Comment by horsawlarway 5 days ago
I don't know if California has a different law, but at least in my state it is very much illegal to accelerate into a yellow light.
Enforcement is basically non-existent, but it's absolutely "running the light" and "breaking the law" to accelerate into yellow lights.
Genuinely - why do you care?
His point is absolutely correct - the cars used to stop, and now instead they're accelerating to beat a light change.
I genuinely don't know if that's actually illegal in cali - but it definitely is in several states, and you'll get ticketed for failing to stop for a red light.
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> but in other parts of the world yellow and red are different colors.
Yellow is the light that means "start stopping" and red is the one that means "absolutely stop". Neither damn color is the "go faster" color.
> but it definitely is in several states, and you'll get ticketed for failing to stop for a red light.
My state, which is one of the ones you are talking about, only will give you a ticket for going over the speed limit through a yellow light, not for accelerating up to the speed limit. If you proceed through a yellow without going above the speed limit (even if accelerating) and do so because you were in the intersection already (at or beyond the stop line) you will not receive a ticket (assuming you can prove it).
Accelerating through a yellow over the speed limit is just asking for a speeding ticket in just about any state.
California law does not address accelerating on a yellow. The driver's handbook (which is not the law) says
> A yellow traffic signal light means CAUTION. The light is about to turn red. When you see a yellow traffic signal light, stop, if you can do so safely. If you cannot stop safely, cautiously cross the intersection.
The bright line rule is not to enter the intersection on a red light, defined as crossing the stop line if present, crossing the first line of a pedestrian crossing if present, or actually entering the intersection if there are no lines.