# There is no reason to obey traffic lights **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 27, 2011, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173 "2011-01-27T12:41:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/73ab20/32.png) [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tao_s_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2011, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/41 "2011-01-27T23:38:37Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > On what authority was it decided that green should be “go” and red should be “stop?” Seems to me to be a completely arbitrary rule, decided by a minority of people in power with no input from those who might prefer it the other way around, or a different choice of colors. Furthermore, there is nothing except hidebound tradition, backed by force of law, compelling us to do it this way and not another – if not for that, I could choose to, say, slow down on green, stop on yellow and zoom right through on red. If that’s my preference, and there’s nothing but “custom” and the oppression of the majority (honking at me) preventing me from following my druthers, then why should I respect it? ""I was recently riding with a friend of mine. We were coming to a red light, and he shoots right through it. I ask him, “Why’d you do that?” He tells me this is how his brother drives. We come to another red light, and again, he shoots right through it. I ask him, “Why’d you do that?” Again, he tells me this is how his brother drives. We come to a green light, and he SLAMS on the brakes. My heart nearly goes into my throat. I shouted at him, “Why do you do that?!” He replied, “You never know, my brother could be coming the other way.”" found it here, but I [heard](http://jokes4all.net/brothers.html) the joke long ago elsewhere Edit: the point of the joke is you need someway to predict other driver’s actions, and red = stop works good as anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/42 "2011-01-28T00:19:51Z")
> [@The\_Tao\_s\_Revenge](#): > > ""I was recently riding with a friend of mine. > > We were coming to a red light, and he shoots right through it. I ask him, “Why’d you do that?” He tells me this is how his brother drives. > > We come to another red light, and again, he shoots right through it. I ask him, “Why’d you do that?” Again, he tells me this is how his brother drives. > > We come to a green light, and he SLAMS on the brakes. My heart nearly goes into my throat. I shouted at him, “Why do you do that?!” > > He replied, “You never know, my brother could be coming the other way.”" > > found it here, but I [heard](http://jokes4all.net/brothers.html) the joke long ago elsewhere > > Edit: the point of the joke is you need someway to predict other driver’s actions, and red = stop works good as anything else. I swear I was just about to post this. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/43 "2011-01-28T01:01:19Z")
You can live under a written code, which is enforced by fear, which you will need to obey or suffer, though the suffering may not be experienced right away. This applies for laws and things stated in the Old Testament. Or you can live by Love of others and be exempt from all written codes/laws (the way Jesus shows in the New Testament), as such, however you will respect other people that are still bound by the written code/laws and will not want to encourage them to run red lights because it would cause suffering for them even though you may be exempt. ---
**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:** [January 28, 2011, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/44 "2011-01-28T01:30:34Z")
> [@kanicbird](#): > > You can live under a written code, which is enforced by fear, which you will need to obey or suffer, though the suffering may not be experienced right away. This applies for laws and things stated in the Old Testament. > > Or you can live by Love of others and be exempt from all written codes/laws (the way Jesus shows in the New Testament), as such, however you will respect other people that are still bound by the written code/laws and will not want to encourage them to run red lights because it would cause suffering for them even though you may be exempt. Loving your neighbor won’t keep him from slamming into you if either he or you runs red lights. I’ve read the entire OT, some of it in Hebrew, and I don’t remember seeing anything about traffic signals. Maybe Moses couldn’t cross the Jordan because the light was stuck on red? ---
**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:** [January 28, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/45 "2011-01-28T01:32:42Z")
> [@Dallas\_Jones](#): > > Everyone knows that green means ‘caution’. And yellow means accelerate. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/46 "2011-01-28T01:47:28Z")
I bet this is about gay marriage. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/47 "2011-01-28T01:50:04Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > Maybe Moses couldn’t cross the Jordan because the light was stuck on red? Nah, he would have parted the red light. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/48 "2011-01-28T01:57:58Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Isn’t it obvious? The OP recently got a ticket for running a red light and is now mounting a defense for court. The defense I always used for that was “It was pink when I saw it, officer” (which of course is that transitory moment when yellow and red blended together while the lights changed as I zoomed through the intersection). ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/49 "2011-01-28T02:22:52Z")
> [@The\_Hamster\_King](#): > > On what authority was it decided that OP’s in Great Debates must have an actual thesis? It seems to me to be a completely arbitrary rule, decided by a minority of people in power with no input from those who might prefer something different … . 😃 Do a search on “fucking AND hall AND monitor”. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173/50 "2011-01-28T02:24:23Z")
I realize that everyone seems to be having fun. However, since the OP has either sobered up or failed to awaken, I am putting this thread down. [/Modding] [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-is-no-reason-to-obey-traffic-lights/569173.md?page=2)