Something I read on a different list:

trestaThe "red light law" is widely misunderstood. Basically, green usually
doesn't mean you are free to proceed. It means, generally, that you can
proceed when all other vehicles that have "lawfully" entered the
intersection have cleared. A vehicle "lawfully" enters the intersection
when any part of the vehicle enters the intersection before the light
turns red. That generally means that as long as your bumper crosses the
limit line (denoting the intersection) while the light is yellow, you
have lawfully entered the intersection and you "own" it.

Tom Taylor

Pretty common among state traffic laws. There has to be something in there that keeps drivers accountable for plowing into other cars (who might be "stuck" in the intersection) just because the driver's light is green.

Correct. There is no absolute Right-Of-Way. When determining liability, one of the things to look at is who had the "Last clear chance (to avoid the ensuing crash)".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Last_clear_chance

On a related note, in Venice Florida at least, if you enter the intersection under green but cannot clear the intersection because of traffic, you WILL get a ticket for blocking the flow of traffic.

quote:

Originally posted by Kevin:

quote:

WILL get a ticket for blocking the flow of traffic.

How long does a driver have to clear the intersection in Florida after the light changes?

You're assuming the old farts are AWARE that they're in an intersection.

I would think enforcement of any "green light" intersection violations depend wholly on the police jurisdiction you happen to be traveling through, and whether you're unlucky enough to have an officer parked nearby to see the violation.

My grandfather's version: The faster you can blast through a red light, the less amount of time you are exposed to a potential collision

To clarify; If you enter the intersection under a green, but the traffic ahead of you is stopped so you can't get all the way through, and the light changes and the traffic from the other way can't go because you are blocking their way, then you are blocking traffic and can get a ticket.
In Venice this often happens due to drawbridges backing up traffic. If you can't make it all the way through the intersection you are not supposed to enter it. Make sense now?
BTW All the old people in Florida live in Sarasota, thier parents live in Venice.

A state trooper on that other list corrected the deal I copied and posted here in that he said law enforcement no longer uses accident. they use the word crash. Someone doing something stupid like running a read light is not an accident. It is a crash resulting from something intentional.


Tom Taylor

quote:

Originally posted by tom taylor:
A state trooper on that other list corrected the deal I copied and posted here in that he said law enforcement no longer uses accident. they use the word crash. Someone doing something stupid like running a read light is not an accident. It is a crash resulting from something intentional.


Tom Taylor

Most "accidents" are actually STUPIDENTS.
also noticed that barriers along the shoulders are being called "Guide Rails" instead of "Guard Rails".

quote:

Originally posted by Mogan David:
]

Most "accidents" are actually STUPIDENTS.
also noticed that barriers along the shoulders are being called "Guide Rails" instead of "Guard Rails".

I was chairman of the safety committee when I worked, and went to some classes and checked out a lot of incidents. I learned in class and in the actual investigation and report-reading that most accidents involve a series of cascading events. Very few have a single cause.