Traffic question: Two cars running yellow collide....who's at fault? (PIC)

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Scarpozzi

Lifer
Jun 13, 2000
26,392
1,780
126
Yep....Straight guy is doing it right. Of course, in this case, the left turner is actually safer upon impact than the one that actually did what he was supposed to. This means whoever survives wins.

I hate bad drivers. Grrrrrr.
 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
Originally posted by: huesmann
Originally posted by: rh71
Haha, never make this assumption as a driver unless you see the head of the car dip a bit... meaning they hit the brakes...
...and then slam on the gas when they decide they have enough time to get through on the yellow :)

Originally posted by: rh71

I wonder if they ever thought to delay one side of the lights just a second or so to prevent situations like this... cause it tends to happen more often than you'd believe... depending what kind of drivers are in your area...
Which side would you delay?

- It's supposed to be used as a guide, not a rule... don't go as soon as you see them brake... you still have to watch their overall speed... they may decide they can't brake in time.

- Why would that matter ?
 

LordSnailz

Diamond Member
Nov 2, 1999
4,821
0
0
weird, I thought it was the guy going straight would be at fault.

When I'm at a light to make a left turn, I move forward into the intersection to get ready to make the left turn and to see if there are any oncoming cars. If it's yellow and I do not make my left turn, I'll be stuck in the intersection. The people going straight should stop when it's yellow to allow those people making a left to make it out of the intersection.

Say it's one of those really busy intersection, there is no way a person making a left turn can make left turn when it's green, the lines of car never stops. It's only when it's yellow that 1-2 cars can make the left turn.

 

rh71

No Lifer
Aug 28, 2001
52,844
1,049
126
Originally posted by: LordSnailz
weird, I thought it was the guy going straight would be at fault.

When I'm at a light to make a left turn, I move forward into the intersection to get ready to make the left turn and to see if there are any oncoming cars. If it's yellow and I do not make my left turn, I'll be stuck in the intersection. The people going straight should stop when it's yellow to allow those people making a left to make it out of the intersection.

Say it's one of those really busy intersection, there is no way a person making a left turn can make left turn when it's green, the lines of car never stops. It's only when it's yellow that 1-2 cars can make the left turn.
You make a good point... those cars turning are legally allowed to complete their turn if they are already in the intersection.

Then again, this car making the left could've been speeding up into the turn lane and making the turn all in 1 shot during the yellow... I'd blame him if this were the case. But technicality rules.

 

Kyteland

Diamond Member
Dec 30, 2002
5,747
1
81
Been there, done that. The only traffic ticket I've ever gotten. It is most definitely the turners fault. "Failure to yeild on left turn."
 

DT4K

Diamond Member
Jan 21, 2002
6,944
3
81
Definitely the guy turning left has to yield to people going straight.
But I can definitely see how it happened.
When it turned yellow, the guy turning left assumed the other guy would stop.
 

glugglug

Diamond Member
Jun 9, 2002
5,340
1
81
The guy turning left should __always__ check for cars going the opposite direction during the turn, usually stopping mid-intersection even if the light was green.
If there are still cars approaching on the other side, the guy turning should not cross yet, DUH!.
Since he is (should be) stopped mid-intersection while waiting for the other cars, it is of course the left-turner's fault, and he would have been perfectly fine (& legal!) if he waited until the light turned RED and then completed the turn on red.