While it’s not illegal to wear earphones while driving in UT, it’s probably not a good idea, and this is one reason why.
Presumed Millcreek, UT resident and Redditor /u/Da_Dush_818 posted up dashcam footage to the /r/IdiotsInCars subreddit showing the harebrained moment a driver in a Toyota Corolla, who was allegedly wearing earphones, made one of the worst right-on-red turns in UT history.
Check out his dashcam footage below.
[OC] Had an incident a couple of months ago that made me finally purchase a dashcam. It’s already paying itself off with people like this that leave me bewildered. PLEASE DON’T DRIVE WITH EARPHONES ON!!!! NSFW for language.
byu/Da_Dush_818 inIdiotsInCars
The incident happened at the intersection of 3300 South and 1300 East (exact location on Google Maps linked here.)
In OP’s video, we see him driving along 3300 South when he approaches the intersection with 1300 East.
Crucially, a construction fence blocks the view of both drivers and pedestrians.
We then see a driver in a blue Toyota Corolla roll through the intersection, making a right on red, not giving much braking room for OP to safely slow.
It’s not illegal to turn right-on-red in Utah but, according to Siegfried and Jensen,
“…Utah law allows for drivers to make a right turn after coming to a stop at a red light, but drivers should use caution and follow the standard right-of-way rules when making a turn.”
A major point of contention and arguably a contributing factor to this incident is that OP wasn’t entirely not at fault.
His dashcam shows, at one point, he hit 44 MPH, technically speeding.
/u/Kagnonymous pointed out that, on this stretch of road, the speed limit is only 40 MPH.
While OP got away with going 44 MPH in a 40 this time, if he had gotten into an accident with that Corolla, and insurance was doled out accordingly, both would share blame with the majority shared by the driver in the Corolla, of course.
“Going a little fast for that intersection. Idiot who pulled out is still an idiot. If you were going a more appropriate speed for that particular intersection you wouldn’t have needed to leave your lane,” /u/RetinaMelter9000s commented.
“The guy turning the corner is the idiot, but if there’s inherent risk in approaching a junction, slow down a little, and you might find it easier to fix other people’s mistakes,” /u/Mitch_Please2 replied.
Regardless, if you’re turning right-on-red and have an obstructed view, you have to 100 percent be sure your lane is clear before turning.
That means craning your neck and creeping out .
And, if you don’t want to do that, stopping and waiting for your light to turn green is fine, too, honkers behind you be da**ed.
It’s also worth pointing out that it’s not illegal to wear earphones while driving in Utah, either.
I said it’s probably a bad idea because, if you’re a bad driver to begin with (as this situation shows) it would behoove you to have all your sense at your disposal behind the wheel.
