I Stand Corrected (Road Rage Addendum)

Thank you very much, avid subscribers! Recently, two astute readers undertook some research on my behalf because they found the subject matter so intriguing their inquiring minds needed to know the answer. So, it is at this juncture in today’s post that ‘I Stand Corrected’ as I share the findings of these inquisitive scholars…

If you read my post from June 29, “Road Rage in the ‘burbs,” you may recall I discussed a mishap at a five-way intersection involving a confusing sign that stated: ‘Wait for Green.’ Turns out, I was (slightly) wrong and Angry Driver did have a valid bone to pick with me. The wording of the sign at the center of the ruckus caused these two readers to quickly google its ambiguity to solve the mystery once and for all.

I have attached the links (one from 2004, and the other, more current, from 2017) if you too are a puzzled reader and want to further investigate this information. The bottom line, though, is you CAN make that turn on red AFTER adhering to opposing traffic, which will most likely still have the green light. The only sign that definitively prohibits turning on red is the ‘No Turn on Red’ sign. The ‘Wait for Green’ sign at the five-way intersection in question is obsolete; these signs stopped being installed in 1999 yet it isn’t cost effective to remove them from throughout the state.

While I wasn’t completely a stupid woman that day, I was an uninformed woman for sure. And while the sign’s wording is still ambiguous, I feel a bit more comfortable cautiously making the right hand turn on red, but only when the traffic flow is light, and I know I absolutely will not be challenged by a car coming from another direction. However, I most certainly would not dare make the turn with a police car idling at the intersection in the event he would want to question my limited knowledge about the sign and present me with a ticket.

Still, I offer caution, even though for the time being this issue can be put to rest: friends and neighbors, proceed at your own discretion when confronted with this enigma at the aforementioned intersection. You may still be the recipient of an angry driver with a blaring horn, or possibly a gentle driver who offers a friendly tap on the horn instead.

At the end of the day, what I have created is curiosity and conversation, which is really the point of my blog. So, loyal readers, I leave you with the two links that may provide more clarity on this issue, and a final apology from me, stealing the line from the late Jerry Orbach as he remarked to the late Patrick Swayze in the classic film Dirty Dancing: “When I’m wrong, I say I’m wrong.”

https://www.google.com/search?q=dirty+dancing+when+i+wrong+i+say+i+wrong&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

http://articles.mcall.com/2004-05-28/news/3537870_1_traffic-lights-green-sign

https://chesterpablog.wordpress.com/2017/01/06/can-you-turn-on-red-when-told-to-wait-for-green/

2 comments On I Stand Corrected (Road Rage Addendum)

  • Thanks for straightening this out!! Just remain I the car in the future!!🤗

  • So, you made a mistake. You misinterpreted what appears to be a definite traffic directive. (I mean, when I told my children to “wait for me”, there was no way I meant that they were to wait for me unless an opportunity arose for them to proceed with their plans or desires in a manner that allowed them to do so without bloodshed or other physical harm.)

    There is a larger issue here, which is the endemic lack of civility, especially on our local roads. I know life is full and that there are times when we find ourselves tensely rushing to get to our destination, but are we really so self-absorbed that we have to let our displeasure be known to any and all who get in our way? Did the driver behind you have to become so aggressively angry? And I say this as someone known to routinely mutter commentary as I navigate the morning gauntlet between home and the gym, and as someone who has often wished she had a Sherman tank in which to run errands. And most of the time, I feel ashamed that I acted or thought this way, even though my irritation remained within the confines of my car. Whatever I wanted to do wasn’t really worth the angry feelings that arose. Ultimately, nothing is to be gained by honking impatiently or yelling at another driver except more tension and anger. Maybe I should start substituting the thought that “maybe this person has a heavy load in life that causes them to act this way” for “what an obnoxious jerk!@!*!”. I guess if I want civility, it has to start with me.

    So Jackie, you made a well-intentioned mistake. And I admire your honesty for owning up to it.

    But if you wake up one morning to find a “How’s my driving?” bumpersticker on the back of your SUV, it wasn’t me! ; )

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About the Author

Mother of two boys, house manager, ex-chauffeur, organizer of all things, pet proprietor.

Seeking to find my voice through the written word.

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