Well it happened to me again today, so this time I am going to write a short piece about it. Consider this yet another pet peeve of mine.
While sitting at a red light with my right turn signal on I received a loud, disturbing horn that sounded obnoxious in and of itself. It was about as rude as a horn can sound. I glanced in the rear view mirror to see some woman saying few choice words at me. At least, it was a safe bet the words were choice and directed at me, considering I was in front of her and sitting at a red light rather than proceeding through it. Granted, there was no sign that read "NO TURN ON RED" so far as I could see. Also, I could have safely slipped out between cars to allow the Danica Patrick wanna-be behind me the chance to burn her tires. I chose not to. I was of the impression it was my choice, not hers, whether to turn on red or not. So let me clarify here and now my philosophy about turning on red (and if this also applies to other areas of life, so be it!).
I rarely take advantage of the opportunity to make a right turn on a red light when it is permitted. I won't say I never do it, but by golly its not often. Here are my top ten reasons why.
1. There are times when the "NO TURN ON RED" sign is like finding Waldo. That is to say, it can be anywhere in or around the intersection and not necessarily in the obvious place - by the traffic light. I do not feel like being pulled over for running a red light when I simply failed to see the sign prohibiting a turn. For the record, this did happen to a friend of mine who still vows he did not see the sign.
2. The average red light lasts about 2 minutes. That is a pretty small sum of time in the larger scheme of things. As my wife likes to say in response to people who are in a hurry, "We all will eat Christmas Dinner on the same day."
3. I used to drive a school van for a private company. It was the official policy of the company that we were never allowed to make a right turn on a red light, even if we did not have school children in the vehicle. To a certain degree this has become a habit for me.
4. I have a son who has autism. He sees things as black and white (or in this case, red and green!) To him, red means stop and stay stopped. Green means go. If I turn on red he has a fit and tells me convincingly that the light was red so I was supposed to wait. It only takes one or two such moments to convince any driver that life is more important than the 60 seconds or so that could be saved by causing him to get upset!
5. One night as I pulled up behind another car at an intersection that I was very familiar with, the car in front of me turned on red. I knew there was a sign prohibiting such turns and I knew exactly where it was located, but honestly, at night, it could not be seen. I do not blame the driver for turning. However, I doubt a police officer would be as forgiving. I decided I am not going to find out!
6. While I am no fan of turning on red I am particularly opposed to it being allowed at intersections that have the arrow light directing LEFT turns. I have witnessed more than a few close calls as both the oncoming car turned left as directed by an arrow light while the person in front of me decided to turn right on a red light. It is a formula for disaster and it should never be permitted.
7. In my state the law says that a driver MAY make a right turn on a red light unless there is a sign saying otherwise. It is the driver's choice. The law does not say the driver MUST turn on red. I am quite sure the laws in other states are the same. Why can't other drivers respect my choice to wait?
8. I do not like to admit this, but the fact is as I get older my reflexes, my reaction time, and my judgment are not quite as sharp as they used to be. Driving is a great responsibility. I do not want to take any chances. In fact, I find myself choosing to take a route that leads me to a traffic light rather than a stop sign for this very reason. Traffic lights offer a more orderly and secure flow of traffic than stop signs. So why should we treat a red light like a stop sign?
9. Many drivers treat red lights like a YIELD sign when they decide to turn on red. In fact I will go so far as to say most drivers do this as they hardly slow down while turning. Again, the law states that one must come to a complete stop first. Then, after checking the traffic and being sure no vehicles are approaching the intersection, the driver may choose to turn on red where permitted.
10. The tenth and final reason why I do not turn on red is this: I think it is a stupid law!
Once again I likely find myself in an overwhelming minority on this issue, just like I am on many issues. I don't mind. I don't really consider myself to be a legalist, yet I have noticed that people naturally stretch the boundaries of any rule or law. As the old proverb states, give them an inch and they'll take a mile. Speed limits are a perfect example. Regardless of what the speed limit is you can usually add at least ten to it before a driver has any notion that they may be in violation. Stop signs become treated like yield signs. Yield signs are completely ignored. Underage drinking is simply contained rather than enforced, and underage smoking is pretty much a joke. Wherever there is a marker designating some kind of restriction someone will surely try to sneak the marker a little further from its original placement. This is just the way it is. Knowing this, I say leave the markers a little tighter to begin with.
So, if you ever find yourself sitting at a red light behind some sad sap wondering why he won't run on red like he is "supposed" to do, cut him some slack! He (or she) might have a reason for doing as they are. And whether you agree with them or not, be thankful we live in a country where the rights of the minority are protected. The day may come when you find yourself wanting to write "the Minority Opinion". And when that day arrives you may find yourself being a bit more conservative - or liberal - than the main stream of society.
G. D. Gehr
February 13, 2012
Comments welcome - It's a free country!
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