new york
CNN
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In America, it is a road rule to turn right through a red light. If you don’t speed up, you’ll often get the horn honked at you.
But this widespread driving practice is now under intense scrutiny as too dangerous and faces government regulation.
A few years ago, Light on Red was primarily limited to California and a few other western states. Woody Allen famously declared in “Annie Hall” that he would never live in Los Angeles because “its only cultural advantage is being able to turn right at a red light.”
Light on Red spread throughout the country in the 1970s in response to Arab oil embargoes and oil rationing against the United States. States introduced this as a gas-saving measure. The theory was to reduce idling at red lights.
Congress accelerated the adoption of red right laws by states through provisions of the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975. It tied each state’s eligibility for federal energy assistance to allowing lights on red “to the greatest extent compatible with safety and practicable.”
According to one source, by 1972, 13 states had allowed RTOR. legislative history How it’s practiced in Connecticut. By the end of the decade, almost every state in the country had adopted it. (Not New York City, but the patchwork of municipalities that allow it and those that don’t only add to the confusion while driving.)
However, the situation in the city is deteriorating.
atlanta, denver, Indianapolis, lorry, Washington DC Other major cities have recently proposed or passed laws banning it in parts of their downtown areas or the entire city. They believe this could protect people walking and cycling in the most pedestrian traffic. This is the first death toll in more than 40 years.
![Pedestrians stop on a corner in Denver in 2022. Denver and other cities are considering bans on red road traffic.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-1237977806.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
Turning right on a red light “brings extra movement to the intersection,” said Eric Danbeau, a professor of urban and regional planning at Florida Atlantic University who studies traffic safety. This can lead to drivers hitting pedestrians who thought it was safe to cross when they saw a green light, trucks hitting motorcycles because they couldn’t see cyclists making a right turn, and rear-end collisions.
A city-commissioned study in Indianapolis, where 2022 marked a record high for pedestrian fatalities, found that over five years, approximately 57% of car accidents The accident involving a pedestrian occurred because the driver failed to yield to pedestrians at all intersections.
In San Francisco, red crashes account for less than 1% of all injury crashes, However, 20% pedestrian or bicycle related crash.
“Our proposed red light turn ban is intended to prioritize the health of pedestrians at intersections,” said Atlanta City Councilman Jason Dozier, who introduced the ban in parts of the city. ” he said. Said I introduced a proposal in X last week.
Drivers killed at least 7,500 pedestrians nationwide in 2022, according to the latest data from the Governors Highway Safety Association. This is his highest number since 1981 (some states include bicyclists in their pedestrian fatality data, others do not).
Possible reasons for this include faster driving speeds, distracted driving, lack of pedestrian-friendly road infrastructure, and increased weight and ride comfort of trucks and SUVs.
In recent years, there has been little national research on the effects of right turns on red lights on pedestrian safety.
![The city wants to make its downtown safer for pedestrians and bicyclists.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/gettyimages-1232010266.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill)
An examination of police-reported crash data from 1974 to 1977 in six states that adopted RTOR laws, as well as data from three states that did not change their laws, found that states that allowed RTOR had fewer crashes. It was found that the increase was more than 20%.
the study, Implemented in 1982found that urban pedestrian crashes, child pedestrian crashes, and elderly pedestrian crashes increased significantly after RTOR was adopted.
Danbo said banning right-hand traffic at red lights is not a “panacea for pedestrian safety issues,” but it could help prevent pedestrian-vehicle accidents at busy intersections. Ta.
“This is part of a comprehensive safety solution,” he said. Turning right at a red light is “something America does that most other countries don’t do.”
But these efforts have faced fierce opposition from some drivers, driver advocacy groups and lawmakers, who say the ban will make roads worse for drivers and worse for everyone. . Right-on-red helps speed and move traffic. Halving the speed limit would also reduce injuries, but that has been abandoned as not being a better thing.
Atlanta’s anti-ROTR proposal faces Opposition from some city council members People fear it will cause traffic jams during major events in the city and damage hotels. People don’t want to vacation in cities with heavy traffic. Other Atlanta lawmakers are concerned about an increase in traffic stops and over-policing and tickets for Black and other minority drivers.Research shows that black drivers There is a high possibility that you will be stopped and stopped. by the police.
In Indiana, a Republican state senator has introduced a bill that would retroactively override Indianapolis’ red ban, ending it with a limited time limit. They are “fools” and part of the “car war.”
But supporters say the red road ban prioritizes the safety of pedestrians over cars and is an important step in a larger effort to make cities more walkable and bike-friendly. . Lawmakers who have pushed for the reforms say it’s a step toward creating a safer, more accessible downtown.