Here’s How The Red Arrow Traffic Light At Racetrack and Beal Works

Let’s talk about the red arrow traffic light at the corner of Racetrack Road and Beal Parkway in Fort Walton Beach.

I have no problem with the light but I do have a problem with drivers who do not know what to do once they encounter the red arrow when trying to turn right.

I can only imagine that the driver is thinking something like this:

Oh man, I normally just follow what everyone else does at the Red Arrow. I’m never the first one in the turning lane. I’m not sure if turning right on a red arrow is legal. And even if it is legal…it might not be legal in Florida. Why? Well, because it’s Florida! S#!t’s weird! I think I’ll just wait here because I seriously can’t get a ticket (looks around to the gas station to see if a cop is there). This light shouldn’t take too long…I hope.

Frustration From Craigslist 😡

It’s this very thought, or just not knowing what to do with a red arrow, that led this frustrated Craigslist user to go on a epic rant.

In this post from May 28, 2015, the ranter starts out with:

I’m so sick of you f@!king retards sitting at the single red arrow. It doesn’t say no right on red. It merely means stop. If there were two red arrows, one being in a crossed out sign, yes stop and wait until it goes green or one of the lights go out. Not that f@!king difficult.

I’m not going to post the entire rant on here because it is a little NSFW. But from what I can tell, the fact that a driver did not know what to do at the light was only the beginning. Yelling and middle fingers eventually got involved. I recommend you read the entire post for yourself.

What The Law Say About Right On A Red Arrow

To help inform the public and possibly help our Craigslist user from having a meltdown or road rage in the future, I decided to see what the law said about turning right on a red arrow.

Here is what the Florida Department of Transportation says:

A red RIGHT arrow means that you must come to a complete stop at the marked stop line or before moving into the crosswalk or intersection. After stopping, you may turn RIGHT on the red arrow at most intersections if the way is clear. Some intersections display a “NO TURN ON RED” sign, which you must obey.

That’s pretty much what our Craigslist user said, no?

To help clarify this even more I contacted the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department and The Florida Highway Patrol just to make sure this applied to that light.

The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Department follows the FHP Guidelines and pretty much came to the conclusion that if there is a Red Arrow you need to come to a complete stop before turning right. If the sign is lit up with a “No Turn” arrow then you must obey the signal.

Drivers Rejoice!

I have no idea who our Craigslist Ranter is but I hope this person somehow reads this article and knows that I feel their pain!

Here’s to making the drive at this intersection a little better! 🍻

Keep in mind that we aren’t traffic experts, so if you are weary…use your best judgement.