# Traffic Laws and Customs: Right on Red, Radar Detectors....



## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

There's been a certain amount of discussion on various threads in recent days of regional practices - whether by law or just by custom - such as bad American lane discipline, priority to the right, flashing lights....

A couple of things come to mind that I haven't seen come up yet and I thought it might make sense to start a central thread for this sort of thing. 

(On the other hand, it could become a disorganized mess, and let's try not to insult each other's countries....)

My two things:
1) Radar detectors - to my knowledge, they are legal in the U.S. everywhere except Virginia and the District of Columbia (although I'm old enough to remember, verbatim, the signs that read:

THE INSTALLATION AND USE
OF RADAR DETECTORS IS
*ILLEGAL IN CONNECTICUT*​
If I'm not mistaken, they're illegal in Canada. How about Europe?
(I don't have one, by the way....)

2) Right on red - in the U.S., it is generally legal to basically treat a red light like a stop sign if you're turning right. By which I mean stop, wait for any cross-traffic, let pedestrians cross, please, then turn - you don't have to wait for the light to change. At intersections where the authorities think this wouldn't be safe, there'l be a sign reading "No Turn on Red." As far as I know, it's this way everywhere in the U.S. except New York City. (And there, it's the other way around: it is permitted at some intersections, but there has to be a sign saying so. No sign, don't do it.)

Many states also permit left on red if you're turning from one one-way street to another.

What's the situation in Canada?

And I gather this is generally unknown in Europe?


Cheers!


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

I don't know so well about other countries but I can speak about Estonia.

1) Radar detectors are illegal. If the police find a radar detector in your car, even if it's not working, you will be fined.
2)Turning right on red is illegal BUT: if the right turning lane (in this case it has to be right-turn only) is physically separated from the other lanes then traffic signals don't apply. I made a crappy drawing to illustrate this.


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

^^ Yes, you get a lot of those in Europe. There are also some junctions with a separate, light with an arrow (filterlights) that allow you to turn left or right.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

this thing with additional green arrow is common in Croatia indeed. i haven't noticed it that much in othere European countries as here


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

It's very common in the UK and you can find it in Portugal too


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## Fargo Wolf (Oct 23, 2009)

Radar Detectors:

Alberta: They are illegal. If caught, you can face a fine, regardless of whether or not it is operating.*

British Columbia: They are illegal here too, though it's not really enforced.*

Right turns on Red: In Canada, with the exception of Quebec** A right turn on red is permitted after coming to a FULL stop, unless prohibited by a sign. If you are turning left from a one way street, to a one way street, it is legal to turn left on a red light, unless otherwise posted.

* New types of radar guns have rendered detectors useless, as they are only active while the trigger is being pulled.

** With the exception of a very few places, it is ILLEGAL to turn right on a red light in this province, unless otherwise posted, or a right turn arrow is showing.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

Radar detectors will be superseded by the increasing number of GPS navigation systems, proprietary or built as apps for smartphones, that allows users to sign online location of radar guns with a single touch (live nuisances and disruptions entering).

However, I think the thing of the future is sector-measurement instead of point-measurement of velocity.


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## KiwiGuy (Jul 9, 2009)

Not sure about radar detectors in NZ. I think they're illegal but people still have them anyway. 

However, it is now illegal to reverse into angled parking and it is also illegal to drive during the day with fog lamps running.


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## El Tiburon (Mar 21, 2010)

Penn's Woods said:


> 2) Right on red - in the U.S., it is generally legal to basically treat a red light like a stop sign if you're turning right. By which I mean stop, wait for any cross-traffic, let pedestrians cross, please, then turn - you don't have to wait for the light to change. At intersections where the authorities think this wouldn't be safe, there'l be a sign reading "No Turn on Red." As far as I know, it's this way everywhere in the U.S. except New York City. (And there, it's the other way around: it is permitted at some intersections, but there has to be a sign saying so. No sign, don't do it.)


In Florida, we have an interesting situation as a result of the approval last year of a heavily-lobbied law to allow red-light cameras as a revenue-raising tool disguised as "traffic safety". 

