Love the freedom of turning right on reds? Well, get ready to say goodbye to it, because Seattle is phasing out right turn on reds with new restrictions. Here’s why and what to know.
In short, some drivers were making the streets unsafe for pedestrians. The city’s Vision Zero Top-to-Bottom Review found that the city has more than 10,000 crashes a year, resulting in an average of 28 people losing their lives and 180 people seriously injured.
The review also found that right turn on red crashes account for 9% of all collisions with people crossing the street at Seattle’s signalized intersections.
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These accidents are avoidable and the city wants to do everything it can to make the roads safer. For that reason, they have decided to install “No Turn on Red” signs at 41 intersections downtown. At this time, they are two-thirds of the way through installing with the rest happening before the July Major League Baseball All-Star Week.
The map below shows where restrictions are being implemented:
Beyond downtown, a new policy is being unveiled to advance this proven safety measure which will lead to more turn-on red restrictions being rolled out in pedestrian-dense neighborhoods throughout the city over the next year.
