# Stop running redlights, dammit! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 18, 2015, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896 "2015-11-18T16:36:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/21 "2015-11-19T02:09:17Z")
I’m a Californian living in New England for four months. Californians are typically pretty good about stopping when the light turns yellow. Here, on the other hand, there seems to be a rule that as long as a car in front of you is going through the intersection, you can go too, regardless of how long ago the light turned red. The light turns red and typically 2-3 cars pass through the intersection after that. I’m surprised I haven’t been rear-ended yet, although our minivan has CA plates so I suppose they are expecting strange driving behavior like stopping for a yellow light (when safe, of course!). ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/22 "2015-11-19T02:23:46Z")
> [@Wednesday\_Evening](#): > > I’m a Californian living in New England for four months. Californians are typically pretty good about stopping when the light turns yellow. unfortunately they’re a bunch of self-absorbed assholes about everything else. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/23 "2015-11-19T03:24:54Z")
> [@Baker](#): > > In the movie “Starman” Karen Allen and Beau Bridges are driving cross country. He’s the alien, so she’s doing the driving. He sees how her actions relate to the colors of the lights. Later on she’s sleeping so he takes the wheel and they nearly get creamed when he drives through a yellow light. When she yells at him he replies _“I watched you most carefully. Red means stop, green means go, and yellow means go very fast!”_ _Starman_ might have been even more entertaining with roly-poly Beau playing the alien. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/24 "2015-11-19T04:10:07Z")
Melbourne, Australia has cameras on most? intersections. With a very hefty fine for running the red. Money is a great motivator and most people obey. Back when I was living there I hardly ever saw anyone run a red. Japan doesn’t have cameras in most places and running the red is commonplace (I live on a five-lane one-way street, with a pedestrian light crossing at my door, and I NEVER just trust the green and start walking. That would be idiotic). Anyway, screw this, I’m going hang gliding. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/25 "2015-11-19T19:15:30Z")
> [@Wednesday\_Evening](#): > > I’m a Californian living in New England for four months. Californians are typically pretty good about stopping when the light turns yellow. Here, on the other hand, there seems to be a rule that as long as a car in front of you is going through the intersection, you can go too, regardless of how long ago the light turned red. The light turns red and typically 2-3 cars pass through the intersection after that. I’m surprised I haven’t been rear-ended yet, although our minivan has CA plates so I suppose they are expecting strange driving behavior like stopping for a yellow light (when safe, of course!). What part of California are you from, since Californians from my neck of the woods sure aren’t good about stopping on yellow. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/26 "2015-11-19T20:02:29Z")
People do that all the time in my city at an intersection that one of the worst 10 intersection in my state. There was no traffic lights until 1995 , there about 4 accidents a weeks according to a towing company . My car was T Boned by a teenager driver who was 100% at fault then 3 more accidents happen at the same intersection and the state finally installed traffic lights . Now idiotic people run the red lights and the police are never around , a policewoman said it’s too dangerous to go after people . :smack: Kids have to cross this intersection to get to school and there is not always a cross guard to help them . ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/27 "2015-11-19T21:12:18Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > I think that we are causing this problem ourselves. As I child I could swear that the lights were set up so that when one side turned red, the other direction instantly turned green. Then someone got the brilliant idea of adding a delay, so that any redlight runner will have time to clear the intersection before the other direction gets the green. All that did was embolden the redlight runners. Since there was a delay, it gave them a greater window to run the light, which necessitated longer delays, which allowed the runners even more time. I notice this at one intersection in particular along my afternoon commute. Even with the delay, it’s regularly— like, I could swear almost every time— necessary to wait a few seconds _after_ the light turns green before proceeding, to let the 2-4 idiots blow through the red light at high speed in both directions. I really dread the day when someone less familiar with the Special Morons’ Rule for that intersection foolishly stomps the gas as soon as they see green. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/28 "2015-11-19T21:46:20Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > Well, here we have some intersections with cameras. At least there these eediots will be a nice and shiny letter in the mail in a couple of weeks for their trouble-saw one cruise through at least 2 seconds late the other day- **FLASH**. [Note-I don’t necessarily like the things…] Camera’s dont do much to stop red light\* runners,\* just those who dont make a full stop on a right turn. The main purpose of the camera is to generate $$, they dont reduce accidents at all. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/29 "2015-11-19T21:47:48Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > I wish we still had those here in Houston. When we had them, the number of wrecks at major intersections decreased drastically. But the idiots of the town voted them out and now the wreck count is going back up. Maybe in Houston, but not over all. :dubious:Overall, accidents went up. ---
**Author:** ![Honey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/honey/32/5074_2.png) [@Honey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Honey)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/30 "2015-11-19T21:50:53Z")
Everybody is always in such a fucking hurry. Christ people, leave 5 minutes earlier if you need to. My daughter was T-boned by a driver who ran a red light. She was 5 months pregnant with twins at the time, and went into labor the next day. The poor boys were born at just over a pound each. They are fine and healthy now. ---
