Q: I was driving on Alabama Street when the flashing red light on the HAWK signal had turned off and the pedestrian had completed crossing the road. Cars coming from the other direction remained stopped. I continued through the crossing because a car on my left obscured my vision of a pedestrian waiting at the crossing. Are drivers obliged to stop or can they proceed through until the light for the pedestrian activates and the red light for cars comes on? Did I act illegally?
A: Back in the day when laws were printed on paper and bound in books (they probably still are but I rely on the internet version) the thickest title in the legal code was the part about motor vehicles and traffic. If I were forced to summarize that entire part of the law in two words, it would have to be, “Don’t crash.” That’s the motivation for nearly every law in Title 46. Speed limits, intersection controls, signs, vehicle equipment and lighting, impaired driving, licensing, bike and pedestrian rules; they all work together to create a shared system that road users hopefully understand and observe so that we can prevent crashes. There are a few laws, like car pool rules, that are more about efficiency than safety, but they make up a tiny slice of the giant pie of traffic laws.
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