The KGUN9 newsroom has received a number of calls and emails concerning a recent spread of misinformation across social media platforms claiming that it is illegal to turn right at an intersection if the light is red. Here's one email we received:
I've contacted ADOT online and several other sources regarding a new law saying it's illegal now in Arizona to make a right turn on red in most situations. Is this true or fake news?
The short answer: you can still turn right on red as long as you follow right-of-way rules.
The Good Morning Tucson team dug into this a little further to find out where this idea originated from. In doing so we came across a website called The Megaphone that we have decided not to link as it includes a number of erroneous articles, including the one from which the misinformation on right-turns-on-red spread.
The article itself states that an Arizona law that went into effect on January 1st of this year prohibits a right turn on red unless signage says otherwise.
The article, dated January 26th, explains why so many are asking us if this is valid four weeks into the year.
The site itself has a number of articles saying the same laws are going into effect in other states like Washington and Maine. On further investigation the site claims to be a student news site for a Catholic school in Indianapolis. We found the actual site for those student journalists which focuses on the kind of local and school-related stories you would expect of a site like that.
To clear up any misunderstandings about the law we reached out to ADOT. They tell us that the information going around is erroneous and pointed us toward the state law, which states:
The driver of a vehicle that is stopped in obedience to a red signal and as close as practicable at the entrance to the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection, or if there is no crosswalk, then at the entrance to the intersection, may make a right turn but shall yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic proceeding as directed by the signal. A right turn may be prohibited against a red signal at any intersection if a sign prohibiting the turn is erected at the intersection.
