How Would You Improve Compliance With Red Lights?

Spokane area motorists are about to enroll in Intersection Etiquette 101, or remedial red-light response.

Spokane County has $15,500 to spend on a public education campaign to remind drivers they are not supposed to run red lights.

Is this really something licensed drivers need to be reminded about?

Apparently so. Somebody up there thinks $15,500 worth of posters, car stickers, bus placards and public service announcements on radio and television - and, oh yes, intensified law-enforcement measures against violators - will improve compliance.

This is just a guess, mind you, but I’ll bet that if the general motoring public were quizzed on the law governing red lights, its perceptions of the law would be stricter than the law itself.

So respond quickly - no peeking at the answer: Where can your car legally be when a light turns red?

Here’s the appropriate statutory language: “Vehicle operators facing a steady circular red signal alone shall stop at a clearly marked stop line, but if none, before entering the crosswalk on the near side of the intersection or, if none, then before entering the intersection control area and shall remain standing until an indication to proceed is shown. …”

That, according to the traffic division of the Spokane Police Department, means that if you’ve entered the near crosswalk - or passed the corner line if there is no crosswalk - before the signal turns red, you’re OK.

So, if you said you have to be all the way into the intersection, or even through it, before the light turns red, you were mistaken.

Before you go out and test this explanation, though, be aware that other factors may come into play. For example, it is illegal to accelerate when the light turns yellow, even if you clear the intersection ahead of the red light. And if you are driving so fast that you can’t stop safely for a red light or have to skid to a halt, you probably are guilty of driving too fast for conditions.

Assistant city prosecutor Jared Garth says such cases usually hang on factors such as the discretion of the officer issuing the citation and how well he articulates his observations on the back of the ticket. Ultimately, says Garth, “it’s up to the judge.”

If it all sounds complicated, it is.

Maybe this driver-education campaign is a good idea after all. If you could include a lesson in the curriculum, what instruction would you have for other motorists?

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