FHWAs Highway Design Handbook for Older Drivers and Pedestrians recommends that red arrows should not be used for left turn signals. Why does the MUTCD continue to allow red arrows?
When the use of red arrows was proposed for elimination from the MUTCD in the late 1990s, based on the older driver report’s recommendations, some commenters to the docket pointed out problems with the underlying research. They identified the fact that the older driver red arrow research was conducted in the 1980s, at a time when red arrows were relatively new, not in much use yet around the country, and thus “unfamiliar” to many older drivers. The State of Florida, which has used red arrows extensively for many years, reported their very positive experience with red arrows and the preference among older drivers in Florida for red arrows rather than red balls for left turn signals. Many commenters noted that a red arrow is a very valuable tool that provides far better control than a circular red indication in some geometric situations. These facts led FHWA to determine that the recommendation to remove red arrows from the MUTCD was flawed, and that proposal was withdrawn. There is no i