Now, except in those intersections with "NO TURN ON RED" signs, you can make a right turn on red after coming to a complete stop and making sure no traffic is so close to the intersection as to constitue an immediate hazard. If you don't come to a complete stop, a police officer can ticket you for it regardless of how safely you made the turn. However, if you don't come to a complete stop, but make the turn in a "reasonable and prudent" manner, the camera can not issue you a violation notice or ticket, but a cop can if he sees you. Due to that unequal treatment of violators depending on who or what observes the violation, it is likely that the courts will find the camera law unconstitutional (if it's not first repealed by the state legislature).



> Many states also permit left on red if you're turning from one one-way street to another.


That's permitted in Florida.


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## earthJoker (Dec 15, 2004)

Suburbanist said:


> Radar detectors will be superseded by the increasing number of GPS navigation systems, proprietary or built as apps for smartphones, that allows users to sign online location of radar guns with a single touch (live nuisances and disruptions entering).


Those are illegal here too.


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

In Italy you cannot in general turn right on the red traffic lights, unless a dedicated light for turning right is green. However, some months ago I found one of these intersections where you were actually allowed to turn right on red near my hometown. I thought I had to respect the red anyway and behind me a long queue of horn-honking cars formed 

Radar detectors are illegal in Italy, but the position of every radar must be public and Police is forced to publish an updated list of radar installments. So, if you have a GPS with radar database (which is legal) you will have no problems.


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

^^ I downloaded an android app called "Blitzer". It has a huge database of speed cameras...both mobile and stationary.


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## Suburbanist (Dec 25, 2009)

When I lived in US, out of confusion about different red-light right-turn laws, I never turned right, preferring to wait for the green and save myself the pain of a fine when driving in other cities.


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## aswnl (Jun 6, 2004)

In NL radarsets are prohibited.










Nearly all Dutch traffic lights have separated directions, with separate lights (red, yellow and green) for the right and left turn, for the pedestrian and bike lanes, etc. There are even seperated lights in some places for multiple bikelanes as well... :bash:









(mind your head... - aaargh)

BTW: turning at a full red light is illegal, unless there's a green arrowed light next to it.


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## Cicerón (May 15, 2006)

Radar detectors in Spain are prohibited under €6,000 fine and -6 points.

Generally you can't turn on red unless there's one of those green arrows.


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## lafreak84 (Oct 26, 2010)

Radar detectors are legal in Slovenia but not jammers.


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

I don't know about the legality of radar detectors in the UK, but a lot of maps say where speed cameras are, as do warning signs


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

Suburbanist said:


> When I lived in US, out of confusion about different red-light right-turn laws, I never turned right, preferring to wait for the green and save myself the pain of a fine when driving in other cities.


As far as I know it's only New York City - the "five boroughs" - that prohibits it except at intersections where there's a sign authorizing it. So no need for confusion. (And if you see "No turn on red" signs around, wouldn't it follow that the default position is that it's permitted?)

And this sort of thing can be looked up. I could swear the AAA publishes a pamphlet with a name like "digest of local traffic laws" although I can't find it now. And in the intro to each state in AAA TourBooks (this I'm pretty sure of, although I'm at my parents' so I don't have one at hand) there's a box with practical information (time zone, legal holidays...) and things like whether there's a cell-phone ban.


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

^^ I saw a picture of sign that sead "Do not turn on red" or something and it was a pretty small sign


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

DanielFigFoz said:


> I don't know about the legality of radar detectors in the UK, but a lot of maps say where speed cameras are, as do warning signs


Road atlases of France show locations of "radars fixes," which surprised me when they started doing it, but why not.... If the purpose of the radar is to get people to slow down, showing it on the map serves the same purpose, I guess.

Incidentally, speed cameras are - at least so far - extremely rare in the U.S. Maryland and the District of Columbia may be the only places using them. I was caught by one in Maryland and got the only speeding ticket of my life.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

DanielFigFoz said:


> ^^ I saw a picture of sign that sead "Do not turn on red" or something and it was a pretty small sign


It's really not that small, and I'd guess it's a standard size since they seem to be the same everywhere.

[departs to conduct image search]

Of course an American driver who wants to turn right is at an intersection with a red light is sufficiently used to this that he'll look for the sign....

[returns from image search]

Okay, I'm not a sign geek (my interest in this stuff is geographical, I don't know or much care about things like specs.), so I don't claim expertise. And I can go years without looking at the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices. But in the interest of research....

