Re: Red light runners and other criminals

["Simpson, Jr, Joe B." <jbs@domain.elided>]

C M Smith <cmsmith@domain.elided> writes:

>...The perpendicular light 
>turns green when your light turns red

Not always.  Around these parts (Raleigh/Durham, NC) most lights have a
delay programmed between one light turning red and the perpendicular light
turning green.  IMHO this is a BAD feature that actually encourages people
to run through even later in the cycle, and makes it doubly dangerous when
bozos who are used to "taking advantage of" the delay go to areas where,
unbeknownst to them, there is no delay.

(I feel about this much the way I feel about crossing gates on every train
crossing on every little street - it teaches drivers to expect to be
protected from the train rather than watching for the train and protecting
themselves.  They then get killed when the devices malfunction, or when they
travel to rural areas where the taxpayers have better ways to spend their
money than on devices to protect the terminally stupid.  Crossing gates are
there to attempt to prevent idiots who knowingly try to beat the train from
doing it.  Around here they drive around the lowered arms and kill
themselves anyway.  Now they've started spending our tax money on concrete
barricades approaching gated crossings in order to physically restrain those
who want to drive around the gates.  Why the heck can't bureaucrats just be
sane about this, and let Father Darwin do his job?  Okay, I'll get off the
soapbox.)

I've heard that some states have laws against accellerating into a yellow
light.  I think this is a great idea.

> and A CAR ALREADY IN  MOTION 
>APPROACHING THAT LIGHT IS ENTITLED TO ASSUME YOU"VE STOPPED.

Not always.  Cars waiting for a left turn in an intersection have
right-of-way to exit the intersection after their light has turned red.  Any
driver approaching an intersection where he has just observed a light
turning green should verify that the intersection is cleared before entering
it.  If he sails into an intersection on a fresh green and nails a driver
who was waiting to exit the intersection and whose light has just turned
red, he's at fault.

In any event, always operate under the assumption that the other driver is
incompetent.  You'll live longer!

  -joe

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