Do you look both ways when the light turns green before you go?

In My Humble Opinion
1

I just read an article about a local l19-year-old girl who was killed in a car accident last weekend. She was making a left turn onto a 4-lane divided highway. She proceeded to make her left turn when the light turned green and a drunk driver ran the red light. The impact on the driver’s side of the car killed her instantly.

In 2001, I was injured making a left turn and I had the green turn arrow. A huge utility (power company) bucket truck ran the light and hit me in the passenger side. I was driving a fairly large car (a '94 Acura Legend), but the impact pushed the passenger side door into the center console and pinned my leg. The roof (and floor) buckled) causing the windshield and sunroof to break. The safety glass held together, but the rear view mirror broke loose and hit me in the head and it took 38 staples to close the wound. Amazingly, I only had some moderate knee and hip injuries and my right ankle was crushed. Considering that they had to cut the A-pillar (the part between the windshield and driver’s side windows) and pull the roof back to free me, it was amazing that I wasn’t severely injured or killed. The paramedics, firemen, cops, tow driver and even the insurance adjuster couldn’t believe I survived, but I did.

Even after almost 15 years, I am still VERY cautious when making a turn into or across traffic. When the light turns green, I look in all directions to make sure oncoming traffic is slowing or stopped before I proceed. I’m not nervous, just cautious. When I visit my cousin in L.A., I can even drive in that traffic although their lack of left turn signals really pisses me off!

So what about you fine folks? Do you look around when the light turns green or just gas it and go?

2

You bet. Peripheral vision is not my strong suit.

3

I usually give a glance. I have never been involved in an accident in over 60 years of driving.

4

Yes. I was behind a car turning left at a green that got T-boned by someone who ran the red light. It was awful to see.

5

Damn betcha I do. I am Edwardsville’s oldest surviving motorcycle bum and I intend on keeping it that way!

6

I look. Not as carefully as if I’m walking and crossing the road but I don’t just blindly drive off either. In reality I’m looking all the time my light is red because I anticipate it turning green by judging the “body language” of the crossing traffic.

7

I always look if I am the first person in line entering a green light. People in my area constantly run red lights.

8

Yes, one of the things that was drilled into me when I learned how to drive is that you can go when the light is green AND the intersection is clear.

Also, a lot of people don’t realize that right of way isn’t to the people that have the green light, but first goes to the people still stuck in the intersection, usually waiting to make a left turn.
I can’t, quickly, find a cite on this. Either because it’s not a common question people ask on the internet and I don’t feel like digging into the traffic laws right now or I’m wrong and it’s one of those thing…just let them clear out so you don’t hit them.

I’ve only had one close call in this respect. As my light turned green, my cell phone rang. There wasn’t anyone behind me so I took a second to dig it out of my pocket and someone ran right through the red light. If I had gone, they would have clobbered me.

9

I pretty much have to at the main intersection right outside my apartment complex, as there is a fire station nearby and thus ambulance activity at all hours of the day. Just force of habit from there for everywhere else.

10

Pretty sure you can get cited for violating gridlock laws if you do that. Has happened twice to me in the past month, too…:mad:

11

I always view running the red light as a criminal act.

12

Mainly, I just avoid being in L. A.

13

I work in a small town in Minnesota, which has three (!) stoplights. Every time I’ve seen someone runs a red light in this town, it’s been an old person. They just don’t seem to see the color “red” and drive as if the lights don’t matter to them.

One time I was in a group of three cars going down the street. In the first car was an elderly person (I later saw her in a parking lot), the second car was the county sheriff, and I was in the third car. We were coming up to the stop light, and the sheriff signaled he was going to turn right. The light had turned red for at least five seconds before the first car approached, but she went right through it; fortunately there was no cross traffic. I watched as the sheriff pulled up to the stop light, stopped briefly, and I could just see him sitting there deciding if he should turn on his siren and go after her. He put his hands up in the air in exasperation and decided to turn right. At least no one got hurt.

14

Absolutely, and if a car is approaching at any kind of speed, I won’t go until they start to slow.

15

I assume every car around me is driven by a nearsighted gorilla. This has saved me from many a trouble.

16

You can get cited for gridlock, but that doesn’t mean cross traffic has the right to shove your car out of the way. You still need to exercise your right of way and get the heck out of it.

17

Yep, always look both ways…even when turning onto a one way street. You can’t be too careful.

18

yes. 5 months ago, if I had neglected to do so the first responders would have been scraping me off of the pavement.

19

Yes. I can’t believe how many people run red lights where I live.

20

Here in Panama you damn well better. Whenever I just squeak across an intersection just before the light turns red there are usually three or four people coming across behind me.

And it’s not just at lights. I always look both ways even when turning into or crossing a one way street. I regularly see people driving the wrong way on one way streets or coming from some other totally unexpected direction.