In California, is it illegal to enter an intersection on a yellow light, and if the car is not entirely across the street when the light turns red?
ANSWERS. 7 helpful answers below.
1. A yellow or amber traffic light means to slow down prepare to stop. It does not mean hit the gas and speed through the yellow light. Entering an intersection, on a yellow light, is not a violation. Crossing the white band line, at the intersection on a red light, is a violation.
2 A yellow light legally means 'Clear the intersection'.
Legally it is enforced as "1.) If you're in the intersection when a yellow light comes on, get out of (clear) the intersection." AND AND AND... "2.) If you're not in the intersection, treat the yellow light as a red light on DO NOT ENTER"
The reason a yellow light violation is enforcable is mainly the second part is what people violate.
If you are way back and the light turns yellow, and you punch the gas 'hoping' to beat the light, you can still be ticketed, EVEN if you do beat the light. You violated part 2.
Now, if you run a yellow, then it turns red, and say you were then stuck in the middle of the intersection because your lane stopped moving and you CANT clear the intersection, you can also be cited for blocking an interseciton.
It is this part (blocking an intersection) that yellow light violation laws are on the books.
The method to the maddness is traffic laws exists to keep you from blocking the intersection, and yellow lights exist to warn you to NOT ENTER the intersection, so it can remain clear.
3
You've gotten some great information, but here's a little more.
It is not illegal to enter an intersection on a yellow light, but you can be ticketed if you did so improperly. If you speed up to make it through the light, even if you make it through, even if you don't break the speed limit, you can be ticketed for reckless driving.
If the car is not entirely across the intersection when the light turns red, that's a ticketable offense.
There are exceptions... Lights and everything are supposed to be timed so that if driving properly, the speed limit, with enough room between you and the car in front of you, etc, that if you are in the intersection, or too close to the intersection to stop when the light turns yellow you should be able to make it through the intersection before the light turns red. But there are lights that are not appropriately timed, that have very short yellows, so that even if driving appropriately, doing everything correct, the car won't necessarily make it through the light.
4 It is not illegal to enter an intersection on a yellow light; the yellow light warns that a signal change is about to occur and the driver must proceed with caution.
However, some agencies have issued "yellow-light" tickets in CA because of a mis-print in the California Vehicle Code. An index of punitive vehicle code sections in the back of the Vehicle Code states that the yellow light section is punishable. However, it really isn't. After all, how can you prove that someone went through a yellow light without caution? You can't! The CHP has been telling the CVC folks to change it for years and they haven't done it.
As long as you cross the intersecting roadway prolongation (the second white limit line)before the light turns red, you're good. However, keep in mind that the opposing roadway might have somebody turning left in front of you because they think you're stopping, or the perpendicular roadway might have someone "playing the lights" ready to T-bone you. If you can stop, I highly recommend it over a trip to the hospital. :-)
5 So long as the back wheels cross the white line before the light turns red it is legal to enter on a yellow light.
6 I WAS TOLD IN TRAFFICE SCHOOL BY AN OFFICER OF VENTURA COUNTY THAT IF YOUR BUMPER IS EVEN 1 INCH INTO THE INTERSECTION AND THE LIGHT TURNS RED YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO COMPLETE WITHOUT A TICKET
7 I am in hell... I just paid my first yellow intersection traffic light in CA. I just moved here last may and have never had more than 3 traffic moving violations tickets in my 25 years of driving. Today i was movnig down the street at a slow 20 when I heard a noise behind me I looked in my rearview for 2 sec to see if I was safe and the next thing I know my front wheels are across the intersection line and the light is yellow. If id stopped I could have hurt myself or the person behind me but by the time the light was red I was in teh intersection and I think my pic got taken again! Is anyone having luck fighting these in traffic court here?
