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Pristine_Read_7476 t1_j27lpv6 wrote

In Washington a driver may enter an intersection on a solid yellow light and it is of no significance if the light turns red before the vehicle exits the intersection. RCW 46.61.055. If you choose to challenge the infraction your likely to prevail on these facts.

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muose t1_j27odcm wrote

Thank you, yeah it doesn’t matter if it turns red while you’re in the intersection, as long as it was yellow at the time you entered the intersection. Case closed you should not have gotten a ticket.

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C0git0 t1_j294nwe wrote

I was taught in drivers ed that when making left hand turns in a busy intersection you’re supposed to pull all the way into the intersection and wait for the yellow/red to stop traffic in the other direction to execute your turn. This wouldn’t be legal if the above law wasn’t valid.

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Pristine_Read_7476 t1_j2a9ylh wrote

So long as the light is green or yellow when you enter the intersection you are correct.

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Aggressive-Yam5470 OP t1_j2ct6jc wrote

thanks. Im going to just pay the fine but thought Id try and get a lil conversation going and Ive learned some things

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Designer_Hotel_5210 t1_j29dqrl wrote

Sorry that's not how I understand it. As I understand it if you are in the intersection and the light turns red that is ticketable, since you are not clear of the intersection.

An officer once told me yellow means stop if able and being in the intersection is ticketable since you have 3 seconds on the yellow.

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Pristine_Read_7476 t1_j29mqab wrote

You are not alone and in many places you would be correct. Road rules can vary in small but significant ways from State to State and people naturally just follow what they were taught/told although the rule where they now live is different. In both Oregon and California you would be correct and I would get a ticket. Here is nice breakdown of the issue that Puget Sound Public Safety put out a few years ago:

YELLOW LIGHT: What does a steady yellow light mean in a traffic control signal in Washington? The law (RCW 46.61.055) says that a driver facing a steady yellow light is hereby warned that the green light is being terminated or that the red light will immediately follow which is when traffic shall not enter the intersection. You can enter the intersection when the light is Yellow but you cannot enter the intersection after the light turns red.

Washington, like 37 other states with “permissive yellow” rules, drivers can legally enter an intersection during the entire yellow interval, and a violation occurs if a driver enters the intersection after the onset of red. In the other states that have a “restrictive yellow” rule, drivers can neither enter nor be in the intersection on a red, and a violation occurs if a driver has not cleared the intersection after the onset of red.

How long a yellow light remains steady is depended upon the speed limit of the road. In a yellow light study done in Seattle the average light was 3.5 seconds. The Federal Highway Administration recommends the following yellow light times:

25 MPH - - 3.0 Seconds 30 MPH - - 3.5 Seconds

35 MPH - - 4.0 Seconds 40 MPH - - 4.5 Seconds

45 MPH - - 5.0 Seconds 50 MPH - - 5.5 Seconds

55 MPH - - 6.0 Seconds

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