Thank you, President Ford, for turning right
As America mourns the passing of the late former President Gerald Ford, in the automotive world we remind ourselves of one of the simplest yet greatest things he ever did for drivers in America: the Right Turn On Red (RTOR).
Highway traffic policy is a matter for each state to determine, but as President, Ford was a strong proponent of the states passing it into law. He pushed for and signed a federal bill encouraging the policy, but for those unfamiliar, the reason may surprise you. Naturally it wasn't about making driving more convenient, it was an energy decision, designed to reduce the number of hours cars spend idling at intersections. The context was the 1973 oil crisis when OPEC was locked in an embargo, and President Ford had the foresight to initiate policies to reduce America's borderline-addiction dependence on foreign oil.
Thank you, Mr. President. You'll be missed.
[Source: Autoblog Green]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
aaron_phelps 9:58AM (2/20/2009)
• 9 reasons not to turn right on red (R.T.O.R.) (was completely illegal before 1968)
1) It’s temporarily a police controlled intersection (higher priority)
2) There is a sign that prohibits it
3) Your car hasn’t stopped completely
4) The “from/off”crosswalk reads walk for the first/last ‘half’ of your red
5) In order to ‘see to yield’, you must be in a position out of the line of sight of the light
6) Oncoming/intersecting left turn lane has protected green arrow
7) The “onto/turn” crosswalk reads walk for the first ‘half’ of your green
8) There is already one car trying to turn that is caught in the intersection
9) Lane changes soon following more likely to be difficult
• 9 reasons green doesn’t mean “go” (… does mean: ‘proceed with caution’)
1) Right /Left Turns need to yield to pedestrians
2) Left turns at a green circle (need to yield to those going right or straight)
3) The green is “fresh” and you’re not the first vehicle in line (2 second rule)
4) The intersection has temporarily and recently become police controlled
5) (similar to 2)) An emergency vehicle is approaching from any direction
6) (similar to 2)) There’s a funeral procession at the intersection
7) One vehicle has already “advanced” into the intersection per green
8) Imperfect people (of all kinds from all directions)
9) (similar to 8)) Traffic light malfunction
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Cody Peterson 4:26PM (1/01/2007)
Without this man doing this, we would not have the "California Stop" as in yeah it says red but.....
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Mike 9:53PM (1/02/2007)
Right turn on red is a classic example of the road to hell being paved with good intentions. We now have two whole generations of drivers who lack the common courtesy of letting pedestrians cross the street safely. It's impossible to make a RTOR without blocking a crosswalk - if there even is one. If you lived in Texas, as I do, you'll see that blocking the crosswalk for RTOR has morphed into a general blocking of the crosswalk at all times, even when not turning. It has encouraged jerks to become even bigger jerks. Ever see anyone ticketed for not yeilding to a pedestrian in a crosswalk? Like it or not, this country need stricter enforcement of traffic safety regulations, but RTOR turns that concept on it's head. How many lives have been lost as a result of this misguided government policy?
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L. Bonar 1:21AM (1/03/2007)
President Ford was a tremendous influence in my life that gave me the inspiration and motivation to be particularly discriminating in my choice of golf balls.
Fore!!
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