There are always roadways that are going to be more dangerous than others. The intersection of State Highway 195 and Shell Road is one that people in the community are arguing is not safe.
What’s causing the most problems? The intersection has two stop lights, but the fact that one is very short makes people more likely to speed through the yellow light rather than to stop and wait. In some instances, waiting through a red light could mean that drivers sit at the intersection through two red lights, which means that many people would rather risk running a yellow light to get where they’re going.
Why is running a yellow light so dangerous?
When you try to beat a traffic light, you’re taking a serious risk. You’re entering against a caution, which is warning you that the other direction of traffic is going to begin soon. In 2016, over 800 people were killed in crashes that involved running traffic lights. Another 137,000, it’s estimated, were injured because they didn’t obey traffic lights.
Of course, yellow lights are there to give you time if you’re too close to stop before a red. However, if you’re not inside the intersection before the yellow light and have time to stop, you need to do so. All yellow lights have different lengths. Some are short, while others give you plenty of time to continue through. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to know which you’re dealing with, so it’s best to avoid entering any intersection after the light turns yellow.
Ignoring a yellow light could mean that you enter an intersection where the light had already turned red. This greatly increases the risk of a crash with traffic from the side, which could end badly for anyone involved in the crash. If someone hits you because they have ignored the yellow light or blown through a red light, then you’ll be in a position to file a claim against them.