Applies to bicyclists, too; probably even more often than motorcyclists because of loop sensors not being set properly; the moto is hundreds of more pounds than a racing bike so more likely to trip it.
Most if not all states have a similar statute; a defective/out traffic light is treated like a stop sign & you may only proceed after stopping & determining it’s safe to do so; pretty sure it comes out of MUCTD so all of the states should have virtually identical language for it.
Emergency vehicles, with lights & sirens on may proceed thru a red light after stopping/slowing to determine it’s safe to do so.
I say mostly because if it wasn’t mostly safe, meaning if 51% or more of the time there was an accident, then I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t do it any more. And I think the threshold would be far lower, e.g., if 40% or 30% of the time an emergency vehicle with sirens on crossed a red light, slowly and safely, and if there was an accident, I think things would change.
I ride motorcycles. When I have the green light I try to always check cross traffic. It’s a habit that I do when driving my car. When cross streets have Stop signs and I don’t, I try to check cross traffic for some drunken idiot blowing through it.
Yeah. The safety of emergency vehicles ("EV"s) crossing red lights is deemed adequate by society. It’s not 100%; Nothing in safety is 100%. But it’s safe enough that we’re collectively content w the status quo.
I also get the impression that over the years EVs have become more cautious about going through intersections than they were 30 or 50 years ago when we were kids. Whether that’s because of more traffic, or stupider drivers, or an evolving attitude towards “how safe is safe enough” I can’t say.
But the collective system seems to be responsive to the total environment, even if the basic law for drivers: “pull over and stop for EVs in intersections” hasn’t changed at all.