HERE is the MUTCD (Federal regulator) page on No Turn on Red signs (and similar ones) 

http://mutcd.fhwa.dot.gov/htm/2003r1/part2/fig2b-19_longdesc.htm

I was mistaken about them all looking alike, but the one you see most often is "R10-11a." The guidelines do say that they're supposed to be placed as close to the traffic light as possible, like THIS:

http://www.longislandphotoblog.com/2009/04/01/no-turn-on-red/

And as I say, if you're intending to turn right, you'll be looking for it.

Here's something interesting from New York, apparently at LaGuardia airport which obviously would be full of out-of-town drivers who don't know the city's different about this:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4082/4798394309_5cb60fe90c.jpg


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

^^ I guess so! If they did that here though, most people wouldn't stop unless there was traffic coming, people in Europe do California stops (I think that's what it's called) at stop signs for example'


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## snowman159 (May 16, 2008)

I'm surprised no one mentioned that a "right turn on red" is legal in Germany, if a sign permits it. The rules are pretty much the same, you have to come to a complete stop and have to yield to other cars, pedestrians, etc. The only difference is that it's a pictorial sign mounted on a traffic light. I'm not sure how frequent those signs actually are and I guess it varies from city to city, but I've seen quite a few of them in Munich, Dresden, and iirc Berlin.


















It may look very similar to the picture below, but it's not the same thing.
(edit: Apparently, in Russia, it is in fact the same as the German sign above, and you'd have to yield to other traffic when the green arrow lights up. Not sure about Croatia. In Austria, otoh, in the picture below you can turn right without having to worry about any cross traffic)


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## snowman159 (May 16, 2008)

btw, it's also mentioned in this Wikipedia article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Right_turn_on_red


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

snowman159 said:


> It may look very similar to the picture below, but it's not the same thing.
> (edit: Apparently, in Russia, it is in fact the same as the German sign above, and you'd have to yield to other traffic when the green arrow lights up. Not sure about Croatia. In Austria, otoh, in the picture below you can turn right without having to worry about any cross traffic)


In Estonia, if the green arrow lights up, you can drive in that direction but have to yield to other traffic. But if the green arrow isn't lit, even when the main traffic signal is green, you may not drive in the direction shown by the arrow.(in this rare case the arrow is pointing straight ahead):


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## g.spinoza (Jul 21, 2010)

snowman159 said:


> I'm surprised no one mentioned that a "right turn on red" is legal in Germany, if a sign permits it. The rules are pretty much the same, you have to come to a complete stop and have to yield to other cars, pedestrians, etc. The only difference is that it's a pictorial sign mounted on a traffic light. I'm not sure how frequent those signs actually are and I guess it varies from city to city, but I've seen quite a few of them in Munich, Dresden, and iirc Berlin.


I live in Munich but I never saw such signs. But I don't drive much within the city...


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

Rebasepoiss said:


> In Estonia, if the green arrow lights up, you can drive in that direction but have to yield to other traffic. But if the green arrow isn't lit, even when the main traffic signal is green, you may not drive in the direction shown by the arrow.(in this rare case the arrow is pointing straight ahead):


If there's a solid green light, and the arrow's off, you can't move in the direction shown by the arrow? How can you tell what direction the arrow's indicating if it's off?


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

snowman159 said:


> Not sure about Croatia. In Austria, otoh, in the picture below you can turn right without having to worry about any cross traffic)


in HR there is the same as in A. you don't have to worry for oncoming traffic from left because when additional green arrow for right is turned on, the traffic from the left is blocked. however, sometimes you should watch for pedestrians who get green, in most cases you cross their way, and they have priority, of course. on newr intersections there are blikning yellow lights with pictogram of pedestrian (warns you that you cross their way), but still more often are old without that warning.


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## snowman159 (May 16, 2008)

^^

It's a good thing I never got a chance to drive in Estonia or Russia. I might not have made it back alive. :lol:


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

Fargo Wolf said:


> Right turns on Red: In Canada, with the exception of Quebec**
> ...
> ** With the exception of a very few places, it is ILLEGAL to turn right on a red light in this province, unless otherwise posted, or a right turn arrow is showing.


