Re: (Little Audi Content) Intersection Big Brother &

[Don Hoefer <hoefer@jaxom.eng.pko.dec.com>]

James wrote:

> Several years ago CA passed a law that "being in the intersection when the
> light is red is illegal." No quarry, no slack, just illegal. Yes, that
> means no waiting in the intersection on a green ball to make a left turn;
> once the oncoming traffic stops for the red, you go. Not anymore . . .

When I took my drivers test in NY (many years ago) this technique was
required.

The law mentioned above is only workable if yellow allows for traffic
to clear the intersection.  Otherwise this means that in a situation
with heavy oncoming traffic, no left turns are allowed.  This is
the peril with yellow being equivalent to green.  In order to make a
left turn, one must take the intersection, yield to oncoming traffic,
and turn during the yellow, which exists in order to allow time for the
intersection to clear, as traffic may not enter during the yellow.

These laws being quoted sound incomplete, or the state traffic people are
not thinking.  That is not unlikely, they only started thinking here in
Massachusetts about ten years ago or so.  Also, many police officers
don't know the nits about these laws or their intent, which is important
in understanding them.

I once broadsided a car with my bicycle ("broadside" sounds grand doesn't
it?).  We were each told that we were 50% at fault.  Him, because he turned
left in front of me, me because I didn't yield to a car that had "possession"
of the intersection.

Don Hoefer
'82 Coupe

Massachusetts, USA