**Author:** ![IDtenT\_Error](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@IDtenT\_Error](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IDtenT_Error)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2015, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/31 "2015-11-19T22:21:04Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > That doesn’t bother me nearly as much as not putting on your fecking turn signal. I can’t read your puny little brain! Generally, they can’t read it, either, so there’s that… I also heartily endorse this pitting. In my town it’s a matter of simple survival to always slow down and look both ways before entering the intersection, no matter how long your green has lasted. And you never _ever_ trust the other guy’s turn signals until you see his car start curving in the direction he’s signaling. And don’t count on them even having their headlights on at night. I once just barely avoided a collision at night while I was turning left because the idiot in question didn’t have his lights on but blinked his right turn signal once as he was in the middle of his turn. Yeah, he had the right-of-way, since I was turning left, but the only way I even knew he was there was that one blink of his right-turn signal. I only missed him by about 3 feet. I hope he stained his undies. I managed to maintain bowel and bladder control as well as I did brake control, but all three were a close-run thing. If he’d been going straight, and not blinked his turn signal, my first indication of his presence would have been the crunching sound and the sudden deceleration. ---
**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/32 "2015-11-20T02:05:49Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Camera’s dont do much to stop red light\* runners,\* just those who dont make a full stop on a right turn. The main purpose of the camera is to generate $$, they dont reduce accidents at all. I am fully aware of that. But when one of those assholes just blows through the thing, I still get a sense of grim satisfaction when I see the flash. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/33 "2015-11-20T02:12:05Z")
> [@John\_DiFool](#): > > I am fully aware of that. But when one of those assholes just blows through the thing, I still get a sense of grim satisfaction when I see the flash. Hell, I have a minor orgasm when that happens. ---
**Author:** ![Isamu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/7c8e57/32.png) [@Isamu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isamu)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/34 "2015-11-20T03:58:22Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Camera’s dont do much to stop red light\* runners,\* just those who dont make a full stop on a right turn. I don’t quite understand. You mean cameras don’t catch people running a red light? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/35 "2015-11-20T04:04:49Z")
> [@Isamu](#): > > I don’t quite understand. You mean cameras don’t catch people running a red light? no, he means they don’t _prevent_ people from running red lights. ---
**Author:** ![Sitnam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Sitnam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sitnam)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/36 "2015-11-20T04:45:14Z")
People need to put down the god damn phone. Too many times I’ve passed people I thought where wasted but on driving past see their face looking at the dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/37 "2015-11-20T05:27:53Z")
Another driver hit by a red light runner here. Imagine a Toyota Echo t-boned by a huge truck (an 18-wheeler) on the driver’s side. Cop wasn’t real sure how I was still alive… I really shouldn’t be, so I’m counting everything after as extra time. Oh, classic line from the older truck driver: “Dadburn, ah swear that light went from green right to red!” He even tried that with the cop (who marched him out to the middle of the intersection and made him watch the completely normal cycle with plenty of yellow light time). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 8:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/38 "2015-11-20T08:03:22Z")
> [@tonyfop](#): > > I think that we are causing this problem ourselves. As I child I could swear that the lights were set up so that when one side turned red, the other direction instantly turned green. Then someone got the brilliant idea of adding a delay, so that any redlight runner will have time to clear the intersection before the other direction gets the green. All that did was embolden the redlight runners. Since there was a delay, it gave them a greater window to run the light, which necessitated longer delays, which allowed the runners even more time. This is exactly what I think happened. I see it too often for it not to be true. All it takes is 5% of drivers to be idiots and it messes things up for everybody. And idiot drivers will always be idiot drivers, and we’ll never run short of them. ---
**Author:** ![Wednesday\_Evening](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b2d939/32.png) [@Wednesday\_Evening](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wednesday_Evening)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2015, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/39 "2015-11-20T14:27:39Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > What part of California are you from, since Californians from my neck of the woods sure aren’t good about stopping on yellow. I’m in San Luis Obispo County. I guess we’re too busy [being happy](http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Happiest-City-in-America-San-Luis-Obispo-Video) to run red lights. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [November 21, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896/40 "2015-11-21T19:05:47Z")
I thought of this thread earlier today when stopped at a red light near downtown. The car just ahead of me at the light was occupied by a woman who seized the moment to do a comprehensive re-make of her hairdo (from being up into some kind of ponytail, though that may have been a transitional step). Great, I thought. The light will change and we’ll be sitting here forever before she notices and is ready to proceed onwards. Instead, to my astonishment, she started rolling right through the red light, still working feverishly on her hair, making a left turn without signaling (and apparently without a glance in either direction). The God of Fools was with her and there was no rending crash. They’re out there. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stop-running-redlights-dammit/737896.md?page=3)