Atlanta, Denver, Indianapolis, Washington, DC, Raleigh, North Carolina, and other major cities have recently proposed or passed laws banning it in parts of their busy downtowns or citywide. They believe it will protect people walking and biking amid the highest number of pedestrian fatalities in more than 40 years.
Right turns on red “introduce extra movements into the intersection,” said Eric Dumbaugh, a professor in the department of urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University who studies traffic safety. This leads to drivers crashing into pedestrians who see a green light and think it’s safe to cross, trucks hitting bikers because they can’t see bicyclists making a right turn, and rear-end collisions.
Why Do We Have Right-on-Red, and is it Time to Get Rid of It?
Story by Nathaniel Meyersohn
Published Jan. 20, 2024