Here’s When You Can Legally Turn Left on Red in Colorado
There are so many awesome things to do here in Colorado, that waiting at a red light seems like an eternity.
We've all been there, you're anxiously waiting to turn left and there's absolutely no one coming down the road. The only problem? The light is red and you're not trying to break the law.
Colorado's Right-On-Red Rule
In Colorado, it's perfectly legal to turn right on red unless traffic signage states otherwise. Of course, when you're turning right on red you'll need to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic using the intersection.
However, when it comes to turning left on red, that's another story.
Colorado's Left-On-Red Rule
These days there are numerous intersections that have protected left-turn signals, which are absolutely fantastic. The signals give a definite answer on when it's safe to turn left and take the uncertainty of turning out of driving.
Unfortunately not every place where you want to turn left will have a protected turn signal. This is when you'll need to be aware of what the driving laws are here in Colorado.
According to DrivingLaws, this is the left-on-red rule:
In Colorado, motorists are allowed to make a left turn from a one-way street onto another one-way street after stopping at a red light, provided there's no sign prohibiting such a turn. As with making a right on red, the driver must yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic lawfully in the intersection before turning left at a red light.
So, if you've stopped at a red light on a one-way street and are turning onto another one-way street and it's all clear, then you are good to go!
Happy travels!