A Red Arrow Is No Green Light to Make a Left Turn

Dear Street Smart:

I am sure you will be able to help me and many other motorists both in time savings and air pollution. It concerns the ability to make a left turn on a red arrow while waiting when there is no sign posted saying “left turn on left arrow only.”

I live in Seal Beach and was having a chat with one of our fine policemen. I told him that I thought it was legal to make a left turn on a red arrow as long as there was no sign and it was done safely and with a green light for oncoming traffic. He said he gave a ticket to a guy who, after he was pulled over, told the officer he thought the move was legal.

At the court trial (the guy decided to present his case to a judge), the judge did not agree with the motorist. The police officer personally agreed with the motorist and me, but the guy lost in court.

Would it be possible for you to supply us with the California Vehicle Code number and a source for me to obtain a copy so that I can carry it in the car? I continue to proceed as if I am legally able to go through the red light and my wife says to hold off till I hear from you since it’s only a matter of time when I will be given a ticket.

Nicholas La Forte, Seal Beach

Stop! You cannot legally make a left turn on a red arrow. It doesn’t matter if the traffic light is green or no sign is posted.

“The law is just the opposite of what this gentleman is saying in his letter,” said Bill Madison, spokesman for the Department of Motor Vehicles in Sacramento. “Section 21453 (c) of the California Vehicle Code essentially says that a driver facing a steady red arrow shall not move into an intersection.”

The power of the red arrow is mighty. It is also illegal to make a right turn against a red arrow, according to the California Driver Handbook.

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Dear Street Smart:

After 60 years of driving an automobile with skill and without traffic infractions, I am again facing the chore of interpreting the California Driver Handbook to renew my license. The 1993/94 handbook has introduced a new wrinkle on the respective roles of the motorist and the pedestrian.

I have always assumed that “pedestrian crossings” of roads gave the right of way to pedestrians, but had never counted on it. Such crossings have historically been marked by white lines (yellow near schools) at right angles to the curbs. I thought that pedestrians who crossed in unmarked areas were jaywalking and thus subject to fines.

I now read that pedestrian crossings need not be marked by painted lines. The crossing is assumed to be present as if it is an (invisible) extension of a sidewalk at right angles to a road. How can a pedestrian have the right of way in a crosswalk if it is not marked and not visible to the auto driver? Most rules in the handbook are common sense, but this one escapes me.

W.J. Plumley, Laguna Beach

Common sense still reigns supreme. Whether a pedestrian is jaywalking or properly crossing at a crosswalk, it is the responsibility of the motorist not to mow down the pedestrian.

“As a general rule of thumb, in virtually every state in this land, all pedestrians have the right of way, no matter what, unless they are crossing against a red light,” DMV spokesman Bill Madison said. “You have the responsibility as a motorist to not use your vehicle as a death weapon.”

It is true not all intersections have designated crosswalks, but this does not diminish their function, Madison said. “Common sense dictates that a pedestrian is legally crossing if they are crossing at an intersection, and they should be given the right of way,” he said.

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Dear Street Smart:

One of your readers expressed confusion about the meaning of the word yield in relation to the California Vehicle Code. You mentioned that your contacts were unable to locate a reference in the California Vehicle Code, so I did some checking.

I direct your attention to Division 11, Chapter 4, Section 21803 (a) and (b). A driver is not required to stop unless a vehicle is “approaching on an intersecting highway close enough to constitute an immediate hazard.” Note also that once entering the intersection, having entered the intersection first, the said vehicle now has the right of way over any approaching vehicle.

You might also tell your readers that they, too, can have their own copy of the 1993 California Vehicle Code for only $3, including sales tax. It is for sale at all offices of the Department of Motor Vehicles.

J. Barber, Santa Ana

You’re right. Vehicle Code Section 21803 does seem to address the yield issue quite nicely.

Thank you, too, for the tip about the California Vehicle Code being sold at local DMV offices. For relatively little money, readers can find out all they would ever care to know about the rules that govern the highways and byways. Everything from tobogganing on a highway to transporting radioactive materials can be found in this 1,000-plus page tome.