestrians have the right of way and I’d bet those behind you are too.
Or do you not make a right on red when all is clear? The law probably allows you to go 35 in a 45, but doing it and proving to others that you have a right to do so isn’t going to make them any less impatient.
Of course I know you aren’t literally going to throw out driving manuals, but if seems you believe that legally being allowed to do something means it won’t piss others off.
just stick em under the windshield then its not litter.
the people not at the front of the line dont see what the lead car sees and people are just waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to impatient anyway. its the standard state of mind when approaching a red light or stop sign
“I am not going to stop unless I have to” seems to be what the vast majority are thinking at every intersection.
instead of
“I will stop, then check for traffic and pedestrians in ALL directions and go when safe”
because you know that would just ad hours to peoples commutes.
Is there anywhere outside of N America that right-on-red is permissible? It seems to me that it only functions successfully as a byproduct of two things, one being having road layouts often with four-way light-controlled intersections, and the other being the concept of yielding to pedestrians on crosswalks at said intersections. Many other countries only give a green light/walk sign to pedestrians when no traffic will be attempting to cross their path.
I seem to recall a news item when the last state changed their code to allow right on red a decade or two ago. One of the New England states, I believe - Vermont, if I had to guess. It appears that the federal government now mandates right turn on red as a condition of receiving federal funds (that ever popular end run around the 10th amendment).
I’ll put this in the grand scheme of things, and then put it into perspective:
Just because an option is available to me, does not mean I will commit to it. Just because a ‘right-on-red’ option is available, does not mean that I must make that right hand turn if I am uncomfortable in doing so.
Case in point: Today, I helped a friend move by letting her borrow my trailer. I came to a light, where I could have made a right hand turn on red. Knowing that I would have to cross two lanes of traffic to clear the corner with my trailer, I chose not to make that turn until the crossways traffic had stopped.
So, if it’s not safe, I won’t do it, and I think the law would agree with me. I don’t care if someone behind me is inconvenienced–it’s my choice to make a safe call. It’s my option.
I admit, I have been impatient, but I remember they’re making the same “safety evaluation” that I would, and I can’t fault 'em for that.
Tripler
Yeah, I admit, I still have road rage for those blatantly stupid a la C K Dex.
And on preview, I see I’m just another one in the crowd. . .
If a right on red is permitted only from the right lane into the right lane (unless signed otherwise), then I suspect making such a move would not only have been foolish, but possibly not legal.
There’s also the case where someone is cowering in the right-turn-only lane, trying to get up the nerve to pull out, and THEY ARE TURNING INTO A CLEAR LANE DEDICATED TO THEM. I’ll give you the horn for this one.
There is a right turn in Redmond, WA that I thankfully rarely visit anymore, but I used to do it regularly, and I’d say that about 80% of the time, there is someone sitting there at a complete stop, blocking traffic. At rush hour, it can take 10 minutes for 5 cars to turn right, even though there’s nothing stopping cars from just going. I swear, I want to stand on the little pedestrian island with leaflets that say YOU HAVE YOUR OWN LANE. GO!
In fact, heh, I was going to post a google map link to the intersection to point it out, and there’s someone actually caught on camera clogging up the right turn lane: Google Maps
(red car that was traveling west and is making a right turn to go north – either he’s sitting there blocking traffic or that black car is doing some serious tailgating.)
Yep, that looks exactly like what you describe. And worringly, it seems to be somebody more worried about what is behind them (and to the left) that actually looking at the road in front. This suggests they’re unable to deal safely with basic interatctions such as a yield sign, or a 4-way stop.
Incidentally, I was going to make a comment about how much better the image quality is on the microsoft site, until I realized we’re looking at pictures of Redmond and went, “well, duh!”