This is no longer the case (since early last decade), so you can now turn right on red in Quebec unless a sign tells you not to. The only place where right turns on red are prohibited by default is on Montreal Island. This is similar to the prohibition in NYC.

For more information:
http://www.mtq.gouv.qc.ca/portal/page/portal/grand_public_en/vehicules_promenade/reseau_routier/signalisation/virage_droite_feu_rouge



Penn's Woods said:


> It's really not that small, and I'd guess it's a standard size since they seem to be the same everywhere.
> 
> [departs to conduct image search]
> 
> ...


In Canada we use a different sign for this purpose, which, IMHO, is better (doesn't require reading text):









I was actually surprised to see textual signs for this purpose when I drove in Long Island (I thought the US would be using the same sign).



x-type said:


> in HR there is the same as in A. you don't have to worry for oncoming traffic from left because when additional green arrow for right is turned on, the traffic from the left is blocked. however, sometimes you should watch for pedestrians who get green, in most cases you cross their way, and they have priority, of course. on newr intersections there are blikning yellow lights with pictogram of pedestrian (warns you that you cross their way), but still more often are old without that warning.


Those flashing yellow lights with pedestrian pictograms inside are on most big intersections in Israel.

In Canada we also do have right green arrows, which are in addition to the "right turn on red" rule. When you see an arrow here in any direction, you always have exclusive right of way into that direction (whether right or left), which means that everyone else is facing a red light, including pedestrians.

A right-facing green arrow in Canada (at least in Ontario) is not very common, but you can sometimes see it on big intersections, and it often appears together with left turn arrows when other straight-through traffic has a red.

*Several other interesting things in Ontario, Canada:*

A flashing green light is called an "advance green light" and is essentially the same as a solid green light together with a green left turn arrow. When the green light rapidly flashes, one may drive to any direction. In theory, turning right might require yielding to pedestrians, though AFAIK when the green light is flashing, the pedestrian signals are usually red. Still a good idea to check.
Such signals are becoming increasingly rare, however, and are being replaced by left turn arrows. They can be quite confusing because in several other countries a flashing green actually means the yellow is coming, and AFAIK in British Columbia they mean something totally different.

We have transit priority signals. I'm not sure if this exists in the US - I know that variations of these are common in Europe. In fact, most likely they were imported from Europe. They look like this:









However, those are actually not that common. In Toronto, we use smaller black lights for transit, compared to the yellow ones for cars:









I'm actually not sure if these black Toronto signals are even documented anywhere. I can't find them in the Ontario Driver's Handbook.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

TheCat said:


> In Canada we use a different sign for this purpose, which, IMHO, is better (doesn't require reading text):
> 
> 
> 
> ...


You amended your "less ambiguous" to "doesn't require reading text" before I could say I wasn't sure it was less ambiguous. ;-)


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

^^ I did  I realized that, if you know English, this statement would definitely be wrong.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

Now talking of ambiguous text, the first time I encountered that flashing green was in or near Granby, Quebec - I'd gotten off Autoroute 10 to find something to eat - in 1988, and the explanation was in French. Even if my French, at that point, had been up to understanding what "feu vert clignotant" meant, I'm not sure I would have gotten it. And when I was in Ontario later on that trip and saw "Advanced Green When Flashing," that didn't mean anything to me either.

And I suppose "No Turn on Red" is meaningless to a native speaker of English from a country where turns on red aren't permitted ("'No Turn on Red'? Well, of course you can't turn on red! What do they mean by that?") Anywhere in the world, a driver from another jurisdiction is going to have some learning to do, and the jurisdictions will have some educating to do. I suppose even within Europe, there are quirks from one country to the next. Whether it's realistic to expect, say, a Frenchman who's about to drive to Germany to spend a half-hour on line before he goes reading up on German sign quirks, or stop at the border and read a pamphlet helpfully published in French by the German government, I don't know. But legally, the burden is on the driver to learn what he or she will need to know. But part of the reason I started this thread was to get an awareness of this sort of thing out there (I do anticipate getting to Montreal this year, and I thought that no-turn-on-red was the default position but I wasn't sure.) Which, by the way, is why I think text-only signs are less big a deal than some people seem to think: is it really harder for a non-English speaker to memorize a few phrases like "one way" and "do not enter" than it is for an American in Europe to memorize a few signs that actually aren't as obvious as Europeans may think they are? But, I'm rambling. 

