Have you noticed in your area that the yellow light is now meaningless? Here in Milwaukee the local idiots have pretty much adopted the attitude that once the light turns red, you have a 5 second grace period. It's usually accompanied with flooring it, so when they enter the intersection, and the light for cross traffic has been green for oh.....2 seconds at least, they are travelling at 60 mph. Think I'm exaggerating? I wish I were. I have seen at least 3 very near miss collisions as a result of this in the last week. It happens so often that I know fully expect it and I'm surprised if it doesn't happen.

Point, and why I posted here - keep your head up at intersections even if you have the green. ESPECIALLY a new green. Gone are the days where one can time a green and enter the intersection just as it turns. Here you have almost a 100% likelihood that you'll get run flat over.

 

I've seen some intersections go red on all lights or so it seems because no one moves for at least 3 seconds. Will it stop the goofballs...never. Nothing will ever stop them, unless they embed "stop sticks" that pop up at red lights.

 

Several of the major intersections where people have been known to blow thru red lights, have had cameras installed over the last several years that captures people when they do this.

Basically if the light turns red before your front wheels cross the white line behind the crosswalk, it will take a pic and then they send you a ticket in the mail.

Hard to dispute a picture when it has you, your car, license plate and the red light all in it....

But I like the stop stick idea, the closest we have to that is a on a roadway that goes over a dam, if your vehicle it too tall or weighs to much, a big steel barricade pops up in front of you

 

Chicago has this. Ironically, I have paid 2 tickets ($100) for violations. The problem with the cameras is that, as in Chicago, I would be worried they are used as revenue generators instead of life saving devices. As one might assume based on my initial post, I think stopping at a red light is important. However, you need fair warning to stop at a red light - hence the yellow light. It is federally mandated to be between 3 seconds and 6 seconds and depending on the speed zone. Three seconds for a 25 MPH zone is typical. In Chicago, in 35 MPH zones, it has been proven that they have shortened the yellow to 2.5 seconds in many intersections. That may seem like ample time to stop, but in some cases (like mine) it isn't. People have fought, and lost this battle for years because, for some reason, it is illegal to question the process. You can have video proof that the light is short, and you are still guilty. I guess that's a Chicago thing.

Another irony is that collisions have increased since the installation of the cameras because so many people have received tickets, that now anyone that knows the system, jams on the brakes to avoid getting a ticket. The result is often being rear ended.

So I agree - if corruption were not at play, it would be a great idea.

 

Nothing will ever stop them, unless they embed "stop sticks" that pop up at red lights. Smart fella that Phil!

 

Getting to WalMart is more important that any red light or your life....

 

I have found that red lights have become a mere suggestion. I have seen countless people blow right through them and even more people treat them like a stop sign, where they stop and then proceed to drive right through the red light anyways.

I used to pride myself on the ability to time the lights and not have to apply the brake...but now it scares the crap out of me and when I'm on my bike, I slow for every blind intersection. In my car, I maintain speeds where I'm sure I will survive an accident but that's not very comforting when there have been more than a dozen deaths on the main street through my neighborhood...where the speed limit is 30 mph.

 

What you need is red light cameras. Of course, when the city spends 100K putting them up, the fools will get together and say say they are being picked on and the city will be forced to turn them off.

 

The tribune did a story on the red light cameras in Chicago.. they found many intersections had more accidents cause drivers hit the brakes so they didn't go into the intersection as the light changed... I've received two light tickets.. night with wet roads in a heavy truck wasn't worth locking up the brakes on a fast light change .. the fast light part is my big issue with the cameras cause some interest ions change just as you get close and don't give you enough yellow.

 

For reasons pointed out by others, red light cameras are not the answer. They cause more accidents and many governments see them as revenue generators (especially when they shorten the yellows).

The answer is stiffer penalties for running red lights and even stiffer penalties for running a red light that causes an accident. I personally think that jail time should be involved if someone's negligence causes an accident that puts someone in the hospital. And losing the license and paying outrageously high fines for wreckless driving that causes an accident.

Our traffic laws in this country have become far too lax.