PSA: Right Turn Signal ≠ No Turn on Red
TL;DR: got pulled over by a cop who thought the "Right Turn Signal" sign meant you couldnt turn on red, and let me go once he realized he was wrong.
Here's the story...
Late at night, I came up to an intersection with an unassuming (unmarked) SUV waiting at a red light with a right turn signal on. Being in one of the thousands of towns which allow right turn on red, I sit at the light for a few seconds behind this car wondering why they're not making a move to turn right. It's late at night, there are absolutely no cars around other than them and me, and no headlights to be seen coming from either direction perpendicular to our spot at the intersection.
So, first, I double check all the signs around us, thinking maybe I missed a "No Turn on Red" sign. All I see is a "Right Turn Signal" light at the top of the intersection where the traffic light sits (Photo #1) and a "Stop Here on Red" sign to our right (Photo #2). Having now confirmed there is no reason why we are just sitting here with no other vehicles to be seen for miles, I gave a polite little beep-beep with my horn (seriously, like a light little tap; I was not trying to be an asshole about it). Still, the SUV in front of me makes no move.
Looking around again, ensuring there's no one coming (at least from my current vantage-point), and having more than enough room to go around (Photo #3 is approximately how far I was from the intersection; just imagine a vehicle also in the space in front of me), I start to go around the SUV to get in front of it to make my turn.
My thinking was... like I said, I was not trying to be an asshole. I was not about to FORCE the person to turn right on red. But, with there very obviously being no one else around and me wanting to get home from an already-long drive ahead, I decided to (safely) pull around and in front of the SUV to check better for oncoming cars to make my right turn.
As I'm looking left to check for oncoming cars and make the turn (I'm obviously not looking behind me), my partner in the passenger seat informs me the person behind me is a cop and just threw their lights on. I safely complete my turn (at that point I was already into the intersection) and immediately pull over.
Of course, the minute the cop comes to the window, he begins getting snippy with me. Typical ego bruise.
The first words out of his mouth are "did you not see the sign back there????"
Slightly confused, I reply, "...yeah... they said 'right turn signal' and 'stop here on red'."
He (too confidently, and almost flabbergasted) says "Yeah! That means you can't turn on red!!"
I begin to politely explain myself, and he very quickly and angrily cuts me off "You sure you wanna keep arguing with me? You can argue with the judge then."
At that point I just shut up with a stoic "okay." It was very much giving when your parents would yell at you as a kid and then would accuse you of "making excuses" or "arguing" when you tried to explain yourself.
So now that I'm done engaging with him, he FINALLY asks for my license and registration, which I provide. He comes back, and I'm fully expecting a ticket for SOMETHING (not sure what, considering I don't believe I did anything illegal, but I figured he'd come up with some bullshit), but instead he returns still all huffy puffy but that he's letting me go "with a warning."
Translation: "I either realized or found out that I'm wrong and there's nothing I can actually ticket your for or do about it now, except pout about my bruised ego."