On red, make a right turn, Cities throughout the nation are exploring bans due to an increase in pedestrian deaths

On red, make a right turn, Cities throughout the nation are exploring bans due to an increase in pedestrian deaths
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When a car turning right ran a red light and crashed into Sophee Langerman’s bike in June, she was riding it off the curb and into the crosswalk. She was headed to a bicycle safety protest in Chicago’s Lakeview district.

Langerman escaped serious injury because the car was traveling slowly enough, but the bicycle needed major repairs. Langerman sees it as just another justification to do away with the legal privilege of a car to turn right after stopping at a red light, a practice that has been accepted by practically all American cities for decades.

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Many regulatory and infrastructure reforms have resulted from a sharp increase in the number of accidents that kill or seriously injure pedestrians and bicyclists. However, efforts to outlaw right-of-way have sparked strong feelings on both sides.

A right-on-red prohibition that goes into effect in 2025 was authorized by the City Council of Washington, D.C. last year. “Restricting right turns on red” was part of the transition plan for new Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, but his administration hasn’t given any details. Ann Arbor, Michigan, a college town, now forbids right turns at red signals in the downtown area.

Leaders in San Francisco recently voted to support a citywide ban on right-on-red in their transportation agency, and bans have also been investigated by large cities including Los Angeles, Seattle, and Denver.

According to 26-year-old Langerman, “Drivers should not have the freedom to determine when they think it’s safe.” “People are occupied. Individuals are preoccupied.

However, Jay Beeber, senior director for policy at the National Motorists Association, a car advocacy group, referred to the notion that such broad prohibitions would increase roadway safety as a “fallacy.”

He referenced an upcoming study by his association that examined crash data from 2011 to 2019 in California and discovered that, on average, vehicles that turned right on red caused fewer than one bicycle death and roughly one pedestrian death every two years in the state.

According to Beeber, the true motivation for this movement is to make driving as unpleasant and challenging as possible in order to discourage people from driving as often.

Safety advocates respond that official crash reports are frequently misclassified and understate the risks.

One of the few large nations that usually permits right turns on red is the United States. The United States government cautioned states in the 1970s that if cities forbade right-on-red except in certain, clearly indicated places, they may forfeit some federal assistance. The government was worried that cars idling at stop lights could worsen an energy problem. Right on red has persisted even though another energy-conscious clause regulating speed limits at 55 mph was long abandoned.

The director of engineering at Toole Design Group, which provides advice to public transit authorities, Bill Schultheiss, stated, “It’s an example of bad policy.” It made sense in light of the gas crisis, but its potential benefits were grossly overstated. It’s a directive that doesn’t take the whole picture into account.

For the most part, right on red has never been permitted in New York City. Visitors to Manhattan are informed by enormous signs that this behavior is forbidden there. But until last year’s vote in the nation’s capital, it was the standard procedure almost everywhere else in the United States.

Safety advocates in Washington, D.C., who spearheaded the change, are preparing for a backlash from motorists, especially if the city also permits what is known as the “Idaho Stop,” which permits bicycles to stop and check that all traffic is clear before continuing through a red light.

“There are just certain public opinion battles where you have to be willing to sacrifice that for people’s safety,” stated Jonathan Kincade, the Washington Area Bicyclists Association’s coordinator of communications. Treating motorcycles and vehicles equally is absurd. We have witnessed the results of the fact that they are not the same vehicle.

Opponents contend that prohibiting driving on red will cause delays for delivery and commuter buses in addition to causing inconvenience to drivers. Although it hasn’t officially stated its stance on right-on-red, United Parcel Service has long advised its drivers to steer clear of left turns whenever feasible since it considers them to be inefficient.

The Fines and Fees Justice Center’s deputy executive director, Priya Sarathy Jones, is worried that lower-class drivers who must drive to work because they cannot afford housing close to public transportation will bear a disproportionate share of the penalties resulting from right-on-red prohibitions. Further cameras will undoubtedly follow increased enforcement at red lights, according to her. Furthermore, in the Chicago area, talking about red light policies frequently brings up the region’s notorious red-light camera program, which sparked accusations of bribery against public servants who were allegedly seeking to sway the lucrative contracts.

“Instead of our decisions being driven by safety strategies backed by evidence,” she added, pointing out that improving road infrastructure would be a far more effective approach to minimize accidents. It also generates a lot of money for the city.

There are no recent, countrywide studies on the number of fatalities or injuries caused by drivers who make a right turn.

The Governors Highway Safety Association reported nationally that in 2022, there were more than 7,500 pedestrian fatalities from car crashes—the highest amount since 1981. Larger cars like SUVs and pickup trucks were more common on the road, which contributed to the jump in accidents overall (not just those involving right turns on red).

According to research by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, because larger vehicles have greater blind zones and heavier vehicles tend to have deadlier forces, there was an 89% higher chance of a pedestrian being killed when struck by a car turning right in a pickup and a 63% higher risk in an SUV.

“People are running over and knocking people down because of these big, blunt front hoods, unlike the old days when people would crumple onto the hood,” stated Mike McGinn, a former mayor of Seattle and executive director of America Walks, a nationwide group that promotes community areas that are walkable.

Even while a large portion of the research directly examining the effects of right-on-red policies is several years, if not decades, old, both parties contend it is still useful.

In a 1994 report to Congress, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration examined three years of data from Illinois and four years of data from Indiana, Maryland, and Missouri. In total, 558 collisions resulted in injuries and four fatalities due to right turns on red. The study was conducted before the country’s car fleet grew significantly larger and more deadly, according to proponents of a ban.

However, Beeber pointed out that a National Motorists Association research conducted in California discovered that, in cases where right turns on red lights resulted in accidents, at least 96% of the injuries suffered by cyclists or pedestrians were minor.

Sen. John Lovick of Washington state, who is the main proponent of a bill this year that would have outlawed right-on-red in areas close to parks, schools, and other establishments, stated, “One injury or death is too many.” “I would want something done at that intersection crossing if I were in my position.”

Although Seattle last year changed its default policy to forbid right-on-red when new traffic lights are built, Lovick’s measure was not able to pass out of committee.

Melinda Kasraie recounted her story of getting hit by a car that was going right on red in Seattle when testifying in favor of Lovick’s measure during a parliamentary session. Her newfound phobia of crossing the street led her to need a total knee replacement, quit her 20-year employment, and move to a tiny village.

“I was greatly affected by the mere fact that he had to wait an additional twenty seconds to receive my approval,” Kasraie remarked.

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