I noticed it in some online dashcam videos. Even though there’s a red light, some still turn as if the red light wasn’t there. Why do you have a red light if it doesn’t mean anything anyway?

43 comments

  1. It is specifically allowed in our driving laws that you can turn right on a red light, as long as you are careful about making sure you won’t hit oncoming traffic.

    Intersections where that isn’t true will explicitly have signs forbidding turning right on red.

    We have different driving laws than you do.

  2. Because you can often turn right safely and without getting in the way of the cars that have a green light. It’s weird that Germany doesn’t have this.

  3. The red light means you can’t pass through the intersection, so it obviously means something.

    You can turn right on red (after stopping) in many states because it’s safe and improves traffic flow.

  4. It’s legal in most places. It’s fairly safe. You don’t have to cross any lanes that are going the opposite direction. As long as you stop first and you can see that you’re clear, you can merge.

  5. Turning right on red is allowed. The red still means something. It means stop. Can’t drive straight ahead crossing the traffic. Can’t turn left crossing traffic. Right turn on red as long as it’s clear is fine. Kind of like how you merge safely onto a roundabout/rotary

  6. Depends on the actual location. Some intersections specifically say no red turn on right. Ones that do allow it require you to come to complete stop then verify the coast is clear before proceeding.

  7. It does mean something. It means you have to stop and check for other traffic before proceeding. But if there is no traffic that will be in the way, there’s no reason to sit there wasting time and fuel.

  8. They don’t turn right as if the light wasn’t there. If they do they are violating the law. You must stop, check for traffic, then proceed if it is clear.

    It isn’t like a yield sign, it is like a stop sign.

    Why doesn’t Germany allow this safe, efficient traffic rule?

  9. Right on red is legal in most of the US. Dangerous to pedestrians but perfectly legal.

  10. In Delaware we have blinking red arrows. They allow you to make a left on red if it is safe after coming to a complete stop.

  11. After a stop if traffic allows for it yes. The light does mean something, not sure why you think that it doesn’t.

  12. You can treat a red light as a stop sign if you aren’t crossing over any lanes of traffic. So you can turn right on red, or left on red if you are on a one way street turning onto another one way street.

    Unless dictated otherwise by signage or local ordinance (NYC is a famous example) a right on red is pretty much always allowed.

  13. What makes you think that the legal ability to check traffic and (if it’s clear and otherwise unmarked as a No Turn On Red lane) turn right on a red light makes it “not mean anything”?

    It’s a bold statement and I would like you to back it up, please.

  14. The red light means you can’t pass through the intersection and cant turn left. It serves as a stop sign for right turns.

  15. >Why do you have a red light if it doesn’t mean anything

    That’s incorrect.

  16. It does mean something. It means you have to stop if the lane on the far right of the street you’re turning onto is full or if it isn’t safe to merge for any other reason. Legally you treat it with the same rules as a 4 way stop, except you’re only allowed to go right.

    If there’s no oncoming traffic, just sitting at the light in the turn lane is just needless time wasting.

  17. The same reason you can go at a stop sign even though the sign is still there

  18. Most of the time there aren’t bike lanes or pedestrians to worry about, so it’s pretty safe and keeps things flowing. You still have to stop, you still have to wait for a gap in any traffic on the road you’re turning onto and you still can’t pass through the intersection in any way. It’s not meaningless.

  19. To make it clear, right on red varies by state/province, and country. Check if you are driving somewhere new. I’ve found myself in a few places where I hadn’t checked previously and felt stressed.

  20. It’s a safe and efficient way of allowing traffic to continue moving.

    You must stop. You may turn if there is no traffic. And your turn is not against traffic.

    You should ask why Germany doesn’t have this level of efficiency in it’s motor laws. You wait needlessly for a light to turn green when you could be moving?

  21. A driver has to check to their left to see if there’s oncoming traffic before turning right on a red light. If not, they can turn right because there’s little to no risk of colliding with oncoming traffic. This rule doesn’t exist for left turns because a driver would have to cross multiple lanes of traffic to get on the left side. There are also lots of individual streets where you can’t turn right on red; these will be marked with signs attached to traffic lights saying “no right turn on red” or something like that.

  22. In Most States, unless the specific intersection is labeled as such you can turn right on a red light after coming to a complete stop and checking on if the roadway is clear enough for you to do so. If the light were green you would not stop before turning. The Red light also means that you cannot go through the intersection or turn left in it.

