# Red means stop, Green means go **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 8, 2005, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668 "2005-07-08T22:05:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/21 "2005-07-10T15:08:37Z")
> [@This Year's Model](#): > > Had I been on the street with the yellow blink, I’d have been screaming bloody murder at you and the others who were stopping at a blinking yellow. > > It’s when the light is out completely that you treat it as a four-way stop. Or, if it’s blinking red everywhere. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/22 "2005-07-10T15:49:59Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > Just wanted to clear that up. So the next time you see a red light, stop your motherfucking car. I don’t care if it USED to be green, if you even SAW it when it was green. When the light turns red, you ALWAYS stop. > > What if it just turned red? Well, the light turns yellow for a moment. When you see it’s yellow, if you’re not in the intersection, you SLOW DOWN AND STOP. Just as if it were red. Get it? Unless you live in Houston. Then red lights are interperted as “Stand on the gas. Everyone who got the green light _SHOULD_ have seen me while I was 50 yards from the light when it turned yellow, and I accelerated at that time, therefore I have the right-of-way. Ignorant assholes, all of you! Next time one of you tries to go on a green in front of my Thundering SUV-Of-Death ™, I’ll shoot your ass!” And that’s on good days… ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/23 "2005-07-10T17:20:52Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > Can I expand this to “STOP signs also mean STOP”? Not slow down a very slight fraction while screaming around the corner, I was once very nearly killed crossing a street by a driver that did this. This was before cell phones were cheap enough for the average person to be in possession of one. If it happened today, I could have dialled 911, and given the number of the police car that had just nearly run me over… ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/24 "2005-07-10T17:58:19Z")
> [@](#): > > Had I been on the street with the yellow blink, I’d have been screaming bloody murder at you and the others who were stopping at a blinking yellow. > > It’s when the light is out completely that you treat it as a four-way stop. Oh, I agree it’s not mandatory to stop at the yellow blink; but my driver’s ed teacher suggested it was courtesy to treat a four-way blink as an all-red blink to give cross traffic the option to actually move before they grow old and die. Which in this case was applicable; there wasn’t much traffic from the red sides but the yellow traffic was quite heavy, so frequently several yellows would go through, but when a couple reds pulled up the yellows would stop and be courteous. It was the courtesy that shocked me more than the accuracy of the rule-following. ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/25 "2005-07-10T18:34:06Z")
Add to all of this, the following: 1. Your stopping behind the car or cars in front of you doesn’t exempt you from stopping again when you yourself reach the STOP sign. 2. DO NOT proceed away from a driveway, parking lot, or stop sign until your intersection is COMPLETELY clear. It bugs me when I’m not quite through an intersection and you start barreling through. 3. The wide center lane with the turn arrows painted in it is a TURN lane. It is not a “Leap out from the STOP sign and sit in it until the intersection is completely clear” lane. Nor is it an “Ignore the red light, dart into here and wait for the intersection to completely clear” lane. One of these days I’m going to buy me a huge old rusty Suburban or conversion van–something expendable but with lots of crash-absorbing bulk. Once one of you idiots who likes to jump away from the STOP sign before I’m quite through the intersection makes your move, I’m gonna turn off the ignition to simulate a sudden stall. You’re gonna hit me and whether or not I’m genuinely injured, I’m gonna milk the “whiplash” angle for all it’s worth and cost your insurance company thousands. The only thing stopping me from fulfilling the above fantasy is that I’m a great big coward afraid that despite my putting a lot of bulk between you and me, I’ll be paralyzed anyway. It’s a great fantasy, nonetheless. ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/26 "2005-07-10T18:39:42Z")
> [@cricetus](#): > > When you see it’s yellow, if you’re not in the intersection, you SLOW DOWN AND STOP. I agree with most of what you said, but do hope that you are not one of those morons who approaches a stop light with a 40-50 m.p.h. speed limit, notices 20 feet short of the light that it has turned yellow, and proceeds to hammer the brakes and cause a nervous pile up behind you. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/27 "2005-07-10T18:55:24Z")
> [@](#): > > Or, if it’s blinking red everywhere. Well, no, because you don’t know what anyone else has. You just do what you do. ---
**Author:** ![Driver8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b5a626/32.png) [@Driver8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Driver8)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/28 "2005-07-10T18:59:28Z")
> [@Mama Tiger](#): > > Oh, I agree it’s not mandatory to stop at the yellow blink; but my driver’s ed teacher suggested it was courtesy to treat a four-way blink as an all-red blink to give cross traffic the option to actually move before they grow old and die. Which in this case was applicable; there wasn’t much traffic from the red sides but the yellow traffic was quite heavy, so frequently several yellows would go through, but when a couple reds pulled up the yellows would stop and be courteous. > > It was the courtesy that shocked me more than the accuracy of the rule-following. I’m no driver’s ed teacher, but that sounds like pretty bad advice to me. It’s introducing unexpected behaviour. It would be like stopping on a road that is clear to let people stopped at a stop sign in. If the authorities had meant for people to stop they should have had all red blinking. I get the impression from your intersection that the traffic speed was too slow to be dangerous, and I guess there is no harm in being courteous in that situation. But I know of a few where the flashing yellow is on a road where traffic is doing about 50mph, and anyone stopping there might very well cause an incident. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/29 "2005-07-10T19:28:52Z")
