What Yellow Light?

 There is a problem with the timing of traffic lights.  It is something that will not be fixed in the short term, if ever, so it is best that you adapt to a bad situation.

Here is what happens:

1. By Federal Law, the Yellow has to be between 3 and 6 seconds

2. The time is usually set by the speed limit on the road

3. It takes into account some reaction time

4. It takes into account a deceleration rate.

Here is where the problem(s) lie:

1. Most traffic runs faster than the posted speed limit.  New cars are quieter and lull people into driving faster,

2. Most people have a slow reaction time due to distractions,

3. Not everyone decelerates at the same rate.

So here is what happens

You are driving down the road and the light turns yellow.  Your reaction time involves seeing how fast you are going, then deciding if you can stop in time, and only then making the decision to stop or go through.  The reaction time can be 2 or three times the expected time (1 - 1.5 seconds).

So yellows are too short - what do you do to keep from running red lights?

First - don't drive distracted when near an intersection - it requires 100%  of your attention.

Second - slow down for intersections.  The maximum speed through an intersection is the posted speed limit for that road, BUT, you have to be aware of traffic entering or exiting the intersection.  Barreling through at 10 over the speed limit is a recipe for disaster.  By slowing down BEFOR you get to the intersection you also control drivers behind you to a degree.  If they see you slowing down they are also likely to slow down, reducing the chance of a chain reaction (assuming they are not on their phone...)

Third - look for clues.  

• I was taught in Driver's Ed to watch for "stale" green lights.  This means looking ahead and knowing lights are usually green for only a minute or so.  If a light has been green for a while, especially with a busy cross street, there is a good chance it will shortly turn yellow.  Time for you be alert and maybe check your speed.
• In the city - watch for crosswalk signs.  These signs usually start blinking well before the light turns yellow to give people a chance to cross the road.  If the light is green and the crosswalk is flashing or solid red, the yellow cannot be far behind.
• Know your vehicle. A loaded SUV takes longer to stop than one person in a small car.  A bus takes longer to stop than  a taxi - although I hope the bus is running close to the speed limit.

Remember, with a red light camera, if you cross the stop line or enter the crosswalk after the light turns red, you are in violation.  This rewards people who run the yellow as opposed to those who try and stop and come up a foot short...

For more information, this is a great video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyFLRXSxgPw