One traffice question that I don’t believe I’ve run into here concerns right turn lanes at intersections. Frequently, I am in the right hand lane at an intersection but I want to go straight when the light turns green. Invariably, some impatient driver is right behind me and blows his/her horn to get me to move forward so he/she can make a right hand turn while the light is red. If I move up enough to let them turn, I will be in the intersection at greater risk of getting hit. What should I do, sit like a lump and not move up (my preferred action) or move up and get hit so the impatient driver can focus on his/her needs? Have any other dopers experienced this situation and if so, what is your solution?
If you can’t safely move up enough to let them past without entering the intersection, then the only reasonable (and legal) think to do is stay put. If you move up, you will not only endanger yourself and oncoming traffic, you will commit a violation by blocking the intersection.
If they’re impatient, this is their problem, not yours. Let 'em wait.
I generally try to avoid being in this situation, but sometimes it’s impossible.
Is this a right turn only lane or just the right hand lane. If it is a right turn only lane, I’m going to call you lots of dirty names especially if you want to go straight through the intersection. And you could be ticketed for a moving violation. If it is just the right hand lane, you can’t sit all day waiting for the light to change. I have no patience for rude drivers and the more they honk, the longer they are going to wait.
Somewhere I read the suggestion that the polite driver, when honked at, will shut his car off, exit it, go up to the honker and say, “Did you summon me?” Particularly effective if the honk comes 1 nanosecond after the light turns.
In the situation described, gives one the chance to ask, “Why on Earth would I want to pull partway into cross traffic and risk getting killed?”
And extremely effective if the other driver has a handgun in his glove box. I get the impression that you live in an area where this is extremely unlikely …
This happens more and more. Assuming this is not a right-turn only lane, you just sit there and let the person behind you beep away. Don’t be kind and move up - this will come to bite you in the butt when you get hit for doing the guy behind you a favor! You ignore the guy behind you, and pay attention to what your doing. Remember! You have to answer to your insurance co., not them! - Jinx
If the lane isn’t right-turn-only, you could just be courteous to potential right-turners-on-red and use the left lane.
If, however, the lane is right-turn-only and you just want to butt into the long line of cars waiting to go straight, I will sit behind you and lean on my horn until you turn right like you’re supposed to. I’ve seen people do this to avoid long, backed-up lines of cars. I can understand that you don’t want to wait four light cycles at this intersection. Neither do I. But if you go cut up in line I’m going to have to wait even longer, and the poor folks turning right are often stuck sitting there even when they have a green arrow.
I agree, 99% of the time I will make sure that I change lanes to the left if I’m in the right lane and there’s no dedicated right turn lane. This is unless there’s already cars obviously going straight in that lane. If the light turns red on my suddenly on that lane, I make every effort to move left if it’s safe. When I do this, I often have people politely honk and wave at me in gratitude.
I know I appreciate it on the rare occasions that people do this for me. Though, I must admit that if I come up on a car sitting in the rightmost lane when all the other lanes are clear, I usually just go around them. I know this isn’t really legal…
It’s not only really not legal but really dangerous. There may be a pedestrian who is crossing against the light.
If it’s not a right turn only lane, the guy behind you has no business honking at you. Just ignore him, or probably her. 
It’s not in anyway dangerous when I do it. I come to a complete stop next to the car in the rightmost lane, as normal. Then after checking for traffic and pedestrians, as normal, I slowly and safely make a right turn in front of the car in the rightmost lane. The only danger is if the guy in the rightmost lane deciding to drive into me, in which case it would be my fault legally. There’s not too much danger with that scenario since the other car is stopped and only has a few feet to accelerate. The only way this would even happen is if the person decided to do it on purpose.
I know it’s illegal, and I don’t recommend doing it. But what can I say… I’m too impatient to wait to turn right behind the one car at in intersection in the rightmost lane. I won’t even go into my impatience with obeying red lights when I am clearly the only car within a 1-mile radius…
by SCSimmons:
I’ll have to agree with this. Just too damn many nutcases out there now. I wouldn’t DREAM of getting out of my car and approaching another one (whose driver is already pissed and rude). I know how I would react to someone approaching my car in traffic after blocking me in. I’d very possibly mow him down if that was the only avenue of escape.