Fer gawd’s sake, if the traffic is backed up and I stop at a green light because I would block traffic in the intersection, it doesn’t mean you can make a right on red just when room for one car clears. That’s my spot, asshole, not yours. You almost want me to fuck up traffic just so you can’t pull that shit. ---
**Author:** ![threemae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f9b8f/32.png) [@threemae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/threemae)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/30 "2005-07-10T20:07:55Z")
> [@zenith](#): > > One of these days I’m going to buy me a huge old rusty Suburban or conversion van–something expendable but with lots of crash-absorbing bulk. Once one of you idiots who likes to jump away from the STOP sign before I’m quite through the intersection makes your move, I’m gonna turn off the ignition to simulate a sudden stall. You’re gonna hit me and whether or not I’m genuinely injured, I’m gonna milk the “whiplash” angle for all it’s worth and cost your insurance company thousands. I’m sorry, I don’t understand why this bothers you to the point where you fantasize about engaging in truly dangerous and stupid behavior to prove some minor point about timing. I presume that you’re talking about four way stop signs. When it’s rush hour and enormous lines of traffic are building up in all directions, I kind of wish that people would be just slightly more willing to risk minor insult to their bumpers and not sit at a four way stop for ten seconds counting, “one one-thousand…” just to make extra super sure that the entire intersection is totally clear all the way to the opposing side, even though they could easily and safely enter the intersection with no added risk to move traffic along faster. ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/31 "2005-07-10T21:22:58Z")
The problem is, these idiots do the jump away from the stop sign before I’ve quite cleared the intersection when there’s NOBODY behind me and they could have stood to wait 3 seconds. If you’re doing this out of frustration for having sat for 5 minutes during rush hour,maybe I could give you a pass, but it NEVER happens that way to me. It’s always the asshat that just got to the sign, barely hit the brakes and then nailed the gas and aimed at my rear quarter to “speed me up” or “teach me a lesson”, or whatever that I encounter. Maybe a highly-concentrated EMP targeted at their Engine Control Modules, thus stranding them in the middle of the street is a better fantasy than the stall-out. Not traceable, no police reports or insurance adjusters for me to deal with. Yes, a much more creative fantasy! Thank you for pointing out the weaknesses my old and trite one! ---
**Author:** ![zenith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e19b73/32.png) [@zenith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zenith)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/32 "2005-07-10T21:25:26Z")
That’s" the weaknesses OF my old and trite one." Stutter-finger during proofread again. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 10:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/33 "2005-07-10T22:15:26Z")
> [@](#): > > I get the impression from your intersection that the traffic speed was too slow to be dangerous, and I guess there is no harm in being courteous in that situation. But I know of a few where the flashing yellow is on a road where traffic is doing about 50mph, and anyone stopping there might very well cause an incident. Oh, I agree that at high speeds that’s not smart. But when traffic is moving at 25-30 mph on the main road and 20 on the cross street, it’s not a big deal to slow down approaching the intersection and then taking turns if there’s cars coming from all four sides. It all boils down to two factors that are so woefully deficient in driving: common sense and common courtesy. Except I guess dropping the “common” from both would be more appropriate these days. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/34 "2005-07-10T23:21:02Z")
> [@zenith](#): > > The problem is, these idiots do the jump away from the stop sign before I’ve quite cleared the intersection when there’s NOBODY behind me and they could have stood to wait 3 seconds. > > If you’re doing this out of frustration for having sat for 5 minutes during rush hour,maybe I could give you a pass, but it NEVER happens that way to me. It’s always the asshat that just got to the sign, barely hit the brakes and then nailed the gas and aimed at my rear quarter to “speed me up” or “teach me a lesson”, or whatever that I encounter. > > Maybe a highly-concentrated EMP targeted at their Engine Control Modules, thus stranding them in the middle of the street is a better fantasy than the stall-out. > Not traceable, no police reports or insurance adjusters for me to deal with. Yes, a much more creative fantasy! > > Thank you for pointing out the weaknesses my old and trite one! **W** hisky **T** ango **F** oxtrot over What difference does it make to you if I miss your rear bumper by one foot of 20 feet? The answer of course, is that it makes no difference whatsoever. However to the guys waiting in line behind you, and behind me it can make a big difference. The sooner I clear the intersection, the faster they get home Do I need to add that the other driver looking straight ahaead, has a much better view of just how close your cars are? After all you are looking over your shoulder. :wally ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/35 "2005-07-11T03:16:12Z")
