# Is turning right on Red legal in all 50 states? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2009, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023 "2009-07-05T23:43:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Meeko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Meeko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meeko)\ **Post date:** [July 17, 2009, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/21 "2009-07-17T23:54:51Z")
> [@suranyi](#): > > 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. One better for you, I have heard, more than once, that **UPS** will literally go out of their way to just make right turns when turning into traffic. That is, they pre-route the driving, to minimize left hand turns. The thinking is, is that turning left also means waiting [idling]. Apparently, turning right three times beats waiting for oncomming traffic the opposite way. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/22 "2009-07-18T02:57:37Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > How does a visitor to the island become informed of this? As a visitor, this is really rough around the long-term parking lots at JFK. You can’t turn right on red, and the lights take forever and there is not even any other traffic 90% of the day. ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/23 "2009-07-18T03:06:40Z")
I know this is related to the 50 states, BUT When I was in Thunderbay Ontario there were signs that used wording I didn’t get and from what I was told it was to allow a right turn on red. Anyone know this sign I am thinking of?? ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/24 "2009-07-18T04:50:50Z")
> [@Gbro](#): > > I know this is related to the 50 states, BUT > When I was in Thunderbay Ontario there were signs that used wording I didn’t get and from what I was told it was to allow a right turn on red. > Anyone know this sign I am thinking of?? The standard Ontario sign for ’ no right turn on red’ is a right-turn arrow in a red circle and slash above a stoplight symbol with the red light coloured in… is that the one you’re thinking of? ---
**Author:** ![Gbro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Gbro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gbro)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/25 "2009-07-18T19:04:14Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > The standard Ontario sign for ’ no right turn on red’ is a right-turn arrow in a red circle and slash above a stoplight symbol with the red light coloured in… is that the one you’re thinking of? This was 15+ years ago and there were words associated with the sign. Those words were what was strange to me. Mabe that sing was to allow the turn?? ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2009, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/26 "2009-07-18T19:55:46Z")
> [@Meeko](#): > > One better for you, I have heard, more than once, that **UPS** will literally go out of their way to just make right turns when turning into traffic. That is, they pre-route the driving, to minimize left hand turns. > > The thinking is, is that turning left also means waiting [idling]. Apparently, turning right three times beats waiting for oncomming traffic the opposite way. They wouldn’t necessarily make three right turns to avoid a red. Instead, they could make the route so that it, e.g. goes in the opposite direction in that part, to make a single right turn. I do something similar myself: If I’ve got two stores to go to, I’ll choose the order I go to them, to minimize left turns, especially left turns from a store onto the road. Left turns into a store aren’t that bad. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/27 "2009-07-19T02:50:49Z")
> [@Billdo](#): > > 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. I drive from NJ into NYC quite often, and can’t recall the last time I saw any such such. I will try to look more carefully next week. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2009, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/28 "2009-07-19T04:11:39Z")
> [@Gbro](#): > > This was 15+ years ago and there were words associated with the sign. Those words were what was strange to me. Mabe that sing was to allow the turn?? [Here’s the official MTO page.](http://www.mto.gov.on.ca/english/dandv/driver/handbook/section3.1.1.shtml). The No Right Turn On Red sign is partway down. I’m googling around to find historical road signs but haven’t had much luck yet. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [July 29, 2009, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023/30 "2009-07-29T12:48:53Z")
Can I be a small amount of a dick in GQ in a good cause? “Right turns on red” are not legal anywhere. “Right turns on red after stopping when safe” are generally legal, with the exceptions noted above. I’ve seen too many people who believe the size of their ego entitles them to special privilege take the “right on red” authorization as giving them the right of way, even over traffic proceeding with the green light. So I wanted to underscore the permissive, concessive value of the law. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-turning-right-on-red-legal-in-all-50-states/502023.md?page=1)