  23. It’s not universal. In some cities/states you can turn on a red.. in some you can’t.

  24. In some states (not all, laws differ) you can treat a red light like a stop sign if you’re turning right. So you stop, look for oncoming traffic and pedestrians, and then proceed through your turn if it’s safe.

  25. Because the right turn is generally going with the flow of traffic. You aren’t crossing oncoming traffic like you would with a left turn. You still have to stop, check, and then you can go.

    In central business districts its pretty common to prohibit right turns on red. But outside of CBDs, traffic in most US cities really isn’t that bad.

  26. Red lights for right turns are basically stop signs where everybody but you has right of way.

  27. You can only turn right while the light is red and not anything else, so the red light does still mean stop. Even then there are some intersections where that is prohibited (you’ll see a sign that says “no turn right on red” or something along those lines).

  28. Unless an intersection is marked “No Turn on Red” a red light is treated as a stop sign for someone making a right turn. You are still obligated to stop and check that the road is clear, but if there are no cars coming you may proceed.

  29. In each state driving rules have some differences, but in the most states it is legal. In California when it is not allowed it is explicitly written on a road sign. Google images “No turn on red”.

  30. >Why do you have a red light if it doesn’t mean anything anyway?

    Unless you’re turning right in a place where laws allow you’re required to stop at a red light.

    It’s not difficult to understand this.

  31. Some states are right on red. Others are not. In all states, red means stop. You stop at the red light and in some states, you can then turn if it’s safe.

  32. The rule is that you have to come to a stop, check for traffic, and then you can turn right if it’s clear. No reason to wait for the whole intersection to be clear when you aren’t crossing the path of any other present traffic.

    Technically you can also turn left on a red light if you’re in the leftmost lane of a one way road and are turning into the leftmost lane of another one way road. Same concept as right on red, just reversed. That opportunity is pretty rare though. I think I’ve done it maybe three or four times in 20 years of driving.

  33. In most places in the US you can legally make a right turn on red given that you have the right of way (ie no pedestrians nor cars are in the intersection). Typically if you can’t turn right on red there will be signage stating that right on red is prohibited.

    There are some places that by default don’t allow right on red but in my experience there are more places that allow if by default rather than prohibit it.

  34. Other’s have explained this really well, but it should be added that this is a big time saver. If you couldn’t turn right on red you would very often spend time just sitting at red lights for no good reason.

  35. You need to yield for cars going through. But you don’t have to wait for the light to turn green. Unless there is an explicit “NO TURN ON RED” sign.

  36. The rule is: “Right on red permitted **AFTER STOP**.” In no location are you supposed to treat it like a green or a yield. Note that there are some states & cities where “right on red” is illegal, and many intersections specify “no right on red” (there are a number of the latter near where I live). That being said, too many folks don’t stop, and I am frequently honked at when I put on my blinker and stop at a red before making the right turn.

    To blow your mind, a left on red is also permitted in many intersections when you’re in the left-hand lane of a one-way street and are turning onto a one-way street that’s going right-to-left.

  37. > Why do you have a red light if it doesn’t mean anything anyway?

    You are approaching the situation from a false premise which is going to give you false conclusions.

    You still can’t go straight.

    You still can’t turn left.

    You still have to come to a complete stop before turning right.

    Because we drive on the right side of the road, turning right means you cross zero lanes of traffic. This means at red lights it’s not only safe to do so, but it’s also faster and more efficient to allow right turns on red.

  38. Yes lol. My wife is German and she freaked out when I did it when we moved back to Florida and I had to explain it to her that I didn’t do anything wrong and I promise it’s okay

  40. We don’t have right before left, automatic speed limit changes based on a city sign, or an Autobahn here either. It’s almost like different countries have different traffic rules or something

  41. Ah, it depends on the state. In many you can, but I’ve heard some don’t allow it. The bottom line is we are super car-centric. Traffic would never move (especially during rush hour) if we didn’t allow red light right turn yields in some places.

  42. Right turns are allowed on red lights as long as there’s no oncoming cars. You treat it like a stop sign then. It helps relieve congestion at stop points.

  43. I love this question when it comes up. People get so flabbergasted that we are able to look left and determine it is safe to proceed.

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