Thanks for honking - I _know_ I can...

[WriteDisney]

I would turn on red if was okay and the road was totally clear.

I wouldn't beep or honk. I reserve that for emergencies and extreme situations. I'm so paranoid that some crazy person will take it the wrong way and come after me. It's probably from watching too many crime drama shows where something like this happens.

 

[Dancemom03]

why on earth would you CHOOSE to wait for a green arrow if there was no oncoming traffic?

geez, I'd think that was obvious... because I haven't finished brushing my hair yet...

 

[kaytieeldr]

If it was a one time thing, based on the perceptions of safety, then no big deal.

But your original post came across that you have been doing this 5 days a week for the past 6 months.

Thanks for clearing that up. No, it was just this once. I described my experience with this light/route to demonstrate that I'm extremely familiar with the conditions, NOT that I do this every time. Heck, a few weeks ago, the car next to me was a town police vehicle - didn't matter, there was no oncoming traffic (don't ask me why the light didn't change THAT time ), I knew it was completely safe and legal to proceed. And did.

 

[Planogirl]

I don't understand the need to wait either. Waiting for a green light doesn't guarantee that no one will come through the intersection then either or at least it doesn't around here.

 

[brockash]

It's not being impatient and I don't want anyone to turn when it's dangerous- but waiting for the green when you can turn safely on red is ridiculous.

A red light IS like a stop sign if you are turning right- sitting there is impeding traffic and dangerous, you might have cars piling up behind you... why do that unless you are too scared to go, then you shouldn't be on the road anyway.

ITA. I don't understand why anyone would not turn right on red, after treating it like a stop sign...I mean what do they do at stop signs? There's never going to be a green then

 

[Mrs. Charming]

... turn right on red; I choose to wait for the green arrow. I know it's coming. I've been through this intersection five days a week for the last six months.

It's going to change as soon as the right-of-way traffic clears. Honest. I stopped just this side of the stop line, so the sensors know there's a vehicle waiting. Five seconds, tops - once there's no oncoming traffic and it's safe to proceed, of course.

Right on red is a option, not a rule.

Amen!! It's like HELLO I'm preggo and have a beautiful 2 year old in the car. I'm NOT going to endanger our lives just because some ****** is impatient!

 

[nuttylawprofessor]

And not only would I beep-beep at you, but if I was also traveling the same intersection five days a week and was stuck behind you several times, indicating that this was a pattern of yours, I would be writing down your plate number and calling it in so that a patrol officer can keep an eye out for you and explain the rules of the road to you.

Every right-on-red law is written as a "may," not a "must." And every one of them comes with caveats about yielding to pedestrians and traffic.

And as some other PPs have noted, NYC is its own animal. We once got sent on a penalty lap before we could get through the Lincoln tunnel. We cut in line and a cop came up on horseback, told us what we did was stupid, and sent us around the block. It was a 20 minute delay to us and ingenious way to address the problem.

 

[MushyMushy]

What if there are two turn right lanes?

There's an intersection by where I live where there's two lanes for turning right. I was always taught the only right on red lane was the curb lane, as was the law in the state I grew up in. But people turn right on red out of both lanes!

That makes me extremely uncomfortable. I don't know if it's actually allowed here (I've been told no before) or if people are just impatient because they drive NUTS here. This is a dangerous intersection as it is... and I hate it! I won't turn right on red if I'm in that second lane. And people still yell.

That's actually a question I have about one of our intersections. There are two right turn lanes and there's a sign above the left one that says "no turn on red," but that sign isn't above the right one.

I think it's confusing to everybody because MOST people simply don't turn on red ever at that intersection, but you will have a handful of people go ahead and do it. My husband asked a police officer about it and he said neither lane is turn on red... yet people continue to do it.

 

[Shannon G]

Every right-on-red law is written as a "may," not a "must." And every one of them comes with caveats about yielding to pedestrians and traffic.

Out of curiousity I looked up the right on red statute in my own state (CT) and while you are correct that it is written as "may," so is the rule about proceeding on a green light. Does that mean it's acceptable for someone to not proceed if the light is green, because the law says they "may" go, not "must?"

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

Yes I would have honked too. Particularly if the road was totally clear and I had been sitting behind you for the last 6 months!

Me too!!!

 

[OK!]

Me as well. Unless there is a sign prohibiting no turn on red, then you have to go or you will be blocking a lane, which where I am from is illegal as well.

Same here.

 

[RadioNate]

Thanks for clearing that up. No, it was just this once. I described my experience with this light/route to demonstrate that I'm extremely familiar with the conditions, NOT that I do this every time. Heck, a few weeks ago, the car next to me was a town police vehicle - didn't matter, there was no oncoming traffic (don't ask me why the light didn't change THAT time ), I knew it was completely safe and legal to proceed. And did.

Yeah, your original post makes it sound like you NEVER turn on red no matter the circumstances. It really reads as 5 days a week, for 6 months straight you've been sitting at the red light instead of turning onto a perfectly clear road just because you choose not to turn.