[steps off soapbox, which I really didn't mean to step onto.]


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## Rebasepoiss (Jan 6, 2007)

Penn's Woods said:


> If there's a solid green light, and the arrow's off, you can't move in the direction shown by the arrow? How can you tell what direction the arrow's indicating if it's off?


The extra green arrow is almost exclusively used for right turns and never for left turns, AFAIK. The photo I posted is the only straight-pointing green arrow that I know of and it's always on when the main traffic signal is green. Besides, you cannot turn right at this intersection. Don't worry, however, this particular traffic signals confuses even those people who drive there often! 

Moreover, I don't know of any intersections built in the last decade or so that use the extra green arrow. Probably because it's more dangerous - it doesn't really give the driver priority. Nowadays we prefer the traffic signal with arrows because it ensures the driver that he/she can make the turn safely.


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

To be honest, Penn, most people in the UK know that the US allows turns on red, the US is known here for fat stupid people and turns on reds. (I'm not saying that Americans are fat and stupid, but thats the reputation, or better stereotype :lol


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## woutero (Jan 14, 2008)

Right turns on red are customary for bicycles in The Netherlands. It depends on the municipality whether or not there are signs to indicate this (often there are). I'm not sure if it is officially legal if there is no sign, but it is custom and not enforced/fined.

I think the large number of bicycles and bike paths on the right side of the road are also a big reason that right turns on red are not a very good idea for The Netherlands. 










http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEm31IOJptk&feature=player_embedded


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## Gareth (Apr 27, 2004)

No left turn on red in the UK, unless there's a green arrow pointing in that direction. I really do prefer it that way.


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## AlexisMD (Mar 13, 2010)

earthJoker said:


> Those are illegal here too.


and how are they going to prove that ? 
they will "inspect" your phone for special app ? I don't think so


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

DanielFigFoz said:


> To be honest, Penn, most people in the UK know that the US allows turns on red, the US is known here for fat stupid people and turns on reds. (I'm not saying that Americans are fat and stupid, but thats the reputation, or better stereotype :lol


Quite all right: you're known for bad food and worse teeth. 

And, on topic, 30 years ago when I was first old enough to drive and first went to Europe, Europe had the reputation here of being a dangerous place to drive. I was honestly surprised to learn that fatality rates are higher here.


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## urbanlover (Feb 14, 2005)

Why is Europe so strict about turning on red? What is the point of making traffic sit at intersection while cross traffic is clear? Sure it makes sense in some cases if streets meet a wierd angle or there are real traffic/pedistrian issues, but it's stupid to have blanket prohibition.


And speaking of driving customs we have the Michigan Left that eliminates direct left turns on divided highways and always seems drive out of state drivers crazy.

http://www.michiganhighways.org/indepth/michigan_left.html


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## Botev1912 (Oct 18, 2006)

Here in Seattle if there is a green arrow light, you can turn this direction and you have right of way, so you don't have to worry about cars or even pedestrians because they all have a red light. When I went to Vancouver, BC, I didn't know what green flashing light meant. In Europe this means yellow is coming soon and this was very confusing. I haven't seen counters on US traffic lights that tell you how many seconds you have before the light turns red/green. They only exist for pedestrian lights but not for cars.


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## Gareth (Apr 27, 2004)

urbanlover said:


> Why is Europe so strict about turning on red? What is the point of making traffic sit at intersection while cross traffic is clear? Sure it makes sense in some cases if streets meet a wierd angle or there are real traffic/pedistrian issues, but it's stupid to have blanket prohibition.


In those circumstances, an arrow pointing right or left comes on. Simples.


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## TheCat (Apr 21, 2006)

Gareth said:


> In those circumstances, an arrow pointing right or left comes on. Simples.


This is not the same thing. An arrow in most places gives exclusive right of way, and therefore someone still has to wait at a red. In fact, the more exclusive phases an intersection has, the less the throughput of the entire intersection becomes in many cases. 

Whether right turn on red is a good thing or not is a different debate.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

Botev1912 said:


> Here in Seattle if there is a green arrow light, you can turn this direction and you have right of way, so you don't have to worry about cars or even pedestrians because they all have a red light. When I went to Vancouver, BC, I didn't know what green flashing light meant. In Europe this means yellow is coming soon and this was very confusing. I haven't seen counters on US traffic lights that tell you how many seconds you have before the light turns red/green. They only exist for pedestrian lights but not for cars.


