Poll - when the light turns yellow

If it is dry, I slow down. If it is wet, I usually can't slow down safely.

Never run a red light that the car in front of you stopped for.
Never stop for a red light that the car behind you is running.

 

Have no clue what you're getting at here.

Another worthless poll with countless variables.
If it was interesting or funny, OK. Not.
Another space-waster.

 

Drive the conditions and take the safest approach. Our ABS work great and I can stop faster than many vehicles on the road. But every case has to be treated based upon road conditions and traffic.

Bob Wilson

 

I've been driving for 30+ years and was taught you stop for yellow lights if at all possible. Unfortunately, I watch the rear view mirror now and will go through a yellow if someone is close behind. I have gone through yellow lights I thought I could have easily stopped for because of this, only to see the car behind me follow me right through.

 

Check the mirror and stop if I can stop safely before and without entering the intersection. If I don't feel it is safe to stop I keep going at the same speed through the intersection. In other words I drive how I am required to drive according to the Road Traffic Act and Regulations.
My priority is safety on the road, fuel economy comes a distant ...
... no, not even second.

Sorry, I missed that option in the poll

 

Waaaaaay too many red light cameras around here to roll the dice on that one.

 

I "rolled" through a yellow light to turn right near where I work and they sent me a 300.00 traffic ticket for my trouble. It was clear, there was no other traffic at the light.

I do not like the traffic cameras. I don't think a cop irl would have ticketed me, but you can bet they didn't apologize and suggest I keep my money.

I also avoid traffic area's with cameras.

 

Poll fail.

It all depends on how far away I am. I generally find myself not trying to beat the light as much as I did in my previous car (not a prius). When I slow down, I try to not use the friction brakes as much as I can in order to get as much recharge out of the stop. That translates to braking early, but braking light.

 

No ambiguity here. CA DMV Manual says, "A yellow signal light means “CAUTION.” The red signal is about to appear. When you see the yellow light, stop if you can do so safely. If you can’t stop safely, enter the intersection cautiously."

 

Octavia - so sorry. It's sooo 1984. I'm a supporter of security cameras - ie additional crime & terrorism protection. The traffic cameras - well. Hopefully they assist in less redlight running and bad accidents.
But in your case (and others to be sure) $300 for an action we all do, is a bitter pill. Are you going to fight it? Must be a video showing the rolling "stop".

I get so irritated seeing cops - City/State police et al breaking traffic laws when not in emergency status. "Do as I say not as I do".

Also - did you gain weight? Your new profile picture is cute, but..... You do look cute in red.

 

We used to have red light cameras here too but they were all removed when the school systems and the cities and counties got into a big fight over who would get the money generated by all the tickets. The law says the school systems get the money but the governments wanted to deduct the cost of running the program from the ticket money. Neither side would budge and "poof" all the cameras were removed.

 

I sympathize with you but you have to realize that the lack of traffic is not even a factor. If there is a stop sign in the middle of the desert, no traffic, you can see 50 miles in every direction and you roll through it Barney Fife has every right to ticket you at his latest "checkpoint chickie".

 

Red Light Cameras here only take a picture if you go through the red 1 second or more after the change to red or you are speeding. Even though I got done 3.5 years ago doing 71 in a 60km/h zone by a red light/speed camera, I still like them as they do make people think twice before running a light, especially the fools that floor their car to run that red. You can get a speeding and a red light fine in one incident.

 

Here in the Denver metro, it depends on the intersection. If it is one that I know has a red light camera, I SLAM on the brakes IMMEDIATELY when the light turns yellow no matter how far I am from the intersection or what is behind me. I refuse to contribute to the city's revenue-generation scheme known as red light cameras.

Make no mistake - red light cameras are a method of revenue generation, and have nothing to do with safety. Where they are installed they actually SHORTEN the yellow to increase infractions (and, therefore, income). Also, in communities where they keep statistics, it has been proven that this method of "enforcement" has increased accidents, mostly from people hitting others from behind as the front car brakes for the yellow.

Here are a couple of fact-filled columns about photo-traffic-law-enforcement:

Red-Light Cameras and the Secret Gotcha! Line - Column - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

Rear-End Crashes Go Up After Red-Light Cameras Go In - Column - Auto Reviews - Car and Driver

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/09q2/sticking_it_to_the_man-column

 

Well, according to the video link that came with my ticket, apparently I speed up and just keep going. ;-)

 

This really stinks. So typical of all levels of governments.

Where's the common sense and practical thinking? I mean kidergartens and grammar schools teach our kids to share (at least I THINK they still do...). Couldn't they have come to some compromise? No, and who pays for the installation/de-install and cost of equipment? Yep, taxpayers.

We should have red light cameras above the desk of every government representative. Give taxpayers the chance to light it. Like a game show - off you go. And for those that say "well vote them out" - that goes just so far. Special interests have such a lock on so many of our politicians. Term Limits. That's the cure. Sorry about the off-topic rant...

 

Thanks Dean! I have gained a few pounds but have been assured that I still look fabulous in red!

The problem I had, is it's legal to turn right on a yellow, it's legal to turn right on a red IF THERE IS NO TRAFFIC, so... even though the pictures show me turning right on a red, I should not have gotten a ticket.

Of course I tried to fight it and of course they denied me. They really don't care, it is about making money for them. They don't even care that I didn't have the money, they just told me to put it on a credit card.

I avoid all camera intersections now. To much stress and pressure to not get caught doing something "technically" wrong. It's not about safety anymore its about revenue and I can't afford to help them with that.

 

I almost always stop at yellows. A few years back I was in a friends car (he was driving) and we got in a yellow light accident. He accelerated into the intersection right as the left turning car coming from the other direction decided to turn. No one ran the red light, but we got banged up pretty bad. Hurt like hell and isn't worth making the light over...I've driven slower and more conservatively ever since...