When people speed up to beat a yellow light

[Crazedclerkthe2nd]

I see this at nearly every major intersection of my city. As soon as the light flips from green to yellow, there's always one or two morons who then suddenly gun the gas as hard as they can because they just HAVE to beat that yellow. God forbid they'd actually have to stop.

I've seen a few people outright run reds because they failed beating the yellow light in time.

Aside from this being annoying, it's also dangerous. I get that sometimes people are in a hurry, but waiting on stoplights is part of the wonderful thing we call driving. You might as well get used to it.

[HYHYBT]

I've rarely seen it, but there are some lights where, if you're at just the right distance and speed, you *can* make it through on the yellow if you accelerate a bit but cannot if you don't, yet also can't reasonably stop in time. I've also seen certain intersections at certain times of the day where you can't cross the intersection for most of the green because traffic at the next light (or the one after that, or....) is backed up too far; if you *can* squeeze through at the last moment, you have to, or else turning traffic will fill that space and you won't get to go on the next cycle either.

In general, though, if you have to hit the gas to get through, you should have waited.

[MadMike]

I've seen a few people outright run reds because they failed beating the yellow light in time.

I saw an SUV get t-boned right in front of me, because some idiot did just that. The light the SUV was sitting at turned green, the driver pulled into the intersection, and got nailed hard enough to rock the thing. If I had left the house a few seconds sooner, that could have been me, and in my little Saturn, I probably would have gotten rolled.

I pulled out my phone to call the police, and then saw they were already there. He was in an unmarked car a few vehicles behind the guy who caused the accident. I couldn't hear anything, but from the wild arm gestures and facial expressions, it looked like the idiot was arguing with the cop, even though he was clearly in the wrong.

That's the one time there was a cop around one you needed one.

[Andara Bledin]

And this, my friends is why green doesn't mean go: Green means look, then go.

[Sarah Valentine]

I had to run a red once, I was slowing down but the huge ass truck behind me wasn't. There was no room for me to move right or left so my only option was to go through or get flattened.

[Greenday]

Today, I kept getting behind people who would brake at every green light. I don't get it. It's like they are so scared of a yellow light that they are going overboard to prepare for one.

[bara]

As a delivery driver, I see this shit ALL the time. I have a saying when I am driving, 'There is no place I am going that cant wait two more minutes for me to get there'. Because getting where you are going is the key thing.

[Nekojin]

California law says that a Yellow light means, "Stop if you can do so safely. Otherwise, get through the light quickly." If you don't have enough room to stop safely and comfortably, it's better to accelerate to get through the intersection before the other side has a green.

I used to drive ~3 miles each way to our local post office. For about a week, there was a guy who would get in the right turn lane and slow down for reds, and then just run it if there wasn't any cross-traffic visible. He did this at EVERY light.

[Andara Bledin]

California law has actually changed. If you can get your car into the intersection before the light turns red, and there is room to get out of the intersection on the other side, you're not breaking any laws.

However, if you actually want to be safe as opposed to just fast, you'll come to a stop at any yellow light where it is reasonable to do so.

[PepperElf]

I've rarely seen it, but there are some lights where, if you're at just the right distance and speed, you *can* make it through on the yellow if you accelerate a bit but cannot if you don't, yet also can't reasonably stop in time. I've also seen certain intersections at certain times of the day where you can't cross the intersection for most of the green because traffic at the next light (or the one after that, or....) is backed up too far; if you *can* squeeze through at the last moment, you have to, or else turning traffic will fill that space and you won't get to go on the next cycle either.

In general, though, if you have to hit the gas to get through, you should have waited.

we have a few intersections like that - where it's a choice between hitting the gas or slamming the brakes. (and traveling speed is at limit or 5mph over tops).

and during rush hour yeah there's some lights where it's pileup-fun waiting for the next light to clear out too.