Those timers for pedestrians haven't existed that long here, actually. I first saw them in Washington (DC), maybe ten years ago. They used to make me (as a pedestrian) nervous.


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## El Tiburon (Mar 21, 2010)

Penn's Woods said:


> Those timers for pedestrians haven't existed that long here, actually. I first saw them in Washington (DC), maybe ten years ago. They used to make me (as a pedestrian) nervous.


Those pedestrian timers have been coming up in South Florida recently but nobody pays much attention to them and most people cross when no cars are coming.


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

x-type said:


> this thing with additional green arrow is common in Croatia indeed. i haven't noticed it that much in othere European countries as here


Very common in the States, usually reserved for left-turn lanes. I don't know if any other places use it differently, but here, if there's a green arrow you've got a "protected" left turn, so you're guaranteed free passage across the intersection when turning left, without having to wait for oncoming traffic to pass, as you may have to do with the normal round green light. It's very commonly used in addition to a red light which generally means stop, with a green arrow as well which doesn't mean stop, so it may be confusing. If you've got a green arrow, you can go that way, regardless of a red light for the same lane.

Also sometimes used is a red and yellow arrow, indicating that that specific lane can only go that direction and nowhere else, in addition to the typical sign with an arrow, or text reading "left turn signal".


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## earthJoker (Dec 15, 2004)

AlexisMD said:


> and how are they going to prove that ?
> they will "inspect" your phone for special app ? I don't think so


You are not allowed to use your phone while driving  and you just can't buy GPS with such a system.

But of course it's hard to prove, same with the radar.

On the other point:
Right turn on red is NOT allowed in Switzerland.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

earthJoker said:


> You are not allowed to use your phone while driving  and you just can't buy GPS with such a system.


You don't need to use your phone to get alerts. If the app uses GPS and an online speed trap information site, it will just give a beep while you are driving. No need to use or hold your phone in any way. 

And you can download applications like speed camera locations for GPS too.


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## kanterberg (Aug 3, 2009)

Rebasepoiss said:


> The extra green arrow is almost exclusively used for right turns and never for left turns, AFAIK. The photo I posted is the only straight-pointing green arrow that I know of and it's always on when the main traffic signal is green. Besides, you cannot turn right at this intersection. Don't worry, however, this particular traffic signals confuses even those people who drive there often!
> 
> Moreover, I don't know of any intersections built in the last decade or so that use the extra green arrow. Probably because it's more dangerous - it doesn't really give the driver priority. Nowadays we prefer the traffic signal with arrows because it ensures the driver that he/she can make the turn safely.


Never seen a straight-pointing arrow, but you'll see a few of these in Stockholm: 

Protected left turn to get up on the bridge, but the turn is not at the traffic light, as you can see, it's a little further ahead. A regular left pointing arrow at this intersection would take you towards oncoming traffic.


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## x-type (Aug 19, 2005)

nerdly_dood said:


> Very common in the States, usually reserved for left-turn lanes. I don't know if any other places use it differently, but here, if there's a green arrow you've got a "protected" left turn, so you're guaranteed free passage across the intersection when turning left, without having to wait for oncoming traffic to pass, as you may have to do with the normal round green light. It's very commonly used in addition to a red light which generally means stop, with a green arrow as well which doesn't mean stop, so it may be confusing. If you've got a green arrow, you can go that way, regardless of a red light for the same lane.
> 
> Also sometimes used is a red and yellow arrow, indicating that that specific lane can only go that direction and nowhere else, in addition to the typical sign with an arrow, or text reading "left turn signal".


protected left turn is completely different thing. we also have them. green arrow is in that case at the opposite part of intersection, well visible from left turning lane.


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## DanielFigFoz (Mar 10, 2007)

Penn's Woods said:


> Quite all right: you're known for bad food and worse teeth.
> 
> And, on topic, 30 years ago when I was first old enough to drive and first went to Europe, Europe had the reputation here of being a dangerous place to drive. I was honestly surprised to learn that fatality rates are higher here.


