It’s Legal to Turn Left at a Red Light in Minnesota? In Certain Situations, Yes!

I think it should be required to take some sort of refresher course every 5 years, let's say, on how to drive. My husband will tell you that sometimes I can overreact while driving (whatever, lol) but seriously, some people could really use that refresher course! And apparently, I need it too because I had no idea you could turn left at a red light in Minnesota.

I think most people can ramble off all of these: It's legal to turn right at a red light. You come to a complete stop, you look to see if anyone is coming or pedestrians are crossing, and as long as there's no sign saying "No Turn on Red" then you can turn. And if the lights are flashing red you treat it as a stop sign. If there's a yellow flashing arrow you yield to on-coming traffic and pedestrians and then turn. But turning left on a red?!

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When is it Legal to Turn Left at a Red Light in Minnesota?

I guess there's one pretty specific scenario where this is legal to do in Minnesota. DrivingLaws.org writes that if you're turning left from a one-way street onto another one-way street and the light is red, as long as you come to a complete stop first and you check for any cars or pedestrians, you can turn. Even if the light is still red.

I'm trying to think if there's a street where we could even use that here in Rochester and I don't think there is, but I could be wrong. I highly doubt I've driven on all of the roads in Rochester.

But there's your fun fact that you can tell your co-workers, it is, in fact, legal to turn left at a red light.

Keep scrolling to check out major laws passed the year you were born.