When I’m turning right at a red light, am I supposed to yield to drivers with an advance left turn signal who will be turning left into the same lane I’ll be turning into? How can I tell that they have the advance turn? It’s not like I can see the light in front of them. – Jim, Toronto
When you’re turning right on a red light, remember that it’s still a red light.
“You have to come to a complete stop and then wait for everyone and their brother because your light is red,” said Angelo DiCicco, chief executive officer of the Ontario Safety League, a Mississauga-based non-profit focusing on driver education. “You are the lowest of the low when it comes to right of way.”
A complete stop is what it sounds like. Stop behind the painted stop line on the road before you start your turn. Full stop.
“If you’re in the habit of not coming to a complete stop, you might just slow down, look and then go,” DiCicco said. “This is why many municipalities have taken to banning right-hand turns on red lights altogether or restricting them during busy times."
A rolling stop often doesn’t give you enough time to spot pedestrians, cyclists about to cross in front of you or drivers with a green light who are heading into the lane you want to turn into, he said.
Stop, then yield
When you’re turning right on a red light, you’re legally required to yield to pedestrians with the walk signal and to drivers with a green light or an advance left turn signal, DiCicco said. They have the right of way. But to yield to them, you have to see them.
“Look left, centre and right to make sure it’s clear [of traffic] and then do a right-hand blind spot check for pedestrians who are stepping off the curb or possibly cyclists,” he said. “They might have a walk signal which may come on in advance of everyone else.“
If you can’t see all the traffic in the intersection from where you’re stopped, you should inch forward with your foot on the brake until you can see clearly, as long as you can do it safely.
“If you’re going slowly enough, you’ll be able to abort and come to a complete stop when you realize that there’s a pedestrian or a vehicle coming from the left who has a green light,” he said.
Advance placement?
So, what if you can’t see whether cars have a green light or an advance left turn signal? Assume they do, DiCicco said.
“If you have the red light, somebody else has the green light – or is about to,” he said. If you look to your left and see stopped traffic, it could mean that your light is about to turn green. But if it doesn’t turn green, that could mean that traffic directly across from you has an advance left turn signal.
“If your light is red and you’re the only car moving, then there’s something wrong,” DiCicco said.
You should stay stopped until you figure out what’s happening.
“You might not be able to see their green light, but you’ll probably be able to see the actual vehicle that’s making a left-hand turn,” DiCicco said. “If you’re aware enough to spot that as a potential problem.”
Again, once you start moving, do it slowly enough that you can stop if you need to.
“Whenever you are moving and your light is red, pretend you’re running with scissors or a hot cup of coffee,” he said.
While the rules vary by province, they all require anyone turning right on a red light to yield the right of way to other drivers.
“When you are looking at a red light, you do not have the right of way over anyone,” Corporal Troy Savinkoff, an Alberta RCMP spokesman, said in an email.
Complicated turn?
Depending on your province, you might also have to yield to drivers making a legal U-turn into the lane you want to turn into, DiCicco said.
“Many people forget that U-turns are not only legal in many intersections in Ontario – they’re actively encouraged,” he said. “Often, there’s a median and the only way to get into McDonald’s or Tim Hortons is to make a U-turn.”
Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick and PEI generally allow U-turns at any intersection, as long as you can make them safely and there’s no sign banning them.
So, when you’re turning right at a red light, you should also be looking to your right to check for drivers with a green light who may be making a U-turn, because they also have the right of way. Figuring that out is tricky because they’ll have their left-turn signal on, so you might assume they’re making a left turn, DiCicco said.
“Most older drivers weren’t trained to look out for U-turns and won’t consider someone to their right making a left turn as a threat,” he said. “The easiest way to tell is to look and try to get eye-to-eye contact with the other driver. The telltale sign would be the angle of the driver’s head. They’re not looking far off and to their front left – they’re actually looking toward you in your lane.”
Also, drivers making a U-turn often turn more slowly and don’t get as deep into the intersection as drivers making a left turn, he said. Some other provinces, including British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan, ban U-turns at intersections with traffic lights unless there’s a sign saying they’re allowed.
Watch out for scofflaws
If you’re having a hard time figuring out whether it’s safe to go, you’re legally allowed to just wait to make your turn until the light turns green, DiCicco said. Even when you have the right of way because you have the green light or an advance left turn signal, it’s a good idea to keep an eye out for drivers who may not be stopping before turning on their red lights. Although they’ll be found at fault and could potentially face charges in a crash, it’s better to avoid a crash entirely if you can, DiCicco said.
Have a driving question? Send it to globedrive@globeandmail.com and put ‘Driving Concerns’ in your subject line. E-mails without the correct subject line may not be answered. Canada’s a big place, so let us know where you are so we can find the answer for your city and province.