Our great state of Illinois has a law that allows a right turn on a red light. Many states have the same law. The way I understand this law, a person stopped for a red light wanting to make a right turn, may do so, even if the light is red. The following conditions must exist: there is no traffic coming from the left, there are no cars turning left into your path, it is safe to do so, and you choose to do so. That last part is the part that got my dander up today on two separate occasions. I don’t always choose to turn right on a red. Today, I got the horn and a shrug of shoulders from the driver behind who thought I should have been moving instead of sitting.
The law seems to be evolving from a choice to a requirement, or at least some drivers believe. When did it change? I have seen some drivers drive right through a red light into the right turn. No attempt whatsoever to stop first. What wrinkles me is if this is a real law, we should obey it, and it should be enforced. Mayhem would ensue if we allowed all traffic signals and laws to be transgressed. Am I wrong, or am I just too old to understand?
Filed under: family, Funk, Travel, Uncategorized, Writer | Tagged: age, choice, enforcement, Illinois, Law, police, Right turn on red, road rage |
I agree with you. I’m a new driver and don’t feel comfortable with turns on red. Yet others around me, think I am supposed to turn on red every chance I get.