AIBU to not go on a red light?

[SlothMama]

I was driving today and pulled into the filter lane to turn right, it has a separate right arrow for when it is our turn to go. All the lights were on red to go straight and right so I obviously stay where I am.

This idiot pulls up behind me beeping at me, pointing at the light and shouting at me to go! I wouldn't because it's red and red means stop?

He then followed me into the carp ark to shout at me and call me names all because I followed what I believe the highway code states!
This was in England btw, I know in America it's different.

Was I right?

Yes

You did the right thing.

I found myself in a similar situation to you, in Manchester. The driver behind actually got out of his car and shouted at me through my window. I dialed 999 and held up my phone to show him who I was calling. He left me alone at that point.

BTW in America it would also be illegal to turn across traffic on a red light but you can do a right on red.

There are some real idiots out there.
The man who wrote off my dd's car, seriously injuring her in the process, got out and started yelling and hurling abuse at her while she was trapped in the car.
He subsequently admitted that he was unaware that we give way to the right on roundabouts in this country.
The police didnt even arrest him.
He walked into a nearby pub and had a drink, so they didnt breathalise him either.
Honestly, we seem to just let anybody get in a car and drive.

I did think I was in the right! I wonder where he bought his licence from🙄

Where was it? Can we look on google street view?

I am truly horrified by the stories I hear from friends and relatives about car bullies. Me and DP have been subjected to vile abuse from a woman because we wouldn't turn fast into enough a busy road, when there were cars coming! I think she wanted us to have some kind of crash so that she could get out of the turning faster.
Good for you OP and I hope you're ok - these things can really shake you up.

Some absolute knobbers out there. Yes you were right, i can’t understand how he thinks he was right, what did he think was going to happen to the traffic coming through from the right?

I'd like a little look on streetview too, OP! Just so i can say for definite that YANBU

If all the lights were red of course you were correct.

Near mine though is a right turn with a filter arrow. However when the lights for straight ahead are green you can also turn right if there's a space. The amount of people who just sit there waiting for the arrow is really weird.

If the light was red then of course you don’t go, I don’t see why people want to see street view

A red light means you can’t go surely regardless of what street your on

Why would you need street view to know that the OP shouldn't have gone through a red right arrow?

Of course you don't drive through a red light. Really hope this fuckwit hasn't upset you too much.

I'm confused... If all lights were red, how can it be a question? Definitely need streetview!

Near mine though is a right turn with a filter arrow. However when the lights for straight ahead are green you can also turn right if there's a space. The amount of people who just sit there waiting for the arrow is really weird.

We this on our road, causes a lot of beeping!

Yes, please post a street view pic, OP.

We used to have a light that was green (whole light), and a separate filter light for turning right at the end of the cycle. As there were so many near misses and accidents, those lights have been changed and a few new junctions locally have been made (from the start) with straight ahead lights and left turn and right turn lights separately.

If you have a green light that is the whole light, yes, you can turn right if it is safe to do so. Generally, even if there is a filter arrow to turn right, there is no actual red right arrow to prevent you turning when main line is green.

If, however, the straight ahead is controlled by a straight ahead arrow, and the right turn is controlled by both a red and a green R turning lights, then you CANNOT turn right while the straight ahead arrow is on if there is no traffic coming against you, UNLESS the right turn arrow is ALSO green. If the right turn arrow is red, regardless of what the other lights on your side of the junction are doing, you may not move.

OP , YADNBU and you did the right thing.

Hang on....... I’m sure in America you can turn right at a red light as long as you give way...... can’t you?

I live in the USA and although you can turn right on red you aren’t obliged to, it’s at the driver’s discretion as to whether it’s safe or not.

No one has ever beeped me for not turning right on red.

In the U.K. of course you have to wait for the green light. Never be bullied into making a driving decision.

Duh sorry I read the end of your OPwrong! Of course YANBU, what a twat the other guy was! Unless he was an American tourist???

Even if he had been an American tourist he’d have been a twat for being so aggressive! A beep of the horn is the most aggressive anyone should ever get whole driving even if you are being held up.

while not whole

Unless he was an American tourist???

Turning across traffic on a red light is illegal in America too. So there's no reason an American tourist would think what the OP did was wrong.

Remember turning right in the UK is the equivalent of turning left in the US because we drive on the other side. A left on red is just as illegal in the US as is a right on red in the UK.

Are you sure there wasn’t a separate light for the filter lane?

I pulled up behind a woman yesterday, happily sat waiting at the red lights. Only she hadn’t noticed the filter lane had it’s own light and the green arrow was on.

I also had someone nearly crash into me because she hadn’t seen the “no left turn” sign. She gave me a load of abuse for gettng in her way- which i did, but she wasn’t supposed to be there!

No excuse for the abuse though.

No excuse for the agressive behaviour though.