 

[OK!]

Thanks for clearing that up. No, it was just this once. I described my experience with this light/route to demonstrate that I'm extremely familiar with the conditions, NOT that I do this every time. Heck, a few weeks ago, the car next to me was a town police vehicle - didn't matter, there was no oncoming traffic (don't ask me why the light didn't change THAT time ), I knew it was completely safe and legal to proceed. And did.

Ohh, OK. I also took the original post to mean that you never go right on red, that you always wait for the green arrow even when its clear. In that case, if there's traffic coming, I won't go right on red either.

 

[BellePrincessBelle]

What if there are two turn right lanes?

There's an intersection by where I live where there's two lanes for turning right. I was always taught the only right on red lane was the curb lane, as was the law in the state I grew up in. But people turn right on red out of both lanes!

That makes me extremely uncomfortable. I don't know if it's actually allowed here (I've been told no before) or if people are just impatient because they drive NUTS here. This is a dangerous intersection as it is... and I hate it! I won't turn right on red if I'm in that second lane. And people still yell.

We have signs that clearly say right on red from right lane only and people still make it from the middle lane and even better they don't even slow down & check for the traffic that has the green light!

 

[Darsa]

The one thing that drives me the MOST crazy is when there IS a red light, the drivers who feel that that means they can slow down and keep right on turning whether or not there are cars coming. EVERYONE seems to think that's their right, and it drives me batty every day, going to and coming from work.

Several of our intersections have signs that specifically say "NO RIGHT TURN ON RED". A lot of people ignore them, and that also is annoying to me. Not as in the above, when it's actually dangerous, but really, the signs are there for a reason, even if you don't agree with them you're still expected to follow them.

Okay, done ranting

 

[KellyNY]

I do not understand what you expected. You did not turn when it was allowed and clear, so people honked to make sure you pay attention to road not your phone. If you drive, you must not may follow traffic rules.

 

[npmommie]

I have one from last night

Thanks for honking, I know I can go OVER the speed limit, but I choose to drive the posted limit, you can honk all you want, or here's a brilliant idea, you could have passed me because I was in the right lane, and the left was all clear,
but no you put your high beams on me and honked.
I still continued driving the speed limit. thanks anyway.
moron.



ps, not a highway, a road with 45 as the limit

 

[kaytieeldr]

I do not understand what you expected. You did not turn when it was allowed and clear, so people honked to make sure you pay attention to road not your phone. If you drive, you must not may follow traffic rules.

Respectfully, this one is a "may", not a "must", traffic allowance.

And again, I watched as oncoming traffic passed, and saw that light turn yellow, and knew that the next natural action of a traffic light turning yellow is it turning red and the intersecting light turning green, that I was about to get a green arrow. Again, I don't 'control' traffic every night. I simply knew from driving through this intersection about 180 times in the last six months exactly how the lights operate - and this one night, I opted to wait for the green arrow based on timing.

 

[Heidict]

Specifically, as the last apparent oncoming vehicle proceeded through the intersection, the light on that (main) road turned yellow, then red, followed immediately by our light turning green. So, about three seconds from when the last permitted car went through and when we got the green light.

Oh, okay, now I understand what happened. Then if you felt that it wasn't safe for you to proceed I don't blame you for waiting. The ones behind can honk all they want. I would have done the same thing.

And as some other PPs have noted, NYC is its own animal. We once got sent on a penalty lap before we could get through the Lincoln tunnel. We cut in line and a cop came up on horseback, told us what we did was stupid, and sent us around the block. It was a 20 minute delay to us and ingenious way to address the problem.

A penalty lap. I'm sorry, but that is hysterical.

 

[KellyNY]

Respectfully, this one is a "may", not a "must", traffic allowance.

And again, I watched as oncoming traffic passed, and saw that light turn yellow, and knew that the next natural action of a traffic light turning yellow is it turning red and the intersecting light turning green, that I was about to get a green arrow. Again, I don't 'control' traffic every night. I simply knew from driving through this intersection about 180 times in the last six months exactly how the lights operate - and this one night, I opted to wait for the green arrow based on timing.

The way I see "May" is if you need to do some action, you are permitted. "Must" used when otherwise is not permitted, like "left lane must turn left" on some lane, meaning if you do not follow you will break the law. Yes "may" gives you interpritation freedom and if you will not follow "may" you will not break any laws, but it assumed you will follow "may" as it is a plus for you. That is my view, may be different from yours but point is none of us actually wrote those laws so we can discuss it till the end of days.
Anyway, if it was only once and you do not do it all the time, I think it is OK, however even so you did have the logic behind your actions, drivers behind you cannot read minds, so it is OK for them to honk.
Visit me in NYC, you will see how many people honk all the time, like when I am on intersection and it turns green, drivers behind honk right away, right the second it turns green, not like I am standing there or delay in any way. I always think "Someone needs to pee very badly".