Turning right on red isn't always legal

Motorists urged to obey traffic signs

ORLANDO, Fla. – News 6 traffic safety expert Trooper Steve Montiero answers viewer questions about the rules of the road every week, helping Orlando-area residents become better drivers by being better educated.

We all know that we have to stop completely prior to making a right turn on a red light, but when there is a no-right-on-red sign posted, what are the consequences of disobeying the posting?

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Honestly, it can go several different ways and sometimes a driver's attitude, or the level of danger the violation created determines just what kind of ticket the driver could be facing. 

If you came up to a red light, stopped and made your right turn after completing the stop and there was a no-right-on-red sign posted, then you would receive a moving violation for the violation of not obeying the traffic control sign.

Now, if you didn’t stop, made the right turn and the sign is there, then you could now be facing a possible violation of running a steady red light. Red light fines in Central Florida are no joke and will cost you in excess of $250 and they bring a large amount of points on your driver's license. 

When we revert back to the basics of coming to a complete stop, looking in both directions for traffic and not forgetting to look for other traffic control signs, we then can avoid these hefty traffic tickets and I bet it would help reduce a lot of these crashes.

If you have a traffic question for Trooper Steve, submit it here.


About the Author

Steven Montiero, better known as “Trooper Steve," joined the News 6 morning team as its Traffic Safety Expert in October 2017. A Central Florida native and decorated combat veteran, Montiero comes to the station following an eight-year assignment with the Florida Highway Patrol.