Turning Signals (Atlanta: lawyer, live, law)

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

The worst is when idiots stop in the middle of the street and wave pedestrians into the road in the name of southern politeness. They never realize that OTHER DRIVERS cannot see the pedestrians nor do OTHER DRIVERS know why driver A is stopped in the middle of the street. Pedestrians get killed like this all the time. I know this is off the topic but people should just use the rules of the road instead of making it up as they go and everyone will be a lot safer and things will be a lot more efficient. I had someone tell me if you are sitting in the intersection when the light turns red that means you have run the red light. WTH? When is Georgia going to require its drivers to learn the rules of the road? WTH? If you ENTER the intersection when the light is red, you have run the red light. Not if you are SITTING THERE when the light turns red. Amazing.

You are correct that technically, that a vehicle is only supposed to have been found to have violated a red light if they entered an intersection after the light has already turned red.

But in their shameless quest to generate cash from traffic enforcement and fines, many police departments and local governments with red light cameras ticket motorists for being in the intersection when the light turns red, even if they entered the intersection before the light turned red.

I was ticketed in College Park a few years back for a red light violation during a left turn in which I got caught in the middle of the intersection when the light turned red, even though I had entered the intersection before the light had turned red.

There have also been many reports over the years since red light cameras first started being used in Georgia that the local governments that were using the cameras were ticketing motorists who had gotten caught in intersections when the signals turned red, even though the motorists had entered the intersection before the lights turned red.

[LovelySummer]

The camera record did not show you were going 0 miles per hour?

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

You are correct that technically, that a vehicle is only supposed to have been found to have violated a red light if they entered an intersection after the light has already turned red.

But in their shameless quest to generate cash from traffic enforcement and fines, many police departments and local governments with red light cameras ticket motorists for being in the intersection when the light turns red, even if they entered the intersection before the light turned red.

I was ticketed in College Park a few years back for a red light violation during a left turn in which I got caught in the middle of the intersection when the light turned red, even though I had entered the intersection before the light had turned red.

There have also been many reports over the years since red light cameras first started being used in Georgia that the local governments that were using the cameras were ticketing motorists who had gotten caught in intersections when the signals turned red, even though the motorists had entered the intersection before the lights turned red.

[Born 2 Roll]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

The camera record did not show you were going 0 miles per hour?

The red light violation ticket that I received in College Park was not from a red light camera, but was issued by a College Park policeman.

Besides, even with the tickets issued by red light cameras, there was found to be some abuse by local governments (like I stated before, there were many instances where local governments were issuing tickets with motorists caught out in the intersection when the light turned red while other local governments were found to have shortened the yellow/caution light phase so that more violations could occur and more tickets could be issued) to the point that the Georgia Legislature acted a few years ago with some reforms to attempt to rein in some of the abuse of red light camera enforcement by local governments.

[LovelySummer]

So you mean that a police officer claimed you entered the intersection after the light turned red when you did not and were clearly just sitting there in the intersection when the light turned red? Very interesting.

Based on your comments about lights being shortened, I think we may be talking about two different things bc it does not matter how much a light is shortened if you are sitting still in the intersection when the light turns red, that is all that matters. I'm not referring to anything that is related to *entering* the intersection (or getting caught entering the intersection because the span of a yellow light has been artificially shortened - in that case, they are catching people *entering* the intersection on red - yes, that is dirty but the drivers are indeed breaking the law).

Let me describe how we do it up north. Maybe what I'm talking about differs from what you are referring to.

The light is green and you want to turn left. Instead of sitting behind the line, you drive into the intersection while the light is green. You are clearly in the intersection. You are not halfway behind the line and halfway in front of the line. You wait and if you cannot turn left before the light turns red, you sit...in the intersection. When the light turns red, you turn left, clearing the intersection. That's the case to which I was referring. Whether the span of the yellow light has been shortened has no bearing in this scenario. You may be talking about a case of trying to follow *someone else* into an intersection and got caught crossing into the intersection on red bc they were not out of the intersection?

Originally Posted by Born 2 Roll

The red light violation ticket that I received in College Park was not from a red light camera, but was issued by a College Park policeman.

Besides, even with the tickets issued by red light cameras, there was found to be some abuse by local governments (like I stated before, there were many instances where local governments were issuing tickets with motorists caught out in the intersection when the light turned red while other local governments were found to have shortened the yellow/caution light phase so that more violations could occur and more tickets could be issued) to the point that the Georgia Legislature acted a few years ago with some reforms to attempt to rein in some of the abuse of red light camera enforcement by local governments.

[PKCorey]

LovelySummer, you can drive me anytime, lol.

[NativeJr]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

So you mean that a police officer claimed you entered the intersection after the light turned red when you did not and were clearly just sitting there in the intersection when the light turned red? Very interesting.

Based on your comments about lights being shortened, I think we may be talking about two different things bc it does not matter how much a light is shortened if you are sitting still in the intersection when the light turns red, that is all that matters. I'm not referring to anything that is related to *entering* the intersection (or getting caught entering the intersection because the span of a yellow light has been artificially shortened - in that case, they are catching people *entering* the intersection on red - yes, that is dirty but the drivers are indeed breaking the law).

Let me describe how we do it up north. Maybe what I'm talking about differs from what you are referring to.

The light is green and you want to turn left. Instead of sitting behind the line, you drive into the intersection while the light is green. You are clearly in the intersection. You are not halfway behind the line and halfway in front of the line. You wait and if you cannot turn left before the light turns red, you sit...in the intersection. When the light turns red, you turn left, clearing the intersection. That's the case to which I was referring. Whether the span of the yellow light has been shortened has no bearing in this scenario. You may be talking about a case of trying to follow *someone else* into an intersection and got caught crossing into the intersection on red bc they were not out of the intersection?

That's how we're supposed to do it down South too. Drives me crazy, pun intended.

As far as the gap between car at lights, years ago, when carjackings were big in Atlanta, drivers were told to leave space to get away if necessary.

[LovelySummer]

LOL. In Chicago, you'd get yelled at (literally from someone's window) or have the horn blown at you if you did not move up. Worse, you'd never get anywhere.

Originally Posted by PKCorey

LovelySummer, you can drive me anytime, lol.

[TommyTipover]

Whenever I see a big gap between stopped cars at a red light it is usually because someone is texting on their cell phone and totally oblivious that the line of cars has moved forward. I usually just go around them and pull into the gap. Sometimes they get mad, and then I just laugh at them.

[emcee squared]

Originally Posted by LovelySummer

LOL. In Chicago, you'd get yelled at (literally from someone's window) or have the horn blown at you if you did not move up. Worse, you'd never get anywhere.

That's the way it should be.

I've also noticed it takes people an eternity to move through a green light, yet they blast by at 85 on the interstate. While I'm ranting, if people would move closer to the car in front of them at intersections, things would move faster. Not closing gaps also prevents people further behind from accessing turn lane, thereby screwing over more people.

[PKCorey]

I've also noticed it takes people an eternity to move through a green light, yet they blast by at 85 on the interstate. While I'm ranting, if people would move closer to the car in front of them at intersections, things would move faster. Not closing gaps also prevents people further behind from accessing turn lane, thereby screwing over more people.

Yes, the people who take forever at left turns as well when the signal comes on. Go already!

I should make a topic on Atlanta Driving Pet Peeves...