Q: Regarding two-lane right turns, can you take a right turn at a red light on the outer lane of the two lanes too? Everybody does it, but I’m never sure if I am really allowed to do it.

A: Yes, you can make a right turn at a red light in either lane. The same rules apply to both lanes. And for the folks who aren’t willing to accept a “yes” without evidence, even if it’s the answer you want, thank you for your skepticism. The most important time to question something is when it aligns with the outcome you were hoping for.

The Revised Code of Washington has the evidence you’re looking for, so we’ll start there. And then as a bonus, we’ll take a look at another law that, on the face of it, would seem to outlaw a second right turn lane entirely.

To make sure we’re all driving in the same clown car, let’s review the right turn on red law. At a red light (including a red arrow), a driver intending to take a right turn (or a left turn onto a one-way street) may, after stopping for the red light and yielding to other cars and pedestrians (and as of 2019, personal delivery devices) in the intersection, make their turn. Of course, when a sign is posted prohibiting a right turn on red, it’s not allowed.

I said the law has the evidence, but the proof is more of an absence of evidence. The law doesn’t specify that a RTOR is only allowed in the furthest right lane or make any statement prohibiting right turns from an additional right-turn lane.

So yes, you can make a right turn on red from either right turn lane. I’d like to point out though, that the law states that a driver “may, after stopping proceed to make a right turn.” It is an option, not a requirement. You probably see where I’m going with this; some drivers might not take the turn because they see something you don’t, some might know that right turns on red lights account for a disproportionately high number of crashes with pedestrians so they’ve chosen not to take them, some may not know they can. With all those possibilities, right turns at red lights are an opportunity to practice patience.

If you do decide to take that right turn, stay in your lane through the intersection. The law doesn’t call this out specifically, but does state that a driver shall not move from a lane until they have “ascertained that such movement can be made with safety.” The Washington Driver Guide, and every driving instructor I’ve asked, presume that it’s unsafe to make a lane change in an intersection.

And the bonus: There’s a law that requires drivers making right turns to do so “as close as practicable to the right-hand curb or edge of the roadway.” That extra right-turn lane certainly isn’t close to the edge of the roadway, so how do you comply with the law if you’re in that lane? If you’re the only vehicle approaching the intersection, you can set up at the edge of the roadway to make your right turn. But if traffic has filled both lanes, “as close as practicable” could be understood as “as close as you can without becoming a hazard to other vehicles.”

Doug Dahl is with the Traffic Safety Commission and writes a weekly column for this newspaper.