Month: February 2022

Q: At an intersection with a red light camera, what is the period of time required by the camera to be considered a complete stop before making a right turn on a red light?

A: There’s a story behind this question, isn’t there? Did anyone else read that question and think to themselves, “Someone just got a ticket.” That’s way too specific of a question to be just a curiosity.

A red light camera is, at its core, sensors, cameras and a computer. The sensors, installed in the pavement, measure the movement of cars through the intersection. When the traffic signal is green the computer ignores the messages from the sensors. When the light is red, the computer listens to the messages from the sensors. If the sensor says, “hey computer, this car is still moving,” the computer tells the camera to take a couple pictures of the car. An officer then reviews the data to confirm a violation has occurred. The people who design these systems might tell you it’s more involved than that, but you didn’t ask an engineer.

Q: What am I supposed to do when the person who has the right-of-way is “polite” and tells me to go? If something goes wrong won’t I be responsible? I’d rather they just go.

A: A few years back a PEMCO insurance commercial captured what you and many other folks have felt about the too-polite driver. You might remember it; two deferential drivers at an intersection alternating between gesturing to each other to go and inching forward after accepting the other driver’s offer. To really drive home the point, it ends with a jogger getting to the crosswalk, where they all have a three-way polite-off. The title of the ad: “4-way stop you go, no you go, no you go guy.” Maybe you’ve been there. Maybe that’s you.

Yes, of course it’s good to be polite. But can it be illegal? To answer that we need to understand right-of-way. To keep things simple, let’s consider a four-way stop. The law states that when two drivers approach an intersection at approximately the same time, the driver of the vehicle on the left shall yield right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.

Q: What action should one take when witnessing severe unsafe driving? For example, on a recent trip I saw a semi truck repeatedly cross traffic lanes, three motorcycles drive in between lanes and cars through traffic, and two cars race ahead at 80+mph. Should these incidents just be ignored? Do you call 911 to report unsafe driving? Or, do you stay in your zone listening to podcasts to avoid your own road rage from building?

A: Anyone who has been driving for a while has had a day when you were seriously annoyed by another driver. And there’s a good chance there has been a day when you were the annoying driver, too. Hopefully not on purpose, but mistakes are inevitable in life, and if driving is part of your life you’ll make mistakes there too.

Then there are times when another driver actually scares you. Maybe you fear for yourself, or possibly you have a vicarious fear for the other drivers on the road. Things like a semi truck drifting into another lane or cars racing down the freeway can do that.