Dear Action Line: Is a vehicle obligated to make a right turn on red, just because it is permitted in Colorado? I don’t like to turn right on red, especially when the car behind me is laying on their horn. My primary reason is that my Dad didn’t like it either, and we both thought it was dangerous for bicyclists and pedestrians. Plus it’s a good way to slow some traffic down, and it seems everyone is in too big of a hurry in Durango these days. – No Rights Here
Dear No Rights: Action Line’s first reaction was to chuckle and assume the question was a gag. Turning right on a red light (after coming to a stop, and making certain the coast is clear) has been legal since the mid-1970s in Colorado and much of the United States.
It’s just what you do. Why would you not want to turn right on a red?
First, let’s answer the legality question, and for that we turned to the Durango Police Department.
Police Cmdr. Jacob Dunlop noted that Colorado Revised Statute 42-4-604(c)(1) allows for a right turn on red at intersections as long as the driver comes to a complete stop “in the legal manner” and yields the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic. A local jurisdiction can prohibit rights on red, and must post signs at such intersections.
“The statute does not require drivers to make a right on red even if there isn’t another soul around – that is, except the driver blaring their car horn behind a driver who has chosen to wait it out,” Dunlop said.
There is an “impeding traffic” law – find 42-4-1103 in your handy-dandy statute manual – but that basically only prohibits a driver from going so slow as to impede or block the normal and reasonable movement of traffic.
Dunlop summarized: “All of that is to say that a driver cannot be ticketed for impeding traffic simply because the driver chooses to wait for the green light before proceeding.”
So, why would you choose not to proceed pell-mell through an annoying obstruction like a traffic light and get on with your busy and important life? The issue, of course, is the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. When drivers look to the left to check for traffic, for example, they lose track of what’s happening in the crosswalk to their right.
It boils down to priorities: inconvenience vs. safety.
Other cities have already decided to rid roads of rights on red. A Washington, D.C., ban will go into effect in 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, doesn’t allow them downtown. A city of Denver committee has recommended banning rights on red citywide.
Pedestrians and bicyclists are extremely vulnerable and are hit way too often by vehicles. There are several recent and tragic cases in Durango. The data Action Line found during countless hours of painstaking research is inconclusive on how much a ban on right turns on red would help prevent these mishaps. But it’s logical to think it couldn’t hurt.
And Action Line does not go looking for reasons to upset drivers behind them – of unknown levels of rationality – who happen to be in a greater hurry. But by the letter of the law, in this case, you’re allowed to do so.
The final word from Dunlop:
“The Durango Police Department would like to take this opportunity to say we’re all undercover superheroes, complete with alter egos and traffic-transforming powers when we hit the road. We challenge drivers to steer clear of road rage and to remember that kindness can be your co-pilot! After all, we never know what people are going through, or have been through, and sometimes being patient can make you a superhero!”
Email questions and suggestions to actionline@durangoherald.com or mail them to Action Line, The Durango Herald, 1275 Main Ave., Durango, CO 81301. Merriam-Webster says the word pell-mell comes from the Old French pesle mesle, which was likely a “reduplication” of the word mesle, meaning “to mix” or “to mingle.” Action Line apologizes if that is too much learning for one day.
