Regional Talk > Washington & Baltimore > No Turn on red in VA

No Turn on red in VA

The drivers here in Northern Virginia have taken California stops to a new level. The rule always has been that you stop prior to making the right turn and it is rarely enforced because you cannot possibly have police at every intersection. The new law just ups the ante on the penalty if you get caught.

As the article in the link has pointed out, Virginia has a tendency to make minor offenses into major ones for no real valid reason.

all the traffic lights ought to have a Green right turn lights, but that cost a lot of money so, let's charge people with turning right on red. Ok.

reply to Da Geek Kid
Oh great. Gonna be doubly sure to stop before turning then.
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Will WWIII start today?

reply to Da Geek Kid
They won't charge you at all if you stop, look and turn right on red when the traffic is clear so you can do so safely.

Notwithstanding the provisions of � 46.2-833, except where signs are placed prohibiting turns on steady red, vehicular traffic facing a steady red signal, after coming to a full stop, may cautiously enter the intersection and make a right turn.

Such turning traffic shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians lawfully within an adjacent crosswalk and to other traffic using the intersection.

The letter of the law has no mention of the pedestrian. So a Pedestrian here is not the issue as any sane driver knows that even on a crosswalk on a main road, a pedestrian has right of way but not many in the state of VA know that. It's not taught in the driver's ed. So, it's not the pedestrian nor it's the stop signs on an empty road with one car on it. The law is only in place to make state couple of moola that's all.

Of course that is the case. You didn't think they would want to do something sane, like not wasting your tax money or getting rid of a bunch of deadwood government employees did you.