Right turn on red

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Right turn on red (RTOR) is a principle of law permitting vehicles at a traffic light showing red to turn right (after a complete stop) when the roadway is clear. RTOR has been practiced in the western United States for more than 50 years, with the eastern states adopting the law in the 1970s.

All 50 states as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico have allowed right turns on red since January 1, 1980, unless a sign otherwise prohibits this. In the 1970s, some states instituted the practice to save fuel (see 1973 oil crisis and 1979 energy crisis). From 1982-1992, approximately 84 fatal crashes per year occurred in the U.S. where a vehicle was turning right at intersections where RTOR was permitted. ^{[citation needed]}

In Canada, one is allowed to turn right on a red, only after a complete stop, unless a sign states otherwise. In the province of Quebec, turning right on a red was illegal until a pilot study carried out in 2003 showed that there were no significant adverse effects of the RTOR manoeuvre. Subsequently the province of Quebec now allows universal right turn on red, except on the Island of Montreal and where it is prohibited by a sign.

[edit] Left turn on red

In most areas of the United States, it is also legal to make some left turns on red. In all cases, the road being turned onto must be one-way. Making a left-turn on red from a two-way street is legal in only five states: Alaska, Idaho, Michigan, Oregon, and Washington. In 37 other states and Puerto Rico, it is legal to make a left turn on red only from a one-way street. Left turns on red are prohibited in the states of South Dakota (unless permitted by local ordinance), Connecticut, Maine, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and in the District of Columbia and Guam.