Right turn on red

By the end of this topic you can

• You can decide whether a right turn on red is allowed at an intersection.
• You can make a complete stop at the correct place before turning.
• You can check for pedestrians, cyclists and cross traffic before turning.
• You can recognize signs that prohibit turning on red.

What you need to know and understand

• You must come to a complete stop before turning right on red.
• You must yield to pedestrians and to traffic that has a green light.
• A sign can prohibit right turns on red at any intersection, and the sign always wins.
• In Quebec, right turns on red are allowed except on the island of Montreal and where a sign prohibits them.
• The Montreal ban covers every municipality on the island, including suburbs such as Dorval, Pointe-Claire and Westmount, not only the city of Montreal.
• In Ontario, a left turn on red is allowed only from a one-way road onto a one-way road, after a complete stop.
• You are never required to turn on red. If you are unsure, wait for the green.

The safe routine

1. Get into the right-hand lane and signal right in good time.
2. Stop completely at the stop line. If there is none, stop at the crosswalk, or the edge of the sidewalk or intersection.
3. Look left for traffic coming through on green, then ahead and right for pedestrians and cyclists.
4. Check your right blind spot for a cyclist coming up beside you.
5. Turn only when there is a safe gap and the crosswalk is clear.
6. Turn into the nearest lane and get up to speed smoothly.

Where you cannot turn on red

Signal colours and turn rules can differ slightly between provinces, so read your own handbook's traffic light chapter.

• Anywhere a sign prohibits turns on red.
• On the island of Montreal.
• When a pedestrian is crossing or about to cross your path.
• When cross traffic on a green light is too close for a safe gap.

Pedestrians come first

Drivers turning on red often look left for a gap in traffic and forget to look right before moving. That is exactly where a pedestrian may be stepping off the curb. Make your last look before moving towards the crosswalk you are about to drive through.

Common mistakes

• Rolling through without stopping. A rolling turn is treated as running a red light.
• Looking only left for traffic. Look right and ahead for pedestrians before moving.
• Feeling pressured by honking drivers behind. Turn only when you judge it safe.
• Forgetting the Montreal rule when driving into the city from elsewhere in Quebec.

Test yourself: Right turn on red

Answer each question, then read the explanation. Questions come in a random order each time.