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

iamme

iamme

Lifer
Pic

Both cars were running a yellow light. One turning left and the other going straight ahead. Who's at fault here?

Do the traffic laws vary by state?
 
left turners always yield to oncoming traffic. thusly the guy going left is at fault
 
Who hit who, or was it head on?

The person turning left would be at fault afaik. You are supposed to wait for traffic to clear before turning and I'm sure he/she ASSumed the oncoming car was going to stop for the yellow.
 
The yellow would be meaningless, it's a basic right of way question.

Fault definitely lies with the car turning.

Viper GTS
 
Originally posted by: ElFenix
left turners always yield to oncoming traffic. thusly the guy going left is at fault
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Ditto.

The only exception is is the left turner can prove the straight mover was driving so recklessly that the left turner couldn't have known there was the possibility of an accident (such as the straight mover going 100+ mph around a blind bend so that the left turner couldn't have seen him coming). But I doubt that anyone has ever successfully proven that.

 
Originally posted by: notfred
What difference does it make if the light was yellow or green?
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my initial thought was that the person going straight had the right of way, since they weren't changing lanes. i was wondering if the fact that they were both running yellow lights would possibly make them equally at fault.
 
Originally posted by: iamme
Originally posted by: notfred
What difference does it make if the light was yellow or green?
Click to expand...

my initial thought was that the person going straight had the right of way, since they weren't changing lanes. i was wondering if the fact that they were both running yellow lights would possibly make them equally at fault.
Click to expand...

You can't run a yellow light. Driving through a yellow light is perfectly legal.
 
Plus the left turner can just sit in the intersection till the straight guy goes through, then turn left on red. Cause he has to clear the intersection.
 
Originally posted by: notfred
You can't run a yellow light. Driving through a yellow light is perfectly legal.
Click to expand...
In most states if you could stop without endangering yourself then it is illegal to go through the yellow light. Of course then you just argue that you couldn't stop in time safely - and then the state argues back then you must have been speeding, etc.
 
Originally posted by: Triumph
Plus the left turner can just sit in the intersection till the straight guy goes through, then turn left on red. Cause he has to clear the intersection.
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Which is why sitting inside an intersection past the crosswalk is illegal in many locations. Yet almost everyone does this.
 
Originally posted by: notfred
Originally posted by: iamme
Originally posted by: notfred
What difference does it make if the light was yellow or green?
Click to expand...

my initial thought was that the person going straight had the right of way, since they weren't changing lanes. i was wondering if the fact that they were both running yellow lights would possibly make them equally at fault.
Click to expand...

You can't run a yellow light. Driving through a yellow light is perfectly legal.
Click to expand...

Not true. If you go through a yellow in a case where you could have come to a stop you will get a moving violation for it if you're seen by a cop. My Ex gf got one for turning left on a yellow. The only time you can go through a yellow is if it turns while you are just about to enter the intersection.
 
Originally posted by: iamme
Originally posted by: notfred
What difference does it make if the light was yellow or green?
Click to expand...

my initial thought was that the person going straight had the right of way, since they weren't changing lanes. i was wondering if the fact that they were both running yellow lights would possibly make them equally at fault.
Click to expand...

Maybe if the light was red, yellow shouldn't make a difference. If I can land the job I interviewed for yesterday I'll know all about this stuff 🙂
 
Originally posted by: iamme
Pic Both cars were running a yellow light. One turning left and the other going straight ahead. Who's at fault here? Do the traffic laws vary by state?
Click to expand...

The guy turning left... the other guy has the right of way.
 
Tough call

guy turning left more than likely

HOWEVER:
if the guy turning left was in the middle of the intersection (legal in illinois) then i would think that the guy going strait would be though since he has to clear the intersection (technically) before the light turns red... so this is actually a tough call
 
I'd say turning left always because you said they were both running the light -- implying that the left turner was not already in the intersection.

-geoff
 
Originally posted by: bunker
Who hit who, or was it head on?

The person turning left would be at fault afaik. You are supposed to wait for traffic to clear before turning and I'm sure he/she ASSumed the oncoming car was going to stop for the yellow.
Click to expand...
Haha, never make this assumption as a driver unless you see the head of the car dip a bit... meaning they hit the brakes...

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...
 
I've actually seen this happen right in front of me. All I could do was laugh at both of them for being such impatient idiots and trying to beat the light. Legally it's probably the left turner's fault, but in my opinion they are both at fault and deserved it.
 
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...
Click to expand...
...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...
Click to expand...
Which side would you delay?
 
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