Is there a state in the US where turning right on Red is against the law?
not state-wide, but in New York City, turning right on red is illegal.
How does a visitor to the island become informed of this?
A few places around here ban it. Usually in the suburbs, for no apparent reason whatsoever.
I seem to recall there were signs on the road approaches to the city. Last time I drove into Manhattan was the early 90s, though, so I could be misremembering.
I’ve found a few city intersections here in WI where it’s illegal, but in general, Wisconsin is good for right on red.
There are always places in a city or state where it is banned. Often times that is because of limited sight distances, traffic volume, or other reasons that make it less safe.
Usually there are signs, indicating where it’s not legal.
Much like in the city of Columbus, Ohio, it says “City wide ban on U-Turns” on pretty much every intersection.
FYI, it is not just Manhattan, but all five boroughs of the City in which it is not permitted. There are signs on the major highways leading into the City.
Also, there are some intersections signed “Right Turn on Red Permitted After Stop”, in which right on red is lega.
States and municipalities do sometimes post signs and such to inform outsiders of their local laws/rules. To my knowledge nothing requires they inform you.
It is a drivers responsibility to educate themselves in the driving laws of places they plan to travel. There are books available that list all the variations between different locals.
A similar problem is driving with cell phones. Some local governments allow it, and some don’t. This has become problematic for places like L.A. where one suburb merges into another and the driver has to figure out whether he can or cannot talk on the cell phone while he drives.
If they do, in California they would have to post No Right On Red signs at all their intersections. California doesn’t allow “home rule” type law-making to cities in the state, as I recall.
If you are in California, no talking on a cell phone while driving unless you using hands free device.
All 50 states permit right on red, as I recall, and stated by wiki:
They are correct about some of the eastern states adopting the law in the 1970s. I remember PA adopting it then. IIRC, Vermont was the last one.
If I remember, it was part of the agreement to get federal highway money. Boston just posted No Right Turn On Red signs at every intersection.
Here’s a chart (from the references in the wiki article): Yahoo | Mail, Weather, Search, Politics, News, Finance, Sports & Videos
That’s correct. Allowing right-on-red became a requirement to get federal highway money in the 80s, as a gas-saving measure.
Cite on the gas-saving part?
Actually, most states went to right-on-red because they adopted in substantial part the Uniform Vehicle Code. This makes it easier to drive in a state other than the one you learned to drive in, by eliminating the variance of traffic rules that used to exist. Right-on-red is an example of one of the uniform rules in the Code.
The one I’m thinking of does. (The real sign is much less blurry.)
Whoops, missed this message.
Well, that’s what I recall reading in newspapers at the time, in any case. The idea was that having fewer cars idling at red lights would save gas. It might be hard to find a cite thirty years later.