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I hate America's traffic lights...

FernandoRocker

FernandoRocker

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,987
México
You are driving normally, you reach a green traffic light, and suddenly, bam! The yellow light appears immediately. You have to make a sudden stop. No warnings at all. It just happened to me a few minutes ago (I'm in Texas running some errands right now).

In Mexico (and other countries), the green light will blink 3 times before the yellow light is about to appear. It gives you some time to stop gradually.

Can't believe America's traffic lights are that way.
 
Sephzilla

Sephzilla

Herald of Stoptimus Crime
Member
Oct 25, 2017
17,493
Um.

You're supposed to stop at the red light, not yellow. The yellow light is to warn you that the red light is coming. If you're about to go through the intersection just as the light shifts from green to yellow you're supposed to keep going through the intersection, not jam the brakes.
 
Odesu

Odesu

Member
Oct 26, 2017
5,550
But...you don't have to immediately stop at a yellow light? That's the point of the yellow light. Warning you that the red light is about to come. Please don't come to sudden stops at a yellow light, you''ll cause an accident.
 
Breqesk

Breqesk

Member
Oct 28, 2017
5,232
FernandoRocker said:
You are driving normally, you reach a green traffic light, and suddenly, bam! The yellow light appears immediately. You have to make a sudden stop. No warnings at all. It just happened to me a few minutes ago (I'm in Texas running some errands right now).

In Mexico (and other countries), the green link will blink 3 times before the yellow light is about to appear. It gives you some time to stop gradually.

Can't believe America's traffic lights are that way.
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The green doesn't blink here in the UK, but you're allowed to go through a yellow/amber if you're already nearly there. The yellow/amber essentially serves the same purpose as the blinking green here: warning you that it's about to turn red, so you should stop if you can safely/without slamming the brakes.

I'm guessing it's the same in the US going by the other responses here?

The main differences between here and the US, so far as I'm aware, are:
  1. no turning on a red
  2. the lights go from red, to yellow/amber, and then to green. the yellow/amber stage is there to give you time to get in gear/release the handbrake.
 
Porygon

Porygon

One Winged Slayer
Member
Oct 25, 2017
4,048
Mexicali
If you see the Yellow and your speed and distance is not enough to do a regular stop, you can pass

EDIT: I live in the border so I drive in both Mexico and the USA....
 
TheCthultist

TheCthultist

Member
Oct 27, 2017
8,452
New York
Breqesk said:
The green doesn't blink here in the UK, but you're allowed to go through a yellow if you're already nearly there. The yellow essentially serves the same purpose as the blinking green here: warning you that it's about to turn red, so you should stop if you can safely/without slamming the brakes.
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Yup, exactly the same in the US. OP is just doing it wrong or is dealing with specifically bad lights whose yellow only lasts a split second.
 
Duane

Duane

Unshakable Resolve
The Fallen
Oct 27, 2017
6,455
When the light turns yellow, if you're already entering the intersection or close enough that you'd have to slam on your brakes, you're supposed to go through.
 
DrewFu

DrewFu

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt-account
Banned
Apr 19, 2018
10,360
Uhh, you stop at red lights. Yellow is the warning. lol
 
TickleMeElbow

TickleMeElbow

Member
Oct 31, 2017
2,668
Yeah yellow is telling you red is coming up.

The problem is everyone just speeds up to blast through yellow lol.
 
Calamari41

Calamari41

Member
Oct 25, 2017
7,117
Please acquaint yourself with the traffic laws of the place you're driving. If you slam on the brakes "as you reach the green light" and it turns yellow, you are incredibly likely to cause an accident, as the person behind you correctly knows that you are given several seconds for the yellow to turn red, and that you are allowed to have the light turn red on you if you are already in the intersection.
 
808s & Villainy

808s & Villainy

Member
Oct 27, 2017
42,777
Did you not have to take a driver's test or anything? You sound like you don't actually know how American roadways or laws work. For everyone's sake, acclimate yourself with them
 

Deleted member 13645

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
6,052
If the light turns yellow and you're far enough to stop safely, do so.
If the light turns yellow and you're too close to stop safely, drive through.

I've never had issues with this. If you clearly have time to stop and gun it to get through before it turns red then you might run into issues with cops though.
 
Planx

Planx

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,734
FernandoRocker said:
But then the red light will appear while you are crossing the intersection.
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If you're already moving through the intersection when the light turns red, you're good. AKA if you're past the stop line when the light turns red, you didn't run a red light

For red-light violations (typically included in the broader category of "failure to obey traffic control device" violations), most states use what's known as the "touchdown rule." This means that if your vehicle breaks the plane of the intersection before the light turns red, you have not committed a violation, even if the light turns red while you're still in the intersection.
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from https://www.motorists.org/blog/basics-on-red-light-violations/
 
OP
OP
FernandoRocker

FernandoRocker

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
7,987
México
808s & Villainy said:
Did you not have to take a driver's test or anything? You sound like you don't actually know how American roadways or laws work. For everyone's sake, acclimate yourself with them
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I live in the border, so I get to drive both in Mexico and USA pretty often. But just today, I wouldn't be able to run through the yellow light because if I did, I would get stuck in the middle of the street (light traffic).

I prefer the blinking green light system.
 
Plotinus

Plotinus

Member
Oct 30, 2017
348
If you have yellow to tell you that red is coming, and blinking green to tell you yellow is coming, what tells you that blinking green is coming?
 
Walter White Walker

Walter White Walker

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,545
You think there should be a warning for the warning? A pre-warning?
Yellow lights are timed to give you time to get through the intersection in normal conditions.
 
DrewFu

DrewFu

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt-account
Banned
Apr 19, 2018
10,360
FernandoRocker said:
I live in the border, so I get to drive both in Mexico and USA pretty often. But just today, I wouldn't be able to run through the yellow light because if I did, I would get stuck in the middle of the street (light traffic).

I prefer the blinking green light system.
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What in the hell are you talking about? lol
 
Landy828

Landy828

Member
Oct 26, 2017
13,441
Clemson, SC
FernandoRocker said:
I live in the border, so I get to drive both in Mexico and USA pretty often. But just today, I wouldn't be able to run through the yellow light because if I did, I would get stuck in the middle of the street (light traffic).

I prefer the blinking green light system.
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Huh?

Are you saying traffic was backed up into the light?

If that's the case, just wait on the other side of the intersection till it clears, then pull through if still green or yellow. That's also part of traffic laws (not blocking intersections).
 
DrewFu

DrewFu

Attempted to circumvent ban with an alt-account
Banned
Apr 19, 2018
10,360
OP, I hope to God you aren't driving in the streets here in San Diego.
 

Allforce

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
2,136
FernandoRocker said:
But then the red light will appear while you are crossing the intersection.
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That's when you hit the roof with your palm and go "It was pink..."

Seriously, speed up if you can't stop in time on a yellow, even if you're in the intersection when it turns red you're going fast enough that nobody at the crossing streets is going to be able to hit the gas fast enough and slam into you when their light turns green. There's even a 1-3 second delay from red to green on intersections.
 
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