If you’re stuck on the right and folks honk, do the “sorry” gesture (palms up, shrug shoulders exaggeratedly, point to light, wave when it turns green).
This advice is only intended if it is a right-turn OR go-straight lane. If it is right-turn-only (as noted before), you’re an ass and deserve abuse (Hint: If your county name is on your license plate and the aformentioned turn-lane is in that county, you probably already know you’re being a jerk. Out-of-state and distant county license tags get a complete free pass from me on complicated traffic screwups - I’ve BEEN that guy too many times).
(Note: Not calling YOU a jerk, just generalising about right-turn lane occupants in general)
Uh, I did that once. That is, drive into a car which was trying to go around me. And I definitely didn’t do it on purpose. Actually the light was green all along but it was gridlocked. When the road ahead cleared I proceeded to move slowly, and totally failed to see the car trying to go around me. I was found to be 5% at fault for not noticing the car, IIRC. My damage was about 5% that of the other car (my bumper was slightly scratched, the other car needed a new passenger door) so no money changed hands.
Dudes,
Even IF it’s a “right turn only” lane, I am NOT doing a right on red unless it’s safe to do so. Honk all you want. Make rude gestures. I don’t care. And no, I am NOT taking your word for it that it’s safe, I have to see it’s safe.
If I’m in a small car and the guy in the lane to my left is in one of those honking big SUV monsters I can’t see what’s coming and I ain’t going nowhere. You can damn well wait until the green light shows. At which point I will proceed with my turn. I am not risking becoming roadkill just because YOU didn’t get up soon enough to get to work on time.
If we’re talking green lights, that’s a different story.
I agree with this, but just yesterday I witnessed this situation. The alarming thing was that it was a police car doing the honking. Well, not honking- he got on his loudspeaker thingy, cranked up the volume and said “RIGHT TURN ON RED”.
The car in front of him was a little chevy chevette-style car with a little ol’ lady doing her best to see over the steering wheel. She probably soiled her Depends when the cop got on his loudspeaker. I know I probably would have.
What an a$$hole, I thought. Pressured the little ol’ lady right into the intersection. What if she had an accident as a result. Probably would have ended up being her fault.
So, what if it’s a cop behind you doing the honking, or equivalent (no emergency lights)? Do you have to make the turn?
If you really can’t pull up without going into the intersection, then the hell with them.
I am one of the honkers, when I think that there is room for the person in front to move up. Usually they are just oblivious to the idea that people behind them might be able to make the turn if they would just pull up the couple feet of space that is there.
So, pull up if you can, stay put if you can’t.
I didn’t say I did this, or recommend it. It’s just fun to think about. The whole gist of what I recall is to act very proper and polite, like a clueless well-mannered sort.
People can honk all they want. They are being rude and I am not moving.
I will stay out of a lane that is a straight/right turn if there is another straight lane and if traffic isn’t heavy. But, the lanes are usually only made for one car. I am not going to move up so another car can sqeeze next to me because they “might” be able to make a turn. It is dangerous. If I pull up then they are going to have to pull even farther into the intersection to try to see around me. And, if there is an accident it is really going to slow us all down.
If someone is in that big of a hurry they can leave the house earlier.
At least in the two major cites where I have spent most of my life driving, most intersections have a short area to the right of the right line specifically designed for just this situation. It is set up so any of the first 3 or so cars can get into this area and make a safe right turn. If there are two cars in this space, but the second one leaves 15 feet between them and the next car so no one can squeeze into this area, that is bad, they should pull up. If the first car is 15 feet behind the stop line, same story. If the third car is pulled far over to the right, when simply being in the middle of the lane would let cars get by, same story. In any of this situations, it is not the honker who is being rude, it is the cars in front.
In Conceivable, My post was clear, if it dangerous to pull up, or if there isn’t room to do so, don’t do it. Just as clearly, if there is room, you should.
My brother told me that one time he was waiting in a right turn only lane for the light to change at an intersection with a “no turn on red” sign and the driver behind him started honking his horn. So my brother got out of his car, walked up to the sign and pointed to it, then got back into his car just as the light turned green.
Just as a note - at least in some states it’s illegal to use your horn for any reason other than to warn people that a collision is imminent. Sure, it’s never enforced, but a cop acting as boorishly as that one apparently was should be called on it.