Rule About Driving Through and Intersection with a Yellow Light

This article is about the Red light camera's in TX. It is from the Texas House of Representatives.

http://www.hro.house.state.tx.us/focus/redlight79-15.pdf

Check out the section on how the red light camera's work. (Pg. 7)

It says that the sensors are connected to a computer, to both the traffic signal and underground electrical wires that only turn on the camera's when a vehicle enters the intersection AFTER the light turns red. If a vehicle is already in the intersection, waiting to turn left for example, it would not trigger the sensor and the camera would not come on.

There is also other information in the article.

Good luck.

2 moms found this helpful

I don't know how you can tell where your car actually was when the light turned red. I have never received one of those tickets, so I don't know if it shows multiple shots or just the one. If it only shows one image, you have no recourse in court because the image may not have been taken the moment the light turned. It is just taken where they can get an image of your license plate.

As for the rule, you have the right to go through the light when it is yellow. Yellow is a warning that the light will soon turn red and that you should slow down. As long as the light doesn't turn red before your car enters the intersection, you are in the right.

I don't know if it is worth fighting. That would be your call. Good luck!

J.

1 mom found this helpful

I was told once, if you can see the light turn red as you go under it, then you should have stopped. It is a hard call because I have been rear ended from stopping for a yellow that the car behind me wanted to go throug

Is there anyway to find out your chances of winning if you fight it? Even if you know you were right, if you chances of winning are not good, it is not worth the battle.

1 mom found this helpful

From the Tx Driving Handbook regarding steady yellow lights-
Caution—red light coming up! You must STOP before entering the nearest
crosswalk at the intersection, if you can do so safely. If a stop cannot be
made safely, you may proceed cautiously through the intersection before the
light changes to red.

I have been driving in this state for forty years and it has always been that you must be out of the intersection before it turns red. Of course if the yellow light is too short (meaning from the time it changes you cannot make it through the intersection). If you have just entered the intersection and it turns red you can receive a ticket. Hope this helps. It is not a matter of judgement but law....if you were just in the intersection and going the speed limit as you stated, and the yellow light is not too short....you broke the law as you are to be completely out of the intersection before it turns red........I am sorry this happened to you but glad there was no accident.

google or ask a professional to find out more...
yellow lights as a rule are supposed to be timed for the posted speed of the road to safely clear the intersection before the other drivers get a green light.
yellow light timed 1 second for each 10 mph..for example: speed limit of 30 = 3 seconds

When you enter without stopping at an intersection (front tires cross the painted white line or mark of the intersection if there is one) after the light turns red, you have ran it.
If you crossed the line but you stopped before you entered the intersection, you did not run it.
If you are already in the intersection, you didn't enter it after the light turned red.
The pictures will prove if you ran the light or if you were clearing the intersection.

and also.....if you cross the painted white line at a stop sign or if there is no line and you pass the stop sign before you completely stop, you have ran the stop sign.

just my two cents worth. :o)