In the UK they are less than in the US, and also places like Germany I think.


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## ChrisZwolle (May 7, 2006)

Penn's Woods said:


> 30 years ago when I was first old enough to drive and first went to Europe, Europe had the reputation here of being a dangerous place to drive. I was honestly surprised to learn that fatality rates are higher here.


Unfortunately many people seem to think Europe = central Paris / central Rome. Driving in such places is a challenge, even for Europeans not known to the area. On the other hand, Los Angeles is definitely not the freeway walhalla many Europeans think it is.


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## xrtn2 (Jan 12, 2011)

In Brazil

1) Radar detectors are legal in all 27 states.



















2)Turning right on red is illegal.


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## LMB (May 5, 2008)

Suburbanist said:


> Radar detectors will be superseded by the increasing number of GPS navigation systems, proprietary or built as apps for smartphones, that allows users to sign online location of radar guns with a single touch (live nuisances and disruptions entering).


I'm sure that not only in Poland there are "mobile police teams" with portable radars. I've seen them in Germany, though only once.


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## AtD (Oct 22, 2002)

In Australia:

Radar detectors are *illegal*. Depending on what state, a speed camera could be anywhere:










Left turn on red (because we drive on the left) is *illegal*, unless otherwise signed.

Without a slip lane:









With a slip lane:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kmurto/3628413258/









Left turn arrows are very common, like this crazy creation:


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

And about radar detectors in Virginia...

They aren't only illegal to have turned on. They aren't only illegal to have placed on the dash. They aren't only illegal to have in your vehicle. They only aren't illegal to have in your hand. They aren't only illegal to have on a store shelf. They probably aren't even legal to have in a delivery truck just passing through from North Carolina to Maryland.

They are illegal period. They are banned. They are not allowed to exist. Radar guns, to determine vehicle speed, are legal for police use.

Right turn on red is totally cool as long as you come to a Full And Complete Stop, as it's known in driving school, and treat it like a stop sign. There are sometimes "No right turn on red" signs in which case a red light is a red light.

*Question:*

What does your area say about U turns? I don't even know what Virginia says about them, it seems like there is nothing consistent anywhere about their laws - some states allow a U-turn only in intersections, others ban them within intersections but allow them everywhere else, some allow them everywhere, some ban them everywhere... Virginia apparently allows them within intersections, as some intersections have a "no U-turn" sign, but most don't, and I've never been stopped by the police for doing it.


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## Penn's Woods (Apr 8, 2010)

^^I wonder if the constitutionality of the ban on possessing radar detectors has ever been tested in the courts. I doubt Virginia can legally prevent a North Carolinian from carrying his radar detector to Maryland (or force him to go around the loooong way): interstate commerce and all that. Although if we let California conduct fruit inspections at the state line....hno:

EDIT: Am now failing to resist temptation to open a political can of worms by making snarky comment about how easy it is to buy a gun in Virginia and carry it to DC or New York City and how Virginia would be the first state to defend its citizens' supposed right to do so.

[exits hastily, dodging brickbats]


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## nerdly_dood (Mar 23, 2007)

Penn's Woods said:


> ^^I wonder if the constitutionality of the ban on possessing radar detectors has ever been tested in the courts. I doubt Virginia can legally prevent a North Carolinian from carrying his radar detector to Maryland (or force him to go around the loooong way): interstate commerce and all that. Although if we let California conduct fruit inspections at the state line....hno:


They're perfectly fine to have in your car as long as a cop doesn't see them though, just like cocaine or a Tec-9. Out of sight, out of mind.


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## El Tiburon (Mar 21, 2010)

nerdly_dood said:


> *Question:*
> 
> What does your area say about U turns? I don't even know what Virginia says about them, it seems like there is nothing consistent anywhere about their laws - some states allow a U-turn only in intersections, others ban them within intersections but allow them everywhere else, some allow them everywhere, some ban them everywhere... Virginia apparently allows them within intersections, as some intersections have a "no U-turn" sign, but most don't, and I've never been stopped by the police for doing it.


In Florida a U-turn is permitted where not prohibited by a sign as long as it's done without interfering with other traffic.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

Radar Detectors were once illegal in Connecticut but were allowed again in 1998.

Right turn on red and U-turns are legal unless posted otherwise.


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