Question about traffic lights: i hate them!?

ive been driving for only 6 months and ive got the feel for driving and ive come to realize one important thing: traffic lights are risky to go to. whenever the traffic is flowing and im in the middle of it and were all headed to, or through the intersection guided by traffic lights, i always feel that i will get a ticket because whenever i come close to the white line the light turns yellow and im going too fast to slow down so i have to enter at the yellow light. this is in a small town and theres this one intersection i have to go through to enter the "town" from my neighborhood and it has a red light camera, but im a little thankful the yellow light lasts for about .6 - 1 second.

i just dont want to get a ticket by a cop when i have to enter the intersection on a yellow light because im going too fast. I know the driver handbook says to enter the intersection on a yellow light only when you can't make an unsafe stop. does going too fast count as this? do you guys realize this sort of.. "problem"? what do you guys do to combat this? whenever cars arent around when im headed to a traffic light that shows green, i slow down and travel at a much slower speed to avoid having to slam on my brakes to stop for the red light, whenever it flashes.

inspector speks

I live in CT and most people don't even stop for red lights because there is always a couple second delay after your light turns red and the opposite traffic turns green.

Usually a yellow light gives you plenty of time to get through it before it turns red.

Adrian

"traffic lights are risky to go to" ... Traffic lights are the safest things to go to. They are the absolute controller and take all the guess work out of right of way (for say things like approaching a 4-way stop).

Your problem is about timing and distance, factoring in speed. There is an exact distance from the white line which gives any driver a signal of whether to go or to begin stopping at the moment a light turns yellow. The higher the speed limit, the greater this distance, the lower the speed limit, the shorter this distance. If you begin to stop while you are within this distance, a sort of area, then you wouldnt be safely doing so because you would be braking at an abrupt rate of deceleration which would cause other cars behind you, should there be any, especially tailgaters, to be in a state of danger.

I cant give you the exact measurements of these distances, but even if I could, you would still have to get a feel for how far these distances are when you're on the road. In time, and with practice, you will get a feel for exactly how far these distances are, and how much braking force you need to apply in order to safely stop without putting others in danger.

Regardless of what the speed limit is, the yellow lights are programmed to give you ample time to decelerate slowly and GENTLY to the white line. If you, frequently, find yourself in situations where you are going and the light turns red just as you hit the white line, then you will need to rethink your judgment of the distance. Of course, if you are in this situation, it is still illegal because you are crossing a red light, but it is the safest choice to make rather than just stopping abruptly right in the middle of the intersection.

So to summarize, if the light turns yellow, and you are outside of the distance (before the white line), then begin to safely stop. If you are already within this distance, do not stop, but keep going. If your judgments are correct, the light should still be yellow the entire time you cross the intersection.

bungee

your biggest problem is your speed, slow down<

CLAYTON M

the law is 1 second per 10 mph

35 mph yellow light = 3.5 seconds

setriniti

I understand what you mean completely. But you must never speed up at a yellow light.

bajakma

I believe the handbook says enter if you can't make a safe stop not a unsafe stop and most lights have a 6-8 second delay from yellow to red, .6-1 sec is ridiculous. If you know how the light is then you need to slow down before you get there so you can make a safe stop, don't wait until you get into an accident to start this practice.

remember what the colors stand for

red: stop
green: go
yellow: speed up

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