topic Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!! in Community Chat

Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Its Me LuLuBelle2 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 03:41:03 GMT

On 12/11 I started a post regarding different laws, in different states, regarding stopping for stopped shool buses with flashing red lights. Well today I learned for the first time in 65 years on Planet Earth (and 49 years of them driving) that not only are there states where you can make a right hand turn on red (which I did know) but in 37 states you can make a LEFT hand turn on red! Yowza! I apolgize, I'm no wizard with pictures and links, so if interested, please Google if interested.

I am not a believer in big government being involved in our day to day lives. I think states certainly should have rights that are not mandated/governed by the Feds. But, IMHO, traffic laws, coast to coast should be uniform. As a free society, we travel, we drive throughout our country and we should all be familiar with the same laws. Not so, apparently! Looking forward to your thoughts. LuLu

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

DiAnne — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 03:40:20 GMT

I have never heard of that but where I live the green left turn arrow turns to blinking yellow meaning you can turn left if it is safe.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

SurferWife — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 03:40:52 GMT

@Its Me LuLuBelle2...yes, it is legal in most states to turn left on a red light when turning from a one-way onto a one-way.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

sunshine45 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 03:53:33 GMT

left on a solid red light is not legal in maryland.

left on a flashing red light after stopping is legal in maryland.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Its Me LuLuBelle2 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:02:19 GMT

@SurferWife wrote:
@Its Me LuLuBelle2...yes, it is legal in most states to turn left on a red light when turning from a one-way onto a one-way.

@SurferWife, and there are 4 states: Idaho, Michigan, Oregon and Washington where you can make a left on red from a two way street onto a one way street on red! The kicker is in NYC there is NO RIGHT on red, BUT in Broad Channel, Queens at several intersections along Cross Bay Boulevard, the four lane throughfare that runs from mainland Queens through Broad Channel to the Rockaways, drivers can turn left onto two way streets, provided they stop first.

It's enough to make your head spin (or at least mine - lol)!

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

VanSleepy — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:05:22 GMT

I never heard of this so I just looked it up. I'm glad to see it is not allowed in my state.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

GCR18 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:12:03 GMT

I haven't come across it.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Venezia — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:13:25 GMT

Nor mine. Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

It's amazing that anyone can travel to another state without making some traffic violation, with all the inconsistencies in traffic law.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

January121 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:28:31 GMT

I live part time in NY & NJ ..... to the best of my knowledge we cannot do this in either state & I think it is for the best🙃

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Its Me LuLuBelle2 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:30:28 GMT

@Venezia wrote:
Nor mine. Sounds like an accident waiting to happen.

It's amazing that anyone can travel to another state without making some traffic violation, with all the inconsistencies in traffic law.

@Venezia, and that's my point. I'm a NY'er who is a Florida snowbird. In NY you MUST stop on a divided highway for a stopped school bus with flashing red lights in the opposite direction. In Florida you do not. You only have to stop in the same direction. One of my Florida neighbors got a huge traffic ticket and fine in NY for NOT stopping in the opposite direction as you don't have to in Florida. We set out of state visitors up with the inconsistent traffic laws.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Lucky Charm — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:36:55 GMT

Of the 3 states we own homes in, you can make a left turn on red (after stopping!) onto a one- way street--in only one state.

And I do it in that state, but really only in one spot, when I have to go into the city.

It's safe!

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

qbetzforreal — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:55:45 GMT

In California, you can make a left hand turn on a red light onto a one-way street. Unless posted otherwise. You can make a right hand turn on a red light, if it is clear to do so and again unless it is post otherwise.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Carmie — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 04:56:58 GMT

In my state you can make a left hand turn on a one way street to another one way street after stopping on red.

We do not have too many street that fit this description that I know of. It is so much safer than making aright handturn on red after stopping.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Bri369 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 11:23:17 GMT

The only time we can turn on red is if we are already in the left-hand turning lane. If there is a light with no left turn arrow, you can make a left-hand turn when it is safe to do so. Sometimes that means the light changes to red.

What I do notice more and more of in Illinois is not being able to make a right hand turn until the light is green. There are red light cameras. That is a total scam.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

qualitygal — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 12:37:08 GMT

no left turns on red here = a ticket.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Isobel Archer — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 13:52:09 GMT

My favorite was when I lived in TX over 20 years ago and discovered that cars EXITING the freeway had the right of way. Not talking abut merging - talking about -you must yield to them period.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

kaydee50 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 14:11:51 GMT

Here in Illinois I understand that, as a previous poster has mentioned, a left hand turn from a one way street onto a one way street at a red light is legal. Not so in NY or NJ.

I wish there would be one driver's license valid for the entire country. I have moved to several different states and have always needed to get a new license. What a pain!!

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Cakers3 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 14:44:23 GMT

You can in my state but you must be on a one-way street turning into another one-way street. It makes sense. You would run into this downtown, especially; some of those streets are narrow one-way single lane and older; it keeps things moving.

Right on red is allowed after full stop, etc. etc. etc. and also you can turn right from the right lane and left lane next to it if that left lane has a right turn capability. Clear as mud, I know. lol

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

mimomof4 — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 15:17:55 GMT

In Michigan, Yes I do it almost every day on my way into work while turning onto a One Way street. Its obvious that many people don't realize they can do it as I do on occassion get stuck behind someone who waits for the entire Red light to turn.

Re: Making a LEFT Hand Turn at a RED Light!!!

Alison Wonderland — Tue, 18 Dec 2018 19:15:02 GMT

@Its Me LuLuBelle2 wrote:

I am not a believer in big government being involved in our day to day lives. I think states certainly should have rights that are not mandated/governed by the Feds. But, IMHO, traffic laws, coast to coast should be uniform. As a free society, we travel, we drive throughout our country and we should all be familiar with the same laws. Not so, apparently! Looking forward to your thoughts. LuLu

I think there are good reasons for states setting their own laws. In denser areas with a lot of pedestrians, it may be a good idea to limit left turns on red lights, but in less dense areas, it holds up traffic. I've never lived in a state where turning left onto a one-way street on a red light was not legal, but even so, it's not something I do with frequency. There was one intersection near my old apartment where it came in very handy and I used it often at that particualr intersection, but that was about the only place in town I've ever have a real reason to do so.

When I was a kid, the maximum speed limit was 55 across the country and any state who changed it could have funding withheld by the federal government. That only lasted a little over a decade because it makes more sense to set speed limits by area and land use that by country. Higher limits make sense for highways with less traffic and long stretches of road, like west Texas, where the maximum speed limit is 80 MPH. Having driven from El Paso to Austin, I can appreciate why in ways that lawmakers from smaller and denser states cannot.