About time.
With the advent of smart traffic lights I don’t really mind losing right on red. But right on red is not the source of the issue The article shows there are studies that it’s not the issue. Removing right on red is not going to improve the numbers.
The traffic light systems are complicated enough to handle camera data. How about we eat extra indicator lights when people are in the crosswalk? How about we put up some barriers and bad areas to keep people from jaywalking?
Unfortunately, like in so many other areas, the US is trending in the wrong direction compared to other countries. Traffic deaths is one of those areas.
I don’t know where you live but in my suburb of Detroit right on reds is definitely a problem. I can be waiting at the light, ready to cross as it changes and some car drives up to the green and turns right into me without looking. What is your hurry? What do you need to get to 30 seconds faster? I will always vote to make it safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.
I’m not sure that the National Motorists Association, and organization that thinks drunk driving laws are unfair to motorists and claims to be a “grassroots organization” but refuses to provide any membership statistics or funding sources is a reliable source on the topic of right on red laws.
I live in Charlotte and they can ban all the want and it won’t change anything. CMPD doesnt enforce any traffic laws in this city.
It’s banned in NYC but not enforced, so it may as well be legal. Then again, barreling through a red light also isn’t enforced.
No you’re basically right. Our cops only care about catching subway toll jumpers
That’s about half of it. They also have all the time in the world to harass motorcycle riders.
In Utah people are allowed to turn right on red lights. But what most people don’t seem to understand is, that means AFTER you’ve come to a stop at the intersection, and made sure it’s SAFE to turn right. I’ve seen so many accidents here because people think if they’re turning right, they don’t have stop at the light - even though there’s traffic coming through the green light side of the intersection. The problem isn’t the law, it’s that people don’t pay attention and think about what they’re doing. In every accident I’ve seen, humans not paying attention is the real cause.
You’re missing the point. At a right turn, traffic is coming from the left and pedestrians are coming from the right. You focus left to make sure traffic is clear and then go, meanwhile a pedestrian has entered the intersection from the right and you don’t notice them.
I can conservatively say that 99% of the time I approach an intersection, I see all potential pedestrian crossers long before I’ve come to a stop, including those on the other side of the street planning to cross towards me. Pedestrians rarely appear out of nowhere, so looking left but not looking right is a poor excuse.
Only applies if there aren’t bicyclists and if your view isn’t blocked. I’m sorry but your attitude is why pedestrians are dying.
99% of the time I approach an intersection, I see all potential pedestrian crossers
If you make 50 car trips a month and encounter four intersections, then you don’t see two pedestrians a month. That’s probably pretty accurate. Most of the time, most drivers and most pedestrians are aware, and behave safely.
Pedestrians and drivers die during that 1%.
You think pedestrians are hiding in bushes waiting to jump out?
In a densely populated city with lots of foot traffic? Sure, ban right on red, too many cars in cities to begin with.
But lots of cities have spent decades expanding and there’s hardly anyone walking once you’re a couple miles from downtown except for certain areas. Same for small towns.
Making it all legal one way or the other in a state just makes zero sense.
What’s wrong with just putting up a sign by the light if it’s not allowed?
If i get a dollar every time I’ve been honked at for stopping on a red I can live a much comfier life
I can confirm that approximately 0% of drivers stop before turning right on red in my location in the Northeast, as well. I have actually had other drivers chase me through traffic to catch up with me at the next light and get out of their vehicles to threaten me because they were so angry that I stopped before turning on red, like you are legally required to do. It’s absolutely insane.
People treat a right turn on red like it’s their own personal green light and everyone else just has to get out of their way. They don’t look to see what’s coming and most of the time they don’t even slow down first.
There are intersections where if you’re familiar with them you know what is safe. For example at one intersection near me if I just miss the green I know the next signal is to give cross traffic left turn greens, which means no one else can be going into the lanes. I do stop, but only for a brief moment because there can always be inattentive drivers doing the wrong thing.
Of course I’m not one to really get pissed at folks for not conforming to my driving preferences, so that part is weird to me, but I do get annoyed when someone stops for like 20 seconds with no traffic. If you do that, you might get the shortest toot with my horn I can manage to wake you up if you’ve somehow forgotten you can turn, but that’s it.
I don’t go anywhere with so tight a time margin that an extra minute or two in traffic is going to matter.
Well that annoys me too, especially when someone has both a green light and green turn arrow - and they don’t go, they just sit there. I’m like - what more do you need, an engraved invitiation to go ahead and turn?? Then of course the light changes and we’re all stuck waiting for the next signal.
I’m a very cautious driver, I’ve learned to be defensive in my driving and always keep my eyes peeled. So I do think it’s better to err on the side of caution. I try to take into account that someone might be older or having eye problems or needs a few more seconds to complete a turn.
I live in Utah - which is bad enough, but I deal with this punitive driving malarky all the time. People getting angry at me for stopping at a red light before continuing into the turn - as if I’m the one doing something wrong!! And just where are all these people in such a frantic, panicked rush to get to that having to courteously wait for someone to turn is going to ruin their entire g-d day.
You talk about people always thinking they have a personal green light. Here in Utah, NOBODY yields right of way to anyone. In fact, every day we have more people getting hit by our Trax commuter trains because they refuse to stop for the flashing red signals and wait.
And don’t think for a minute anyone here will yield right of way even if you’re the one who actually has it. They never look to see if someone is coming in front or behind them - they are so oblivious to everyone else and just expect people to jump out of their way. It’s really sad to see this anti-intellectual, anti-humanitarian trend in dangerous driving.
