Hacker News Reader

I've heard this before and I have to wonder, do stop signs also seem insane to you? Because right on red is no different. You stop, look both ways, and go if it's safe to do so.

View on HN

This is not how American drivers deal with it. When they don't see an immediate risk of hitting someone, most don't bother stopping at red lights when they want to turn right on red, which is not the case with stops.

A red light means the same thing as a stop sign in this case. I would expect people to treat them equally.

I'm sure in both cases the traffic ticket would be the same - failure to stop.

Yes, so it basically turns an intersection with traffic lights into one without. The point of a red light is that it removes the guesswork, and gives people going in other directions the guarantee that the stopped traffic won't move. Right on red throw all that out of the window.

There's no need for guesswork. The person with the red light yields to everyone.

He has to notice them first. With a normal red light, the car doesn't move, period.

> He has to notice them first.

...which is exactly the same as a stop sign, too.

If your hypothetical stationary driver cannot see oncoming traffic either at a stop sign or stop light, your driver can't drive correctly.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com