> [@The Asbestos Mango](#): > > I was once very nearly killed crossing a street by a driver that did this. This was before cell phones were cheap enough for the average person to be in possession of one. If it happened today, I could have dialled 911, and given the number of the police car that had just nearly run me over… And they promptly would have told you they don’t care unless you were hit. And if you were hit, and they got off their butts to investigate, they might find the driver and he would say something along the lines of “I didn’t see anybody”. They might investigate a little harder if they guy looked drunk. But don’t expect any justice for an assault committed with a vehicle. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Miskatonic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr.miskatonic/32/310_2.png) [@Mr.Miskatonic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Miskatonic)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/36 "2005-07-11T03:18:27Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > **W** hisky **T** ango **F** oxtrot over > What difference does it make to you if I miss your rear bumper by one foot of 20 feet? > The answer of course, is that it makes no difference whatsoever. However to the guys waiting in line behind you, and behind me it can make a big difference. The sooner I clear the intersection, the faster they get home And who cares if you make one little miscalculation and strike the other car. You were saving seconds man, precious, precious seconds! Those seconds are worth a few human lives now and then! ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/37 "2005-07-11T03:25:57Z")
> [@Rick](#): > > \ > What difference does it make to you if I miss your rear bumper by one foot of 20 feet?\ I believe that 20 feet is a cushion for margin of error. I had an interesting experience a little while ago; I was crossing a street with my walk light, I got out a few feet, and from my new vantage point, I was able to see that the bank I was looking for was on the same side of the street that I started from (hence no need to continue crossing.) I stopped and turned around to go back, and was nearly creamed by a car that was making a right turn behind me. _I_ wasn’t in the wrong; there’s no law saying a pedestrian has to complete their crossing; he wasn’t _completely_ in the wrong; he anticipated my doing what pedestrians usually do. What he didn’t do was anticipate anything besides the usual, and that is bad driving, plain and simple. If you make a habit of near-miss driving, circumstances will turn one of those into a hit some day, most assuredly. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/edb3f5/32.png) [@The\_Asbestos\_Mango](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Asbestos_Mango)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/38 "2005-07-11T03:37:18Z")
> [@Mr. Miskatonic](#): > > And they promptly would have told you they don’t care unless you were hit. > > And if you were hit, and they got off their butts to investigate, they might find the driver and he would say something along the lines of “I didn’t see anybody”. > > They might investigate a little harder if they guy looked drunk. But don’t expect any justice for an assault committed with a vehicle. Um, did you read the post? But then, maybe your right, I probably shouldn’t expect that the police would care if one of South Bend, IN’ finest ran a stop sign whilst driving a police car, and if I actually had been hit, they probably still wouldn’t care. Maybe if the officer was drunk on duty, she might have gotten a mild reprimand. I mean, these people are supposed to enforce the laws, they can’t be expected to obey them. That would destroy the whole appeal of becoming a cop in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![danceswithcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9e8a1a/32.png) [@danceswithcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/danceswithcats)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/39 "2005-07-11T03:54:32Z")
This thread reminded me of an episode from ‘Taxi’ in which they’re trying to help Ignatowski prep for his driving exam. He’s reading questions from the test, and the crew is answering. “What does a yellow light mean?” “Slow down.” “What. does. a. yellow. light. mean?” “Slow down!” you get the idea ---
**Author:** ![FlyingDragonFan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c89c15/32.png) [@FlyingDragonFan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingDragonFan)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2005, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668/40 "2005-07-11T14:06:15Z")
Not that I’m claiming infallibility on the part of my driving ed. instructor, he was kind of an eccentric, and this was 20 years ago, but I specifically remember him saying that legally, all the yellow light really means is that the red is coming. It’s there just to give you a short buffer so you can make a decision about whether you have room to stop before the red appears, not that you should actually slow down because it’s yellow. There must be actual statues concerning what the yellow means. Anybody that has a knack for finding that info wanna take a crack at it? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/red-means-stop-green-means-go/311668.md?page=3)